In what is being billed as unique opportunity, horseback riders can explore the Bradbury/Pineland Trail on Saturday, thanks to the efforts of the Royal River Conservation Trust, Skyline Farm and individual landowners.

“What’s amazing to me is to see the open land and trails this close to Portland,” said Rosemary Whitney, ride coordinator for the event. “It’s a unique experience.”

The ride starts and finishes at Snowfields Farm, 450 Lawrence Road in Pownal. Participants have two options: a 6-mile and a 12-mile ride.

The shorter ride meanders through the scenic, restored Tryon fields, along dirt roads protected from development by the Royal River Conservation land trust, woodland paths opened for use by individual owners, to a section of the Bradbury Pineland Corridor Trail leading the rider to Chandler Brook. Crossing over rocky rapids on a sturdy bridge, the trail follows the course of the brook, leading the rider back to the pastures of Snowfields.

The 12-mile ride adds a climb over a linkage of private and land-trust conserved trails leading to the rocky summit of Bradbury Mountain, with views out over Casco Bay, and picks up the Bradbury Pineland Corridor trail climbing past the historical quarries of Tryon Mountain. Several bridges and streams are crossed in this challenging portion.

According to Whitney, Skyline Farm has protected its open space by putting 46 acres into a conservation easement held by the Royal River Conservation Trust. That land is open to the public for non-motorized recreational use during daylight hours. A 1.7-mile trail network, built by volunteers, was designed by John Morton of Thetford Center, Vt.

According to the Maine State Planning Office, the state owns two major tracts of public land in eastern Cumberland County, both within 40 minutes of Maine’s two largest urban areas – Pineland (which totals 1,000 acres of fee and easement) and Bradbury Mountain State Park (600 acres). These two resources are located only 3 miles apart, and the trail corridor being created to link them will offer an unparalleled recreational opportunity.

A CLOSER LOOK

The Pownal Equestrian Trail Ride is Saturday, Sept. 14, starting at 9:30 a.m., at 450 Lawrence Road, Pownal. Fee for members of the Royal River Conservation Trust or Skyline Farm is $25; $35 non-members. For more information, contact Rosemary Whitney at 688-4965.