Smith Bridge Preserve, Oxford

This is a phenomenal 494 acres, protected by Western Foothills Land Trust, with old woods roads bringing you through forest, around a large interior wetland, a meadow, a brook, and to the banks of the Little Androscoggin River. The walking is easy and flat, consisting entirely of one-lane tracks. The preserve is named after a covered bridge (one of three) that once spanned the Little Androscoggin River —&nbsp, the Smith Bridge, which was built in 1832 and demolished in 1935. The ruins are still visible (marked with a red icon on my map).

You can do a number of walks here. If you want to make a loop, a short, pleasant one is to follow White Pine Loop and return via the Tamarack Cutoff, about 1.1 miles. Or you could do the longer loop around the interior wetland, taking the little spur to the old bridge abutments, which is just under 3 miles, according to the land trust. Webber Brook Trail brings you to a beaver dam on the brook.

Directions: The address is 577 Allen Hill Road in Oxford. If you’re coming from the north, it’s just about 600 feet past Webber Cemetery on the same side of the road. Park in the large parking area, and walk along the edge of the adjacent field, on a mown path, to the trails.