February 5, 2012

Lewiston's Roof - A walk in Thorncrag

Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary in Lewiston Maine is a 372 acre nature preserve. At an elevation of 510 feet it is the highest point in the city. 


Thorncrag sits as a green capstone, a quiet forested oasis surrounded on three sides by the hustle and bustle of urban and suburban development. I come here often to escape for a while.




I usually keep a daypack in my car loaded with a few seasonal essentials. Like today, no telling when the mood to hike will overpower me.


No need for snowshoes today. The trails are well packed, Micro Spikes will do :



Will they let me in?


New in the last year or so, Thorncrag has decided not to allow dogs in the preserve :
Yeah, I think they'll let me in :

Today's hike:


I think  I'll do a loop hike today starting from the less used West entrance to Thorncrag :


 I'll start out following the Green Trail north and circle the preserve in a clockwise direction, returning via the Yellow, Red, and Orange trails. You can view and print a map here.



Whale Rock at the far North end of the preserve :


and just past the "summit" is Anthony's Fireplace :


From the fireplace I descended through a nice stand of Hemlock and down to a small pond :

where I followed the Red and Orange trails back to my car :

I enjoyed today's walk in the woods. Sometimes those spur of the moment hikes are the best! 



How about you, do you have a favorite quick escape nearby? Post a comment below and tell us about it!







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