Wildwood Trail and Branch Brook Loop

Description

WILDWOOD TRAIL
This trail leads hikers into the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge (RCNWR), between two subdivisions that surround the refuge marshland. In 2020 Saco Bay Trails started rehabilitating Wildwood Trail, which had been an abandoned logging road in RCNWR, with the first of two truss bridges. In 2021, a second bridge was completed along with an addition of a kiosk at the Wildwood Drive trailhead. This trail is 0.75 miles one way and terminates at the RCNWR border near Ocean Greens Drive. (Please note, there is no public trailhead at Ocean Greens Drive. Please respect private property.)

BRANCH BROOK LOOP (Opening Spring 2022)
In the fall of 2021, Saco Bay Trails received permission from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to upgrade this informal 0.5-mile side trail to the east of the Wildwood Trail. Improvements have begun on this trail and will be finished in the Spring/Summer of 2022 with new trail signage and additional bog bridging. Once completed, this loop trail will provide a pleasant walk through a pine forest with spectacular views of Goosefare Brook Marsh and Branch Brook. 

Other Information

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Saco Bay Trails cooperatively manage the trails that travers the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge Goosefare Brook Division. The trails are built and maintained by volunteers and members of Saco Bay Trails. Please make sure to leave no trace, pack out your trash, keep your dog on a lead, and to pack out all pet waste. 

In spring, summer, and fall, ticks and other biting insects may be plentiful. Visitors should take precautions to avoid these, especially ticks with possible exposure to Lyme disease.

Hunting is allowed in the Rachel Carson Sanctuary, except on Sundays, so it is advised to wear blaze orange.

Trail Manager

For additional information, visit the Saco Bay Trails website, or contact: