Within a mile of downtown Farmington is a cluster of conservation lands hidden in plain sight. Together, these properties are home to a robust network of multi-use trails that have been well-loved by local folks and visitors alike for many years. Beautiful mature woods, a babbling brook, a tiny pond and cleared vistas characterize these recreational gems.

Clifford Woods is a 55-acre tract of woodland donated by Gordon Clifford to the Maine Woodland Owners (formerly Small Woodlot Owners of Maine) land trust program in 2002. This former farmland, crisscrossed by old fences and stone walls and bisected by a brook, features 50 acres of working forest and several miles of old woods roads and trails.

MWO established its land trust in 1990, and since then has conserved over 11,000 acres of forest land in 55 communities. All are protected from development and managed with good stewardship in mind. Public access is allowed, and many MWO land trust properties have trail systems that allow for pleasant exploration.

Hardy Brook is one of the lovely natural features to be enjoyed on a walk through Clifford Woods. Carey Kish photo

Most visitors begin their Clifford Woods walk at Titcomb Hill Road, where there’s a parking lot and kiosk. The woods are a mix of white pine, hemlock, red maple, sugar maple and white ash, and if you saunter to the shrubby meadow at the far end of the land at Perham Street and back, you’ll cross Hardy Brook twice and cover about 1 1/2 miles. The trails are unmarked and unimproved and there’s a wonderfully primitive feel.

Just down the road from Clifford Woods is Flint Woods, a 44-acre tract owned and managed by Bonney Woods Corp., one of Maine’s oldest conservation organizations. Flint Woods was donated to BWC by Jim Flint in 1987. Eight years later, Flint passed away next to his little trout pond, affectionately known as Jim Pond, where a marker honors his memory. It reads, in part: “Jim loved the outdoors and walked here daily with his dogs. He knew how the power and beauty of nature can calm our anxiety and refresh our soul. He gave Flint Woods to the citizens of Franklin County so that we might have a place to get away from the challenges of daily life and to enjoy the spirit of nature.”

The 10-acre Bonney Woods lot features a stately grove of mature hemlocks. Carey Kish photo

A stone’s throw away is Bonney Woods and a stately 10-acre grove of old growth hemlock – some of the trees are more than 200 years old – that’s simply awe-inspiring. The Bonney Woods lot is where the story of the private, non-profit Bonney Woods Corp. began 113 years ago, when the Bonney family protected one of the first pieces of conservation land in Maine.

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Abutting Flint Woods to the west and south is Village Woods, which is owned by the Farmington Water Dept. Contiguous to the north and east of Flint Woods are the privately owned parcels known as Horn Woods (63 acres) and Willow Springs (28 acres). BWC has access to these lands adjoining Flint Woods through easement agreements.

On the 188 total acres under the care of BWC is the terrific Powder House Hill Area Trail System, which was developed by volunteers over time using some of the historic paths while creating others. Hikers and trail runners – and in wintertime, snowshoers and cross-country skiers – have plenty of room to roam on the 20 named trails totaling 9 miles plus the small maze of trails at Bonney Woods, all regularly maintained by dedicated volunteers.

To more easily orient visitors, color-coded blazes have been added to some of the trails. The Yellow Loop makes a circuit through the area around Jim Pond, the Green Loop leads to The Lookout and a fine view of shapely Mount Blue, and the Red Trail goes out and back to another nice look at the peak.

Next time you’re in the Farmington area, grab your day pack and take a little sojourn on the trails at Clifford Woods and Powder House Hill. Walking in the footsteps of Jim Flint and other pioneering conservationists, you too can enjoy some spiritual renewal amid the natural wonders of this special forested corner of Franklin County that he and a host of dedicated people have savored, stewarded and shared for so long.

Carey Kish of Mount Desert Island is the author of Beer Hiking New England, AMC’s Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast and the AMC Maine Mountain Guide. Follow more of Carey’s adventures on Facebook and on Instagram @careykish

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