Posted on August 8, 2017 and last updated on April 06, 2022

Waterboro Barrens Preserve, Waterboro

QUICK TRAIL FACTS

  • Preserve Size: 2,475 acres
  • Trail Mileage: 7ish miles
  • Pets: no
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Sights: boreal pine barrens, pond, stream, bog, pitch pine, scrub oak, blueberries

The barrens here are kind of wild! A few of the trails have hiker signs on them, but there isn’t much of a cohesive hiking network here that’s been set up and mapped out as far as I can tell. The trails are a mix of four-wheeler tracks and non-motorized tracks. I spent a few hours exploring the place and didn’t follow every trail, so my map is not complete. What I do show are a couple of possible loops you can do.

In addition, there are two particularly nice spots I’ve marked with red pins. One by Pine Springs Lake and the other at an interesting sand pool. Just upstream of the sand pool is a beautiful spot at the brook with great rock ledges (you’ll have to cross the stream to get here). It looks like there was once a massive concrete bridge (it’s actually a dam — thank you to a site visitor for the correction) that crossed the brook that is now falling down.

Lots of butterflies fluttering about!

From the parking lot it’s 1.5 miles to the sandy pool and stream, and just over a mile to the pond. It wasn’t always clear to me when I was leaving the preserve and walking on non-conservation land.

Directions: From Waterboro, take West Road 6 miles north to Ross Corner. Turn Right on Newfield Road, and continue one mile to Round Pond Road (dirt) on your right. Turn right and continue .8 miles where the road will make a V. Turn left onto Buff Brook Road. The parking lot is on the left at the end of the road, about .7 miles farther.

One comment to “Waterboro Barrens Preserve, Waterboro”
One comment to “Waterboro Barrens Preserve, Waterboro”

Let me know if you have any trail updates or corrections!