Swan Island, Richmond

QUICK TRAIL FACTS

Preserve Size: 2,019 acres
Trail Mileage: ~7 miles in network
Pets: no
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Sights: abandoned farm houses, sweeping meadows, campground, old cemeteries

My map is not yet complete! The red line is the 4.5-mile long dirt road that extends the length of the island. The rest of the lines represent footpaths (the green is a wheelchair accessible trail.)

This is a magical place. Up until 2023, people traveled to the island via a short ferry ride across the river from downtown Richmond (it takes about 30 seconds to cross). Since that service was sadly discontinued, you have to make your own way to the island. The island, which is managed by the state, is open from May 1 to the end of October. The campsites are first come, first served, and are free.

I visited here the first weekend in October, 2015, (and again in July, 2020) and fell in love, like so many visitors have done before me. There are abandoned farm houses (the island was deserted in the 1930s), a long and well-documented history with lots of tragic stories, sweeping meadows, a bucolic campground, a cemeteries, about seven miles of walking on trails and dirt road, and lots of wildlife (we saw baby turkey. You can also rent one of the island bicycles and even a canoe/kayak. The island is four miles long, 2,019 acres, .5- to .75-miles wide, and has freshwater tidal flats. There are at least two small ponds. Its biggest population reached 100 people in 1860.

There is a 0.6-mile loop close to the campground, the Beaver Pond Trail, that is wheelchair accessible. The long dirt road extending the length of the island is also accessible.

My favorite part of the miles of footpaths extends from E to D on the official map, it’s called the East Side Trail. This section is roughly 2 miles long, and you walk along a mown trail along the edge of meadows filled with wildflowers. (You can make it shorter about halfway through; there’s a leg not shown on my map that connects to the main road.)

Directions: Take I-295 to exit 43 (Richmond/Litchfield). Follow Rte.197 east for three miles to Richmond Village. Turn left at the T-junction at the bottom of the hill (intersection of Rtes. 197 and 24). The Swan Island parking lot is on your immediate right, and has a large State of Maine sign.