A trail link constructed in 2004 by the Damariscotta River Association connected Tracy Shore Preserve with Library park, providing a well marked trail system.
Trail Shore Preserve is a well-marked system of trails that wends its way past vernal pools, cascading streams, and cliffs adorned in rock tripe and ferns, culminating at a promontory affording stunning views of the cove and river. Tracy Shore is a property of the Town of South Bristol along the eastern shore of Jones Cove on the Damariscotta River. Much of the viewshed is protected by conservation easements donated to the DRA by preservation minded neighbors. Mr. and Dr. [Mrs.] Tracy donated the land to The Nature Conservancy which later passed it on to the town. Dr. Tracy was a prominent pediatrician. Her husband was an avid naturalist. The Link Trail to Library Park marks the very route that the Tracy’s daughter once walked to school to avoid the road. DRA maintains the trails for the town.
Library Park’s 16 acres of mossy, forested shorefront land slope steeply toward John’s Bay and afford excellent views of the bay and Witch Island. The original preserve was made of two parcels donated by Jane Sewall, who also donated the site of the adjoining library to the town. The preserve was later enlarged with the help of Randy Phelps and Pamela Daley. To complete the loop back to the library, a generous family to the south of the preserve has allowed the DRA to use a trail they had constructed many years earlier. Please do not head further south onto this kind neighbor’s property. Walkers can go further north, however, connecting to the Town of South Bristol’s Tracy Shore Preserve on a new Link Trail constructed by DRA in 2004.
The network is open from dawn to dusk. No camping or fires permitted. To protect wildlife and for the sake of other visitors, dogs must be leashed or otherwise under control at all times. Please do not gather plants, flowers, mosses, or other natural souvenirs and please carry out what you carry in. To prevent erosion, please keep to marked trails, especially in steeper areas.
For more information visit the Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust website, or contact:
From US Route 1 in Damariscotta head south on ME Route 129 for 11.9 miles to S Road in South Bristol (on the right as you head south). Parking is located at the intersection of South Road and ME Route 129. Parking is also available adjacent to Rutherford Library another 0.7 miles south on ME Route 129.
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