With fields, salt marsh and more than 4,000 feet of shoreline on Middle Bay Cove, Skolfield Shores Preserve is well-suited for a pleasant walk or spotting a wide range of birds, from meadowlarks to terns. The main trail system includes the Hemlock Loop and the Merrucoonegan Loop. For a total of one mile, these loops wind through varied forest habitat and provide views of the cove, the salt marsh separating Brunswick and Harpswell and the fields of historic Merrucoonegan Farm. A spur trail leads to a turn of the century boathouse along the shore. Horseshoe crabs can be seen coming to shore to lay their eggs in May and June.
The word Merrucoonegan derives from a Native American term for “easy carrying place.” Traditionally, this area was used by Native Americans to move up and down the coast using protected waters. Later it was a center for the Skolfield Shipyards in the heyday of wooden ship building. Today it is an important area for shellfish harvesters.
Just down the road from the main parking lot, the Liberty Farm Trail takes a short jaunt through the woods to the cove, providing easy access to the shore for recreation and digging clams.
With the field and woods across from the street from the preserve also protected by a conservation easement, it is ensured that this gateway to Harpswell will retain its historic appearance and natural beauty for generations.
VISITOR GUIDELINES
This trail passes through a property that was acquired in part with funds from the Land for Maine’s Future program. For more information about the LMF program and the places it has helped to protect, please visit the LMF webpage.
Visit Harpswell Heritage Land Trust online for more information or contact:
The parking area is located 0.25 miles south of the Brunswick/Harpswell town line on the west-side of ME-123 (Harpswell Neck Road). Turn onto Skolfield Place (the driveway to the Merrucoonegan Farm) on the west side of the road and immediately left into the small parking area. The trail starts at the right side of the kiosk in the parking lot. Follow the signs and trail blazes.
Parking for the Liberty Farm Trail is 0.3 miles farther down ME-123 from the Skolfield Shores trailhead, at a pull off on the east side of the road.
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