Flint Woods on Maine Trail Finder

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Trailhead

From ME Route 4/ME Route 27 (Main Street) in downtown Farmington, turn onto Anson Street on the north side of the Franklin County Courthouse. Continue on Anson Street 0.5 miles up Anson Street Hill to the parking turnout on the left, which is marked with a green sign. Flint Woods is about an eighth of a mile beyond the Bonney Woods parking area which is on the right.

Description

Tucked away on Anson Street just outside downtown Farmington, Flint Woods is a healthy mixed forest with several trails. The trails are well worn and easy to follow. Three trails, the West Trail, the Look Out Trail, and the East Trail, form a perimeter walk of just over a mile. Two other trails, the Old County Trail (not clearly marked) and the Cross Cut Trail, traverse the middle of the property. These can be hiked in a number of different combinations for walks of varying duration and length. Several unauthorized trails or private trails can be found on or connect to the property though the authorized trails managed as part Flint Woods are the only ones well marked and managed.

Near the parking area is a series of three old wells which are about ten feet across and ten feet deep that were dug shortly after the Civil War as part of the Farmington Village water system. They were part of gravity feed system that was connected to larger cisterns closer to the village center, but was replaced about 1900 by a more modern system. Rainbow trout historically existed in and fished out of the wells, but today fish no longer live in these wells.

There are also interesting sights along the trails, as well. Off Look Out Trail, there is a viewpoint with benches and chairs that offer a scenic view of Mt Blue. There is also a vernal pool just above the corner of the East Trail and the Old County Road, and several wet areas near the wells, offering opportunities to see and hear frogs and other amphibians in the early spring.

In 1988 these woods were donated to the Bonney Woods Corporation by James Flint with the intention of preserving the land for park and recreational purposes, and to protect it from being developed. The woods are now managed and maintained by the corporation which is made of local residents and community members with an interest in maintaining natural settings for the enjoyment of the Farmington community. Besides maintaining the trails for safety and upkeep near the parking lot and old wells, the corporation intends on leaving the remaining property in an undisturbed natural state.

Other Information

There is a vernal pool just above the corner of the East Trail and the Old County Road, and several wet areas near the wells. These usually dry up in early summer but can be muddy and slippery in the springtime or during wet weather.