Just across the Point Road from Hancock Town Hall, the Old Pond Railway Trail features three miles of trail on 23 acres with access and parking on both ends. The trail extends from the Point Road to Old Route One, spanning a stunning tidal cove called Old Pond and overlooking Youngs Bay. The trail is available for hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, and dog walking, and provides access to the shore for worming and bird watching. Old rail ties lining this trail make it unsuitable for mountain biking. CNLT remains grateful to the Eagle Scouts who did so much to prepare this trail soon after the land was acquired in 2008. Now it’s a favorite hike for visitors and locals alike, winding its way through the wildwood and over the trestle bridge by Youngs Bay.
The railway was originally built by Maine Central Railroad in the 1880s and carried visitors from as far as Philadelphia to Hancock, where they boarded ferries to reach the famous Gilded Age summer resorts on Mount Desert Island.
As a land conservation organization dedicated to protecting places of high scenic, recreational and ecological value in this community, CNLT has named this property the Old Pond Railway Trail and, in partnership with Frenchman Bay Conservancy and Maine Coast Heritage Trust, will permanently steward it for ecological protection and public access.
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