Cascade Pond, Vaughan Woods, Hallowell, ME
Vaughan Woods, surprisingly close to downtown Augusta and the capitol complex, is part of a 197-acre nature preserve adjacent to the historic Vaughan Homestead in Hallowell, Maine, free to the public and open from dawn to dusk. The Vaughan Woods website has trail maps, a historical walking guide, and a list of programs. The Woods, comprising 150 acres, are protected through a conservation easement held by the Kennebec Land Trust. Trailhead parking is available in a small roadside lot at the corner of Litchfield Road and Middle Street. If this is full, alternate parking is available (during non-school hours, weekends and holidays) at Hall-Dale High School at 97 Maple St. in Farmingdale, with trailhead access by the tennis courts.
Driving Bridge over Vaughan Brook, Vaughan Woods, Hallowell, ME
On a hot July day, I took the Corniche Trail Loop for a lollipop loop of about two miles, taking less than 45 minutes, a good lunchbreak hike. The trail, starting from an information kiosk, starts through an overgrown open field uphill of the homestead, then moves onto a wooded ridge, with Vaughan Brook flowing at the bottom. It was very muddy in sections, with the biting insects present that one would expect from recent rains. A series of well-built stone bridges cross the streams which feed down to the brook, running quickly underneath the trail. The Brook Trail, a short (.4 mile) wooded path, runs along Vaughan Brook. According to the guided walking tour, along this trail is a pool known as Louis Philippe Pool, as the future king of France, then the Duke of Orleans, supposedly fell in here while fishing during a visit between 1795 and 1797.
Page & Stickney Dam, Vaughan Woods, Hallowell, ME
A series of pools, waterfalls, and cascades led up to the stone Driving Bridge, from which the tall Page & Stickney dam holding back Cascade Pond is visible. Shortly after the bridge, I veered to the right to take the Corniche Trail Loop counterclockwise. The trails throughout Vaughan Woods are unmarked, so I used AllTrails to navigate (the trail map bin at the kiosk was empty). Here on the Corniche Trail, you can still hear the sounds of I-95 off to your right. Otherwise, the trail is quiet and shady, surrounded by a mixed evergreen and deciduous forest, and much less trafficked than the Driving Bridge area. I heard the calls of red-eyed vireo and hermit thrush.
Corniche Trail Loop, Vaughan Woods, Hallowell, ME
A turn-off to the right led to the high school, but I continued left/clockwise, reaching a high point on Perkins Hill, overlooking an old granite quarry. Here, I heard Eastern Woods Pee-wee, and saw a white-breasted nuthatch, robins, and squirrels. As the trail loops back to complete the lollipop, it opens up on a large pasture, covered in wildflowers, milkweed, birds and butterflies. To the left, a maple and a hemlock appeared to have grown together over the years, and their mixed canopy sheltered a series of ferns. I rejoined the original trail, and took a quick detour at the Driving Bridge to climb the stone staircase next to the dam, which led up to views of Cascade Pond.
Heifer Fields, Vaughan Woods, Hallowell, ME
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