Veteran’s Memorial Park Trail:
Begin at the trailhead at Village Square Road near the Town Office, and go through the woods to cross Parsonage Road to access the Sam Ristich Nature Trail.
Sam Ristich Nature Trail:
This trail was dedicated to Sam Ristich who did so much for the nature lovers in North Yarmouth and beyond. A nationally recognized expert in wild mushrooms and other fungi, Sam led many nature walks along this trail over the years for both the general public and Memorial School students. The trail begins behind the salt shed located at the driveway to the town garage on Parsonage Road (near the crosswalk). Initially passing through a moderate ravine, the trail becomes an easy low-impact walk through a very clean open forest. Marked with white marker posts every 30–40 yards, the Nature Trail can be a nice walk to Oak Hill Road and back, or you can cross and continue to the Sam Ristich Loop Trail in the Eleanor Hayes Town Forest. The Nature Trail is about a 20–25 minute round trip. Great for a quick outing. To avoid the ravine, you can also access the trail by walking past the little league field and turning left into the woods at the small blue trail sign.
Sam Ristich Loop Trail:
To access this trail, cross Oak Hill Road and follow the large blue trail sign. Bear right and follow the trail down through open forest where it becomes easy walking. The trail is marked by white blazes. There are stepping stones over a “seep” and just past this, there is an old trail off to the left to an old granite quarry. After you visit this, retrace your steps and continue on the loop trail. Soon after, there is a series of bog bridges over damp and uneven ground; nearby is a vernal pool. Past the bog bridges, the trail turns left (west). At this juncture, you can either continue left on the trail, and follow it back to the entrance (passing another vernal pool and larger quarry), or turn right, following a small wooden trail sign for the Old Railroad Bed Trail.
Old Railroad Bed Trail:
To reach the Old Railroad Bed Trail, follow the blue flagging tape. The trail follows the edge of a ridge, with a seasonal stream on your left. Continue down wooden steps to a bridge over the stream, before a brief climb up more steps to the Old Railroad Bed. This trail is a beautiful, flat, open woodland walk, with ravines dropping off to the sides at the beginning. If you walk for about 10 minutes, you will come to an old beaver pond on the left. This is a wonderful spot for bird watching. The Old Railroad Bed Trail ends shortly after the beaver pond. Retrace your steps, following the trail sign to reconnect with the remainder of the Sam Ristich Loop Trail. This part of the trail meanders through a beautiful oak forest and returns you to the entrance on Oak Hill Road. Proceed across the road to connect with the Sam Ristich Nature Trail and back to the trailhead.
The Veteran's Memorial Park honors the veterans of all wars with special tribute to those who died in World War II.
Visit the Town of North Yarmouth online for more information or contact:
Parking is available at the North Yarmouth Town Office on ME-9/Memorial Highway, which is 0.3 miles north of the ME-9/ME-115 intersection in town.
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