Spruce Mountain Conservation Area

By Sam Shirley

Located in Jay alongside the Androscoggin River and opposite French Falls Recreation Area, this 143.6 acre conservation area was purchased by the Androscoggin Land Trust in October 2014. It protects riverfront lowlands, which used to be a water supply, and a large portion of steep ledgy hillside. Adjacent to the Spruce Mountain Ski Slope, the land has long been used for winter recreation, and was once home to 5-meter and 18-meter ski jumps.

In the winter, the Spruce Mountain Ski Slope maintains a 3.5 km network of cross-country ski trails, grooming the wide tracks for skate and classic skiing when conditions allow. The ski trails feature a great mix of terrain, ranging from easier, flatter sections to challenging, albeit relatively short, hills. While the ski trails are free to use, it is always nice to purchase food or make a donation at the ski lodge when it is open. The trails also get quite close to the railroad tracks and trestle across the river, and watching (and hearing) trains rumble across the bridge are a unique feature of the ski trails here. In late 2025, a new ~3 mile snowshoe/hiking trail (see description below) opened on the hillside above the ski trails.

In the warmer months, the wide ski trails make for easy walking alongside the river. There is also a hand-carry boat launch at the trailhead.

Details about the Blue Explorer Trail: The blue-blazed trail starts at the top of the hill beyond the trailhead kiosk. It starts by climbing along the bank of a small stream and then trends across the hillside above the cross country ski trails. After passing through a fence and coming very close to a ski trail, it climbs easily again to reach the remains of an old ski jump on the hillside.

Beyond the ski jump, the trail continues to work its way up the hillside. A split is reached where signs point right to “Overlook #1.” This overlook, and the other three following it, are not expansive viewpoints into the distance, but instead are perches on top of cliffs and ledges that look over the surrounding forest. Overlook #1 can also be skipped via a much shorter bypass route.

After the two routes rejoin, the trail passes by three additional signed overlooks, all on the main trail. The trail then descends through a beautiful hemlock grove to a small brook. After more descending, the trail reaches the railroad tracks. The trail crosses the tracks and then parallels them for a while on a service road. The tracks are active, and signage asks trail users to stay off of the tracks.

The trail crosses the tracks again just before the train trestle across the Androscoggin River. After following ski trails for a bit, the trail turns left into the woods along the river. This is an especially nice section of trail, which eventually ends up back on the ski trails, not far from where the trail started. In total, the loop is roughly 3 miles long.

Directions: From Route 4, turn onto Spruce Mountain Road. Stay right when the road forks and continue straight for about 0.6 miles until you get to Spruce Mountain Ski Slope. The trail kiosk is at the far end of the parking area, with the track extending up a hill beyond it.