The Middle Goosefare Trails

This area consists of two parcels of land off Route 1 north of downtown Saco. During much of the 18th century this land was owned by the famous Pepperell Family of Saco, British loyalists who were on the losing side of the Revolutionary War. It was acquired by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts after the war and in the late 1790s sold to Isaac Scammon who with his family established a homestead nearby on the Portland Road. This property passed from the Scammon Family to many others over the years, and in 1935 became the home of the Brandt family.

Click to enlarge Old Camp Loop Length (roundtrip): 0.19 mile Directions to trailhead: From downtown Saco, travel north for two miles on Main Street which becomes Route 1. Turn left into the Mobil gasoline station parking lot and park in the rear. The trailhead is at the rear of the lot, on the right. Estimated walking time: 10 minutes. Middle Goosefare Trail Length (roundtrip): 0.5 mile. Directions to trailhead: From downtown Saco, travel north for 1.5 miles on Main Street which becomes Route 1. Turn left into the parking lot of the Saco Inn & Suites. Park in one of the six spaces facing Route 1. Please notify the clerk at the motel office that you are visiting to walk the trail. Estimated walking time: 30 minutes.

The pond sanctuary was donated to the Saco Valley Land Trust in memory of Karl & Elsie Brandt who raised their family on this land. A second parcel was donated to the SVLT through the generosity of Mobil Oil Corporation and the help of former Saco Mayor Bill Johnson. This area, which lies within a few feet of Rt. 1, is beautiful, surprisingly quiet, and has a wide variety of land types. Goosefare Brook, dammed to create a small duck pond, was used for commercial skating in the 1940's. Steeply rising gullies with upland forest of both hardwoods and pine greet the visitor. It offers an opportunity to leave the stresses of daily life for a short visit to the natural world within walking distance of in-town Saco.

Overlooking the pond area David and Elaine Lowe donated a granite bench dedicated in 1998 to the memory of Lew Weston, a founding member of the Saco Valley Land Trust, the Saco Bay Trails, and a leading nature conservationist in the Saco area.

Old Camp Loop
From the trailhead kiosk, enter the woods traveling northwest. The trail is well marked with white blazes and the path is obvious. After a short distance (130 feet) the trail will split, with the access for old camp loop heading to the left. Turn left (west) and walk another 200 feet until the trail divides again. This is the loop. Turn right (northwest) and follow the well marked path as it bears to the left around the loop until you reach the point at which you entered.

To leave, turn right and then right again at the next trail intersection. You will exit the woods at the point you began.

While this is a short walk, it is an excellent diversion to the automotive lifestyle we depend upon in southern Maine. Next time you pull in for gas, take a few minutes to walk the loop. It is especially beautiful on a fall afternoon once the leaves have begun to turn.

Middle Goosefare Trail
After you notify the clerk at the motel office, walk down hill on the entrance driveway past the swimming pool wing. At the bottom continue straight across the grass. The trail passes through a patch of brambles and quickly drops into the woods.

After 500 feet, at the bottom of the path to the pond, turn right along the shore. In 400 feet you will come to a sharp left turn. Here the trail crosses Philips Spring brook, then climbs a short, steep rise that ends in a beautiful open pine grove that contains two picnic tables.

Wander the area. Go to the pond overlook at find the granite bench dedicated to Saco Bay Trails founding trustee Lew Weston who operated Lew's Quik Stop.

Looking over the pond, you will see a steep pile of rocks over which Route 1 passes. At the base of this pile are the remains of the dam that was used to create the skating rink.