Happy Farm River Trail starts at the Recycling Center behind the Town Office off Townhouse Road. The trail follows blue-blazed stakes to the right around the school athletic field and across several fields, including passing through a narrow gate in the barbed wire. It then cuts down through mixed woods to the Sheepscot River. The trail ends at about 1 mile; use the same trail in reverse to return to the trailhead.
Along the river, you can see evidence of beaver and might spot a Belted Kingfisher, a Pileated Woodpecker, or even a Bald Eagle if you are lucky.
The trail meets a section of river that contains spawning and nursery habitat for Atlantic salmon as designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The woods are home to small mammals, deer and an abundance of songbirds, as well as mosses, lichens, and ferns. There are some gentle ups and downs along the trail, it is well suited to walking, snowshoeing or cross-country skiing. There are two benches along the Sheepscot River which make nice picnic stops.
This trail is on private property, on which Midcoast Conservancy holds a conservation easement. The landowner has generously opened the trail for public use. Please stay on trails and respect the landowner’s privacy.
For more information, visit the Midcoast Conservancy website, or contact:
From the South/West
From the Gardiner bridge over the Kennebec River, follow ME-126 east for 8.2 miles to the intersection with Townhouse Road in Whitefield. Turn right, then take the first left at the Whitefield Historical Society/Town Office Building. The trailhead is straight ahead, beyond the Quonset hut and recycling center. Parking is on the left.
From the North/East
Follow ME-17 to the intersection with ME-218 in Cooper’s Mills. Head south on ME-218 for 3.1 miles to ME-126. Turn right and drive 1 mile west toTownhouse Road. Turn left, then take the first left at the Whitefield Historical Society/Town Office Building. The trailhead is straight ahead, beyond the Quonset hut and recycling center. Parking is on the left.
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COMMENTS: Lovely place for a hike! We very much enjoyed going yesterday. The trailhead is a tad tricky to find. From the recycling center, walk ahead to the baseball field. Walk around the perimeter of the outfield fence (from right field to roughly center field) and you will wind a light blue arrow pointing to the start of the trail.
The first third or so is a pretty walk through farm fields. Wooden stakes painted light blue on the top mark the way. But the section along the river is very pretty and is the highlight. The trail is very well maintained, but there are lots of tree roots, so be careful not to trip. It is mostly flat, but has some small up/down sections. The trail is blazed light blue.
The map at the trailhead still shows the loop which is now closed. There is a sign on a tree where the trail now ends; it is now an out and back hike. As advertised, there were many trees with telltale beaver gnawing,. We heard or saw a red squirrel, chipmunks, crows and red winged blackbirds. Nice place!