QUICK TRAIL FACTS
- Preserve Size: 115 acres
- Trail Mileage: ~2.5 miles in network
- Pets: yes
- Difficulty: moderate
- Sights: Mooselookmeguntic Lake, sandy beaches
By Sam Shirley
In September, I did a unique hike on the 115-acre Students Island in Mooselookmeguntic Lake — because I had to paddle to get to the trail system. The island has two trails totaling about 2.5 miles.
I put my kayak in at the boat launch at the end of Birches Beach Road, and paddled past a bunch of small islands to a large beach on the eastern side of the island. From the beach, I started on the Over Island Trail, an out-and-back, 0.6-mile trail through the interior of the island. It climbs up and over a small, but surprisingly rugged, hill to the island’s west shore.
After returning to the beach, I hiked the ~1.8-mile Waterfront Trail, which circumnavigates the island, offering many great views across the lake. It passes the island’s 18 campsites — all empty with the end of camping season. If you go this time of year, you are likely to have the island and its lovely trails all to yourself.
The protected island is part of the much larger Stephen Phillips Memorial Preserve — which includes more than 6,200 acres of conserved land and islands on Mooselookmeguntic Lake.
Directions: If you’re not camping at one of the Stephen Phillips Memorial Preserve camping sites on the mainland, you can put in a kayak or canoe at the boat launch on Birches Beach Road. It’s about 1 mile from launch to island.
