UPDATE – La Verna Preserve is a popular hiking destination. If parking lots are full, please consider the trails to be full. If the lot is crowded, please protect your health, the health of the community, and the trails themselves, by choosing a different property to visit. Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust has put together a list of less-used trails that they recommend visiting in the interest of safety and social distancing.
This 120-acre preserve features some 3,600 feet of shoreline, 2.5 miles of trails, and a diverse array of wildlife habitat, including mixed hardwoods, coniferous forests, forested wetlands, freshwater marsh, and gently sloping overgrown farmland.
Access to the preserve is directly across from the parking lot via the 0.6-mile Hoyt Trail, which is a right-of-way across private property; please stay on the trail.
The shoreline ranges from the steeply sloping ledges near the southern tip of Brown’s Head to the beach at Leighton’s Cove. Small springs and freshwater seepages also exist along the shore, sustaining communities of cranberry, sundew, and mountain sandwort, and, at one point, give rise to a small pond frequented by shorebirds. There are some steep section on the Ellis Trail.
Masters Machine Company sponsors this preserve as part of Coastal Rivers' Adopt-a-Trail Program. Visitors are welcome to enjoy this preserve during daylight hours. Fires are not allowed. Be aware of poison ivy near the shore.
Leashed dogs are permitted.
For more information visit the Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust website, or contact:
Take ME Route 32 south from Round Pond in Bristol. Go 3.5 miles south of the Round Pond Post Office (which is the same as 3 miles north of New Harbor Center). Notice Ocean Hill cemetery on the right. The preserve parking lot is just after the cemetery (west side of road). Preserve access is gained by following a trail located directly across ME Route 32 from the parking lot.
This trail is experiencing high-use.
Please consider visiting only during low-use times like weekdays. Do not overfill the parking lot or park on the road, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. If parking lot is full, you should consider the trails to be full and too crowded for social distancing. Leave home with a Plan B. If the lot is crowded, please protect your health, the health of the community, and the trails themselves, by choosing a different property and/or trying again later.
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This is not very strenuous, but you do have to watch your step on roots and rocks.
The trail along the coast is beautiful! But in winter, be aware that you will encounter sun glare when heading south in the afternoon. We found this quite uncomfortable (with older eyes) and wish we had hiked north instead.
Children would love this hike as you walk over board walks, small bridges, rock walls, and they could also climb on the coastal rocks.