The 73-acre Bijhouwer (pronounced Bye-how-er) Forest is beautifully maintained and includes one of the northernmost stand of mountain laurel in New England. The laurel blooms in late June and early July. The forest also includes a lovely seasonal waterfall and the “Hundred Foot Rock,” a massive bedrock outcrop used as a description point in old deeds for the property.
The trail begins on an old woods road. Upon entering a field (maintained by the Bijhouwer family, the loop trail begins. To the left is the mountain laurel stand; ahead is a farm pond created from a spring. Several unusual plants thrive in this field, and the blue flag iris are especially lovely when in bloom.
Most walkers follow the loop to the left, through the mountain laurel and into an conifer forest (including hemlock and pines). Shortly after passing the “Hundred Foot Rock,” an unusual exposure of the Christmas Cove Dike (a basalt intrusion into the local bedrock) can be seen. The trail continue through the low lands before rising again through a mixed wood stand and then descending into conifers to Bijhouwer Falls. From the falls, the trail reenters the field from below the farm pond, returning to the woods road and back to the parking area.
Visit Phippsburg Land Trust online for more information or contact:
Phippsburg Land TrustFollow Route 209 into Phippsburg, if coming from out of town. At the Stony Brook Road, turn right (the Stony Brook Road is about 3.5 miles from the causeway at the Phippsburg/Bath town line). Devil’s Highway is a left hand turn about .6 miles from the start of the Stony Brook Road. It is not always well-signed, but it is a dirt road with a fairly wide opening onto the Stony Brook Road with mailboxes. The left turn comes just as the Stony Brook Road is making a noticeable turn. If you've come to the Fuller Mountain Road, a similar left hand turn, you've gone too far.
The parking area is on the left as you travel Devil’s Highway (about .4 miles onto Devil’s Highway), just past the third house on the right. You can’t see it on the Google Earth map, because it is a small wooded parking area (perhaps 4 cars can park there). If you come to the the area where there is a side road off to the left with houses, you've gone too far. There is a small PLT sign in the parking area.
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