Sylvan Trail

Note: As of March 2026, this trail is closed indefinitely.

The Sylvan Trail is lovingly named (it means woodland in Latin) but is unfortunately located right next to a highway, which means the path is a bit noisy in the beginning. But this shouldn’t put you off taking a short walk here because the meadows you skirt are beautiful. The trails are gentle and easy and, if you do the whole thing, it’s about 1.6 miles, according to my GPS (0.3 miles to a ~1.0-mile loop).

Just a few notes. After you walk the initial 0.3-mile spur to the loop, you’ll emerge into an open area, a former log yard. You can go left and follow a woods road — which runs parallel to the highway and can be muddy — or you can cross the woods road to follow the more pleasant forest-to-field path. (It begins on wood chips, making it somewhat possible to discern!) When you arrive at the beautiful meadow, the path can be a bit wild and grassy, and also somewhat faint.

Another note: If you’re doing the loop clockwise, you’ll follow the woods road about 0.6 miles to where it comes out onto the big meadow. Look for a small trail sign on your right marking a forest footpath that runs parallel to the field for a short distance before crossing a stream to the field.

Directions: From downtown Saco, go north for approximately 4 miles on Main St. which turns into Rt 1 North. Just past the Rt 98/Cascade Rd turnoff, turn left on Flag Pond Rd. Go 0.7 mile and immediately before the turnpike bridge, turn right into the parking area for the trail.