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Places We Protect

Berry Woods Preserve

Maine

Will Brune casts at the reserve.
Berry Woods: Will Brune casts at the reserve. © D. Bates

Enjoy this beautiful and protected part of coastal Maine.

Viewing

Overview

Description

Though Berry Woods was first protected in 2001, it was made more accessible to the public after an expansion in 2008, the acquisition of a trail easement, and a recent blitz of trail-building to connect the east side of the preserve to the west side. Now, preserve visitors can enjoy this natural wonder near the Kennebec River. The preserve protects 3,500 feet of shoreline on Robinhood Cove, 1,750 feet of shoreline on the Kennebec River, and 2,200 feet of shoreline on Wilson Pond, a freshwater pond and marsh system.

Berry Woods has added to a wonderful mosaic of conservation, where people can hike, fish, hunt and more. And winter is a great time to discover the area by ski or snowshoe.

"Berry Woods Preserve is a key natural connection between the Kennebec River and conservation lands east of Robinhood Cove," says Nancy Sferra, the Conservancy's director of science and stewardship in Maine. "And it’s all accessible on some of the nicest hiking trails in the area."

Visitors can see an old feldspar mine, Wilson Pond and its nesting osprey, an old cellar hole and a natural blowdown from a microburst in 2010.

The 377-acre preserve connects with another 1,300 acres of conserved lands—including Reid State Park and Maine Audubon’s Josephine Newman Sanctuary, an area stretching all the way across the Georgetown Peninsula. A trail connects the Berry Woods Preserve with Josephine Newman Sanctuary.

It’s great to see the support of our members hard at work in this amazing place.

Access

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Hours

Sunrise to sunset

Size

377 acres

Explore our work in this region

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

  • Preserve open dawn to dusk
  • 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

Gamble Trail and Kennebec River Lookout

2.6 miles Round-Trip

This trail leads through predominantly oak-pine woodland and forest from the parking lot on Bay Point Road to the rocky shores of the Kennebec River. An old cellar hole can be found at the end of the trail near the river lookout. A “microburst” touched down in July 2010 and you can see the evidence today. Look for uprooted trees, breaking up the otherwise continuous forest canopy. As you hike along the trail, keep an eye out for Berry Woods’ namesake – it is not hard to find wild blueberries during the summer months. Finally, the rocky shore of the Kennebec is a great place to stop for lunch and spot wildlife such as bald eagles and great blue herons. The large trees along the river are critical nesting and roosting habitat for the eagles, and you might see them swooping over the water catching fish.

Wilson Trail

1.5 miles Round-Trip

This loop trail explores the eastern section of the Berry Woods Preserve. This trail begins at the parking lot and crosses to the east side of Bay Point Road on property owned by Woodex – one of three manufacturers in Maine of wooden ball bearings used in yachts . Woodex generously donated a trail easement to allow hikers access from the parking lot to the eastern portion of the preserve – please respect this private property and stay on the designated trail. On the eastern edge of the preserve, there is an Oak – Pine Woodland on a ridge offering views of the salt marsh of Robinhood Cove. The trail runs along the ridge east of Wilson Pond through an area heavily impacted by the 2010 microburst. A trail leads from the northern tip of this loop and connects with the trails on Josephine Newman Sanctuary.

Download a map of the preserve.