My wife, Nancy, and I recently learned of Ovens Mouth through a hiking group she’s affiliated with. They had scheduled a hike on trails in Ovens Mouth Preserve that follow along historic waterways surrounding much of it.

Early English explorers are believed to have named the maritime passage called Ovens Mouth because it resembled an oven. Native Americans used it as a shortcut between the Sheepscot and Damariscotta Rivers. During Colonial times, one of the regions first shipyards was founded in Ovens Mouth basin, and early settlers used it to travel from the Sheepscot River to the Cross River tidal basin.

Nancy was not available for the planned trip and, suffering from an ailing knee, I didn’t want to slow the group down. Both intrigued with the fascinating preserve with the unusual name, we decided to proceed with our own hike.

Located in Boothbay, the Ovens Mouth Preserve consists of 5 miles of trails on two peninsulas connected by a pedestrian bridge. Each of the peninsulas, called the East and West Sections, offer loop hikes that follow along scenic bodies of water.

We traveled to the West Section trailhead on Dover Cross Road in Boothbay on a warm, sunny day. When we arrived, the preserve was apparently busy as there was only one available space remaining in the small parking area. The West Section loop hike is the longer of the two. Our goal, assuming my knee cooperated, was to complete both sections.

Nancy and I trekked north on a wide, nearly flat trail in a sparsely wooded, mixed-conifer and hardwood forest. After a short distance, we reached the junction for the loop and turned left. The path narrowed and descended gradually west to an extended tidal cove.

We again turned north and proceeded on a rough, hilly trail along the cove to an overlook where we experienced our first view of remarkable Ovens Mouth. Each day, powerful tidal currents flow in and out of the circuitous, attenuated waterway. The tide was flowing in and strong rip currents could be observed. We met several hikers in this area.

We angled right and climbed steadily to towering, wooded cliffs on the northeastern corner of the peninsula. Ice House Cove begins around the bend and extends south where rising tides sustain a salt marsh. We carefully descended steeply south above the cove and crossed an impressive, 93-foot pedestrian bridge to the East Section.

In the late 19th century, a dam was constructed immediately north of where the bridge is located to form a freshwater pond where ice was harvested and stored in an ice house next to the pond. For many years, the ice was shipped by boat to major cities in the northeastern United States until replaced by refrigeration. The dam was subsequently breached, but remnants can still be seen at low tide.

Beyond the bridge, we turned left and hiked the loop clockwise. From the outset, Nancy and I found the eastern loop trail easier and more scenic with heavier traffic than the west.

After hiking north along Ice House Cove for a short distance, we stopped at a picturesque observation point on the northwestern corner of the east peninsula that provides an exceptional view of Ovens Mouth Passage. We lingered on a log bench for a lunch break and to watch an otter swimming in the powerful, swirling tidal current.

Afterwards, we progressed east along Ovens Mouth Passage and then turned south where the channel joins Cross River tidal basin. This section of the trail provides several exceptional views of the basin.

We proceeded past the East Section trailhead and then traveled north along the exceptionally scenic Ice House Cove salt marsh back to the pedestrian bridge. After crossing the bridge, we encountered the most demanding uphill hiking of the day. Persisting south, we continued to benefit from outstanding views of the salt marsh. Leaving the marsh behind, the trail gradually diminished in difficulty during our return to the West Section trailhead.

Nancy and I found this to be one of the most fascinating coastal hikes we’ve experienced. And my knee survived, barely. Ovens Mouth is so interesting I’m planning a sea kayak trip through the unique waterway soon.

My book, “Maine Al Fresco: The Fifty Finest Outdoor Adventures in Maine,” narrates numerous exceptional mountain hikes and backpacking trips around the state.

The author of “The Great Mars Hill Bank Robbery” and “Mountains for Mortals – New England,” Ron Chase resides in Topsham. His latest book, “The Fifty Finest Outdoor Adventures in Maine” will soon be released by North Country Press. Visit his website at ronchaseoutdoors.com or he can be reached at ronchaseoutdoors@comcast.net.