Local Natural Wonders - Day 59

Local Natural Wonders - Day 59 - Hamilton Audubon Preserve in West Bath, Maine

Hamilton Audubon Sanctuary is an 86 acre preserve on a peninsula in the New Meadows River. A 2.75-mile trail system winds through the coastal forest and side trails lead to beautiful vistas overlooking the cove’s channels, salt marsh, mud flats, and open water.

Directions:
Take the New Meadows exit off US Route 1 in West Bath. Turn left onto New Meadows Road and go straight ahead at the stop sign. Here New Meadows Road turns into Foster Point Road. Follow it three miles to the sanctuary sign and parking area on the right.

Trail information from maineaudubon.org:
Red Trail: Starting across the road from the sanctuary parking lot, the Red Trail loops around an open meadow, offering great views of Back Cove’s marshes and mud flats.

Blue Trail: Take the Red Trail a short distance to reach the trail head for the Blue Trail, which traverses spruce and pine forest and crosses a brook before hugging the peninsula’s eastern shore. Reaching commanding views at Back Cove Point, the trail continues to follow the shoreline and reconnects with the Red Trail. Benches along the way offer spots to enjoy spectacular views of rocky shoreline, salt marsh, and open water.

Yellow Trail: In the heart of the sanctuary, this spur off the Blue Trail weaves between rocky outcroppings and a freshwater marsh.

Green Trail: An additional loop off the Blue Trail, the Green Trail adds an additional mile and a quarter around the peninsula to the east. It passes a freshwater pond and forested wetland while offering great views of Back Cove and nearby Williams Island.