Pride Preserve – Westbrook, 188 acres

Pride Preserve, opened in 2020, is the largest conserved forestland in urban greater Portland and an amazing recreational resource. In addition to these 188 acres owned and managed by the Land Trust, the 63-acre Hardy Road Conservation Area (Town of Falmouth) is adjacent. The Preserve features a 3.5-mile trail network through forest and wetlands, which is mostly flat and ideal for multiple uses in all four seasons. These trails offer a very remote, quiet, wilderness-like experience. We encourage you to come experience our newest Preserve for yourself.

Thank you so much to the 110 supporters who generously donated to the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust in order to forever conserve these 188 acres of land. Special thanks to Florence “Pride” Hawkes and her family for donating 155 acres of land and to Wayne & Donalene Nelsen DWN Asset Management for donating 33 acres and the trailhead parking area.

This Preserve is in the homeland of the Wabanaki People. We respectfully acknowledge these People of the Dawn–past, present and future–and their connection to these lands and waters.

Please see below for the trail map and more information about the Preserve and trails.

TRAIL FACTS

Activities: hiking, running, biking snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling on designated trails
Wildlife viewing, especially near the ponds

Hunting is bow and arrow only
Leave No Trace: Please take out whatever you bring in
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate (northern leg of blue trail)
Length: 3.5 miles in network (connected to additional 1 mile in Falmouth network)

Click for Directions to Trailhead

Trail Map (click to expand)

About the pride Preserve Trails

The trailhead for the Preserve is on Duck Pond Road, which is off of Route 302 to the west. If the trailhead parking is full, there is additional parking on the side of Duck Pond Road.

The trail runs through young forest and some wetlands and passes by two small ponds. The only moderately difficult part of the trail is the hilly northern leg of the blue trail, the top of which is almost the highest point of elevation in Westbrook. The rest of the trail is quite flat and easy, though some sections are narrow with uneven terrain. Due to the large size of this forest, there are excellent opportunities to view wildlife throughout the Preserve. Though close to Portland and Route 302, the only noise you will hear throughout much of the trail is running water and wildlife.

In addition to the large contiguous forest, the water resources are important for wildlife. Minnow Brook runs through the western part of the Preserve and then south until it empties into the Presumpscot River. Another small stream runs approximately along the west side of the pink trail in the north of the Preserve. There are two small ponds, one along the course of each of the aforementioned streams, and numerous pockets of wetlands scattered throughout the Preserve.

Pride Preserve is owned in fee by the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust.