The second of our Portland Trails hikes, The Falmouth Nature Preserve is a little difficult to find, but once you get there, you will be surprised at what a treasure it is. Located on the Mill Creek flood plain, the paths lead you through many kinds of terrain.

2.5 miles; Open dawn to dusk; no trash; no restrooms; last visited June 2008

Hiking, mountain biking, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, dogs on leash, bird watching

For more Information http://www.trails.org/

To Get There:

The76-acre preserve is located on Route 88 ( Foreside Road ) about 0.7 miles south of Town Landing Market. The entrance to the parking lot is marked by a small white sign with the letter “FNP” and is 0.3 miles north of the bridge over Mill Creek, just past 176 Foreside Road.

There are five trails that wind and criss-cross through the preserve. All of the trails are well maintained and well marked with blazes in each color of the trails. They are generally packed earth with exposed roots and a few wooden bridges over some of the wetter areas. Most of the way is fairly level, we only experienced a few hills on our “border” hike. The sign at the entrance is a great guide, although we mis-read it and ended up on a longer journey than we expected, but worth every minute.

Notes: We only saw one other person who happened to be walking a dog. We did see a lot of deer tracks and heard many birds. I was excited by all the flowers in bloom, especially the Lady Slippers. We also saw a few random ladder type structures that seemed to be out of place and had no purpose.