Heald and Bradley Ponds Reserve

The 802-acre reserve includes over a mile of shoreline on Heald Pond and over half a mile on Bradley Pond. It is a terrain of forests, streams, hills, and wetlands. There are also three scenic vistas and a network of over 9 miles of trails.
Trail Activity
Snowshoeing Cross-country-skiing Hiking
Length
9.00 miles, Network
Difficulty
Moderate, Advanced
Town
Lovell
Surface
Dirt/Forest Floor, Rock/Ledge
Pets
Permitted
Fees
No

Description

The GLLT manages the property for many public benefits including outdoor recreation, scenic vistas, forest products, and native wildlife. The summit of Whiting Hill (801 feet) offers excellent views of the White Mountains and Amos Mountain (955 feet) currently offers limited White Mountain views. The summit of Flat Hill (891 feet) offers a fine view of Amos Mountain, Evergreen Valley and associated hills. The scenic vistas rival those of nearby Sabbatus Mountain and other area destination points.

The reserve has an extensive network of trails for all abilities. Part of the Blue and Red Loops Trails parallel Heald Pond and is flat and easy walking for all age groups. Otter Rocks Spur is .08 miles off of the Red Trail Loop and is a perfect spot for picnicking and nature observation. Directly across the lake from Otter Rocks is a shallow cove where moose are commonly seen. Otters, beaver, and a large variety of bird species are also seen from the rocks.

The trails to Amos Mountain are moderate and have a elevation gain of 400 feet. The upper pastures trail to Amos Mountain has many old rock walls within eyesight of the trail and travels through a beautiful northern hardwood forest. There is a series of summit trails that lead visitors to places of interest along the summit such as the Devil's Staircase and special White Mountain views from "El Pulpito", the pulpit. The summit of Amos Mountain is a geo-cache site.

Perky's Path trail is a loop trail that crosses over a small brook twice and loops around a bog. The bog provides an excellent opportunity for bird and beaver enthusiasts, animal photography, and a chance to observe nature in a relatively uncommon wetland ecosystem. Perky's path also crosses into a one-way trail to the top of Flat Hill.

Other Information

The reserve was acquired by the Greater Lovell Land Trust (GLLT) in 1996 through the generosity of several hundred individuals, public agencies, and organizations that support conservation to preserve the water quality of the Kezar Lake watershed. An additional 198 acres was purchased in 2009 from long term stewards, the Rogers family. The GLLT manages the property for many public benefits including outdoor recreation, scenic vistas, forest products, and native wildlife.

Allowed on the property are fishing and hunting in season, hiking and picnicking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiles on marked trails. Not allowed on the property are fires, motorized vehicles other than snowmobiles, cutting/removal of vegetation, camping (except for no-trace camping by prior permit only), and mountain biking. Please carry out all waste.

Trail Manager

Visit the Greater Lovell Land Trust online for more information or contact:

Greater Lovell Land Trust

Greater Lovell Land Trust
PO Box 181
Center Lovell, ME 04016
Phone: (207) 925-1056
info@gllt.org
View website

Nearby Events

VIEW EVENTS CALENDAR

Trail Tips

Dispose of Waste Properly
Wash your dishes at least 200 feet away from water sources, use biodegradable soap sparingly, and scatter the dishwater.
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Trailhead Information

From ME Route 5: Take Slab City Road for .65 miles where you will see a parking lot on your left shortly after crossing the stream and passing the public boat launch to Heald Pond. For the next trailhead, follow Slab City Road for another 1.4 miles until you see Heald Pond Rd on the left. Take Heald Pond road for .75 miles, past the cul-de-sac  and into the Parking lot.

Coming from ME Lovell Village: Take ME Route 5 North. Pass Slab City Road on the right and travel for .5 miles, the parking lot is on the right, or travel 0.85 miles further to the next parking lot is on the right.

Click on a parking icon to get custom directions
Please Log In or Create Account to add comments.
November 17, 2024
Thank you MTF user kattywumpus for your comments about the trail changes, we've updated the MTF map to reflect GLLT's current trail map.
kattywumpus
November 17, 2024
Unfortunately not as interesting as it use to be. There is No more maintained trail along Heald Pond like is shown in the map on Maine Trail Finder. This use to make a great loop along pond and then up and across Whiting hill back your starting point at parking lot 2, 3, or 4. or you could include Amos Mtn for even long hike loop. If you review the map at https://www.gllt.org/heald-and-bradley-pond-reserve you will see what I mean. This map better represent the actual trail system. Also this map helps in calculating mileage for a loop. For example, starting a park lot 4 hiking the hemlock loop trail north, then south to Whiting Hill view point and then return by Hemlock look trail is about 2.8 miles. There really only one limited view of the pond, and one good view point on Whiting hill and Amos Mtn. When the shoreline trail existed this was an more interesting hike. So the description and map in Maine Trail Finder is wrong.

Beside this the trails are will maintained and all park lots except lot 5 are easily accessible and large enough for several vehicles. Parking lot 1 and 5 are the smallest. Lot 5 is the most restrictive, cars with low ground clearage will have a challenge entering and exiting this lot and larger trucks may have a challenge turning around if a couple of vehicles are already parked there.
brendamasse
January 15, 2023
Great hike today on the 1 mile Whiting Loop trail. Could have used snowshoes but we did fine without. No one had been on the trail since last snowfall.
Not another person in sight.
So peaceful
toneman10
November 12, 2022
Nicely kept trail system. Starting at the Slab City trailhead, I skirted the west shore of Heald Pond, then up the ridge to Whiting Hill. Nice view over Kezar Lake the the west.
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