Maine is full of parks. Parks, beaches, trails, woods… you name it, we’ve got it! Every few months we start looking for new options. We’ve all been to Acadia, Baxter and the woods where we live, but what’s out there that’s unexplored? We just came across this beautiful, easy trail that’s actually right in the backyards for a lot of people! It probably won’t take a long drive on gravel back roads for you to get there and when you do, you’ll wonder how you missed it all these years. Thanks to Maine Trail Finder (as always) for leading us here.
The Saco Heath Preserve offers an excellent opportunity to see an ecology unique to the area.
henskechristine / Flickr
A one-mile boardwalk leads visitors through the 1,223-acre park.
lifeviaplanes / Flickr
The walkway runs through the park’s raised coalesced bog, which is the only one of its kind that you’ll find in southern Maine.
azzutrippin / Flickr
What the heck is a “raised coalesced bog?”
billandkent / Flickr It forms when ponds fill with peat, which is decayed plants. Each year, more of these decaying plants add to the peat in the ponds until the pond areas (now called “peatlands”) grow together, rising above the water table.
This might sound like an icky situation, but it actually allows for incredible plantlife, such as Labrador tea, leather-leaf, Rhodora, cottongrass, and Atlantic white cedar, all of which can thrive despite the lack of nutrients found here.
azzutrippin / Flickr
The summer months see beautiful growth.
billandkent / Flickr
And the winter is a dream for those who love to explore, including adventurous kiddos!
lizkdc / Flickr
lizkdc / Flickr
In the summer, this might be one of the best places to avoid mosquitoes since the acidity of the heath keeps the bloodsuckers at bay!
lizkdc / Flickr
This time of year, the walk is a quiet way to unwind without much to distract from the calm.
azzutrippin / Flickr
Getting to Saco Heath Preserve is easy. Make your way to ME Route 112, which is also called Buxton Road. Continue for approximately two miles. You’ll see the parking lot for the Preserve on the right.
henskechristine / Flickr
lifeviaplanes / Flickr
azzutrippin / Flickr
billandkent / Flickr
It forms when ponds fill with peat, which is decayed plants. Each year, more of these decaying plants add to the peat in the ponds until the pond areas (now called “peatlands”) grow together, rising above the water table.
lizkdc / Flickr
Speaking of things we didn’t know, did you know that this Maine castle is actually for sale?
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