Farwell Forest, Cumberland

There are so many reasons I'm excited about this trail, but the most thrilling discovery for me is that it connects to Knight's Pond Preserve on one end and Rine's Forest on the other. It's the cream filling in the Oreo cookie, and we're going to tackle it first, just like we did in childhood.

All three of these gorgeous properties have been protected by the Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust (CCLT). Farwell Forest is privately owned with a CCLT easement. It's 45-acres in size with 3 miles of trails in network. The trails are wide, mostly flat and used for hiking, nature observation, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, horseback riding, and snowmobiling. These quiet woods are part of a farmstead that's been owned by the Farwell Family since 1850. For more information about the history, visit CCLT's website here: https://www.ccltmaine.org/farwell-forest

Farwell Forest can be accessed from either Blanchard Road or Greeley Road Extension. Parking is much easier on Greeley Road, but we took Blanchard, so I'll give directions from there. A small White House, located at 145 Blanchard Road, is just to the left of the trailhead. Put that address into your GPS to most easily find it. You will see fields behind the house, and also across the street with giant hay bales. If you choose to park here, there is a very small shoulder, so be sure to pull over as far as you can. Our large car still had it's sideview mirror when we returned from our hike, so it worked out alright for us.

Once you've parked, look for the trailhead sign to the right of the field and follow the trail along the outside edge. It is wet, so I suggest waterproof footwear. When you get to the end, you can either turn left to walk along the back perimeter of the field, or continue straight onto the red blazed path. I recommend going straight, because this is the path we took, which did lead us to a fun discovery.

I wasn't tracking my distance, but hadn't been walking more than (maybe??) ten minutes when we reached this impressive tree and I spotted a tiny green hat behind one of its branches. I took a closer look and found a gnome. This made me laugh, since I'd come to these woods to hide a Seek'em and someone else had beat me to it. It truly is the perfect place for magical creatures, waiting to be found. Here's a picture of the tree and the gnome. It's on the right side of the trail.

Continue walking and you will soon come to an old stone wall that will follow you to the end of your journey. You will know you're at the end when you've reached a large intersection of trails near Greeley Road. This is where Farwell Forest connects to the Knight's Pond Preserve and Blueberry Hill.

I did not forget to share details on the Seek'em, but I did hide it on our return trip, so wanted to share photos from the correct vantage point. As you leave the Blueberry Hill trailhead and return in the direction you came, start looking for this tree stump on your left.

Directly across from it, you will find two round stones, resting on the top of the stone wall. Just behind these two stones, is our Seek'em, and he's not alone. He has a blue bird on his shoulder (his head? do Seek'ems have shoulders?). I truly never know what will come out of my husband's pottery studio - his brilliant mind is forever creating new evolutions.

Once you've exchanged greetings, please return the Seek'em to its rightful place, so that others can find him. I plan to hide one at Knight's Pond and Rine's Forest soon, so maybe you can make a longer adventure out of it!