On our last day in Maine, we started with two nature preserves – Murray Preserve and McLellan-Poor Preserve. Both are free to visit and are located along U.S. Route 1 close to Camden, Maine.
Murray Preserve
Murray Preserve is a small 10-acre preserve. The main focal points are the rocky beach, Penobscot Bay and Ducktrap River. A small flock of little gulls swam near the beach white we were there.
Visitors can take a short walk along the shoreline. While not enough for me to recommend it as a must-see attraction, this was the perfect way to start the morning. Very few other people were around, and you can easily step into the water. It would also make a great picnic spot.
This preserve is at end of Howe Point Road. The road dead-ends into a narrow gravel area where you can park.
McLellan-Poor Preserve
Two parking lots access this preserve – one along Route 1 and the other on Rocky Road/Herrick Road. We parked at the Route 1 trailhead which had a small gravel lot with space for 5 or 6 cars. From here you can do a shorter one-mile loop trail, starting on the Route 1 Trail and looping on the Reservoir Trail. There is a lookout on the loop with close views of Belfast Reservoir.
Route 1 Trail begins with a walk through a field surrounded with wildflowers. Quickly you’ll enter the forest for the rest of the hike.
We spotted songbirds, mallards, chipmunks, squirrels, and a painted turtle. Dragonflies, grasshoppers, crickets, and bees were also found at the preserve.
Visitors wanting a longer hike can continue on the Reservoir Trail until it connects to Peggity’s Path which loops near the other trailhead.
These two nature preserves have trails easy enough for most people, though McLellan-Poor has some uneven terrain and ravine crossings. Anyone planning to visit Camden Hills State Park or Acadia National Park should consider these preserves nearby as well.
This is a place to relax and enjoy nature. Both areas were a good way to slow down for a day and take it all in. We had the place to ourselves.