The view of Duley Pond from Phippsburg Land Trust’s new trail. Dan Dowd

The Phippsburg Land Trust has opened a new trail on the Duley Farm Preserve. This land was acquired from the Morse family in December 2019. The 190-acres were purchased by the Phippsburg Land Trust with private donations and significant help from a North American Wetland Conservation Act Grant that was secured by the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust.

The preserve is named for the Duley family, which had a farm on the property.

This trail is accessed through the Ridgewell Preserve’s Red Trail. Hikers are then led through a section of the John O’Neil Lemont Preserve (owned by the town of Phippsburg) and to a large loop trail which brings hikers along the vast Parker Head Swamp, to a deep gorge where the swamp empties north toward the Sam Day Hill Road, across old farm land, by various stone walls, across and along streams and to Duley Pond. The pond can be viewed from a high ledge outcropping.

According to the land trust, the trail is challenging due to its length but the terrain is quite flat and easily covered.

“The Phippsburg Land Trust wishes to thank many volunteers for the completion of this trail: From initial land inspection, to trail design, trail clearing, trail marking and sign creation,” the trust stated in a news release.

Visit phippsburglandtrust.org for more information