Saco Heath

Saco Heath Preserve

 

How You Can Help
 

JOIN GREAT PLACES

By joining the Conservancy today, you will be welcomed into a family of dedicated individuals committed to saving the last great places on Earth.

By donating to our boardwalk maintenance program, you can help us continue public access to this unique peatland. To donate, please contact Rod Vogel. 

 

Boardwalk at Saco Heath

Boardwalk at Saco Heath © TNC

Blueberry bushes turn bright red in the fall at Saco Heath
Blueberry bushes turn bright red in the fall at Saco Heath © TNC

Trail Map

Download a trail map and self-guiding trail information. (317KB, .pdf)

Saco Heath formed when two adjacent ponds filled with decaying plant material called peat. Eventually, the two ponds filled completely and grew together to form a raised coalesced bog, where the surface of the peat is perched above the level of the groundwater. Located in a rapidly growing area of southern Maine, the 1,223-acre preserve features a self-guided hike along a woodland trail to a boardwalk through the heath’s varied peatland communities. In the spring, the heathland plants bloom, spreading a carpet of lavender, pink and white across the heath.

What You’ll See

The Heath features a unique assemblage of plants that are adapted to thrive in its nutrient-poor soils. These include Labrador tea, leather-leaf, rhodora, cottongrass, sheep laurel and scattered pitch pine, Atlantic white cedar, black spruce, and tamarack. These plants grow on a mat of sphagnum moss. The woodland areas of the preserve include red maple, white pine, hemlock and black gum trees. This is the southernmost example of this type of raised bog and the only place where Atlantic white cedar grows on a northern raised bog.

The Atlantic white cedar at Saco Heath is one of the largest stands in Maine and supports one of only two populations of Hessel’s hairstreak butterfly in Maine. The caterpillars of this species feed exclusively on Atlantic white cedar. The Heath is also home to deer, moose, showshoe hare and a variety of other wildlife. The acidity of the heath keeps mosquito numbers low by making the abundant standing water inhospitable to mosquito larvae.

Location

Saco, Maine

Hours

Dawn to dusk

Size

1,223 acres

Conditions

The preserve is accessible through a 1-mile trail and boardwalk. The terrain is relatively level and easy.

Preserve Guidelines

To learn more about the logic behind these rules, please read our complete list of preserve use policies.

  • Foot traffic only
  • Please stay on the trail and boardwalk to protect this fragile ecosystem
  • No collecting of plants or animals
  • No pets
  • Carry out all litter
  • No fires, smoking or camping.

Directions

Take Exit 36 (formerly exit 5) off I-95/Maine Turnpike. Take the first exit after the tollbooth and turn left onto Industrial Park Road. Turn right onto Route 112, Buxton Road. Follow Route 112 about two miles. The parking lot for the Saco Heath Preserve will be on your right in a wooded area.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): © Bruce Kidman/TNC (Saco Heath); © TNC (Rhodora in bloom at Saco Heath).