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Log inHike, bike, swim, paddle: It's all at Wolfe's Neck Farm
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Hike, bike, swim, paddle: It's all at Wolfe's Neck Farm
by Outspoken on Sat Jul 12, 2008 6:55 am
Hike, bike, swim, paddle: It's all at Wolfe's Neck Farm
By CAREY KISH
Wolfe's Neck Farm in Freeport is a peaceful, picturesque retreat of woods and fields, river and ocean -- a perfect outdoor getaway for a few hours, a day or a weekend. The farm has trails for walking and scenic sites for camping, gravel lanes for biking, and river and sea access for paddling.
I visited the farm on National Trails Day in early June with a group from the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club. Trail maintenance was the task at hand, and we built several new bog bridges and rock steps, repainted blazes and did some brush clipping and blowdown removal. It was a fun day of good work that got us out onto the farm's pretty trails, and allowed us an opportunity explore the extensive grounds of this wonderful place.
There are three miles of established footpaths, according to Tim Kittredge, executive director of Wolfe's Neck Farm. From the trailhead behind the farmhouse hikers can strike out on the Little River Trail and follow the tidal river upstream, walk the Brocklebank Trail through the woods to the huge Brocklebank Field, or take the Long Trail and circumnavigate half the property, using Burnett Road to close the loop.
"I like the mossy areas and the small streams back in there," Kittredge said. "It's nice hiking."
Indeed it is, we discovered!
Across from the farmhouse, visitors can walk along the 1.5 miles of open shoreline with beautiful views of Casco Bay. An ocean swim can be enjoyed en route off the point at Middle Bay.
Future plans call for connecting the farm's trails to nearby Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park and its six miles of existing trails.
Campers will certainly enjoy an overnight stay at Recompence Shores Campground, a "gem on the Maine coast," and part of Wolfe's Neck Farm. Half of the 118 campsites are either on the water or have water views. There are showers and a small camp store for essentials. Fees are reasonable.
"It's simple camping as it used to be, quiet and more primitive," said Kittredge.
There is much more to this historic 626-acre coastal Maine farm than recreation, however.
"Our mission is threefold: sustainable agriculture, environmental education and community well-being through enjoyment of the natural landscape," Kittredge explained.
Since the farm was purchased by the Smith family in the 1940s conservation has been a central theme and preservation of the small, rural family farm through demonstration farming -- primarily beef cattle production -- a goal. The farm was transferred to the University of Southern Maine in 1985 and to the Wolfe's Neck Farm Foundation in 1997. The beef cattle operation became so successful that it eventually outstripped the foundation's available capital. Today, cattle graze here but the primary operation is run by Pineland Farms in New Gloucester.
Education programs are geared mostly toward children. The farm runs a summer camp, an 8-week day program for up to 75 children. And in spring and fall there are farm schools with hands-on experiences where kids learn about the outdoors; about watersheds, animals and woodlands. The farm is popular with schools for field trips, and the October hay rides are always a favorite. A "Food for Thought, Thoughtful Food" education series for adults focuses on topics in sustainable agriculture.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=197309&ac=Outdoors&pg=2
Carey Kish photo
By CAREY KISH
Wolfe's Neck Farm in Freeport is a peaceful, picturesque retreat of woods and fields, river and ocean -- a perfect outdoor getaway for a few hours, a day or a weekend. The farm has trails for walking and scenic sites for camping, gravel lanes for biking, and river and sea access for paddling.
I visited the farm on National Trails Day in early June with a group from the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club. Trail maintenance was the task at hand, and we built several new bog bridges and rock steps, repainted blazes and did some brush clipping and blowdown removal. It was a fun day of good work that got us out onto the farm's pretty trails, and allowed us an opportunity explore the extensive grounds of this wonderful place.
There are three miles of established footpaths, according to Tim Kittredge, executive director of Wolfe's Neck Farm. From the trailhead behind the farmhouse hikers can strike out on the Little River Trail and follow the tidal river upstream, walk the Brocklebank Trail through the woods to the huge Brocklebank Field, or take the Long Trail and circumnavigate half the property, using Burnett Road to close the loop.
"I like the mossy areas and the small streams back in there," Kittredge said. "It's nice hiking."
Indeed it is, we discovered!
Across from the farmhouse, visitors can walk along the 1.5 miles of open shoreline with beautiful views of Casco Bay. An ocean swim can be enjoyed en route off the point at Middle Bay.
Future plans call for connecting the farm's trails to nearby Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park and its six miles of existing trails.
Campers will certainly enjoy an overnight stay at Recompence Shores Campground, a "gem on the Maine coast," and part of Wolfe's Neck Farm. Half of the 118 campsites are either on the water or have water views. There are showers and a small camp store for essentials. Fees are reasonable.
"It's simple camping as it used to be, quiet and more primitive," said Kittredge.
There is much more to this historic 626-acre coastal Maine farm than recreation, however.
"Our mission is threefold: sustainable agriculture, environmental education and community well-being through enjoyment of the natural landscape," Kittredge explained.
Since the farm was purchased by the Smith family in the 1940s conservation has been a central theme and preservation of the small, rural family farm through demonstration farming -- primarily beef cattle production -- a goal. The farm was transferred to the University of Southern Maine in 1985 and to the Wolfe's Neck Farm Foundation in 1997. The beef cattle operation became so successful that it eventually outstripped the foundation's available capital. Today, cattle graze here but the primary operation is run by Pineland Farms in New Gloucester.
Education programs are geared mostly toward children. The farm runs a summer camp, an 8-week day program for up to 75 children. And in spring and fall there are farm schools with hands-on experiences where kids learn about the outdoors; about watersheds, animals and woodlands. The farm is popular with schools for field trips, and the October hay rides are always a favorite. A "Food for Thought, Thoughtful Food" education series for adults focuses on topics in sustainable agriculture.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=197309&ac=Outdoors&pg=2
Carey Kish photo
"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."
Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
