Environment Spotlight

An adventurous misadventure

A Walk with Shannon | Lowell Preserve

| Shannon Ehrich Warren |

If you want to get out in the woods and do not want to travel too far to do so, this is a great spot. Lowell Preserve in East Windham offers easy to moderate walks with lots of trails to choose from and some neat woodsy features. That said, next time I go I will take more snacks, as chances are good I will get lost . . . again.

The walk started out well. I planned to take the perimeter loop to get a feel for the area before exploring the interior trails. The trail was wide, well marked and there were maps at several of the junctions. And yet, suddenly, I was lost, and because I am not one to turn back, I became more and more so. I don’t want to be too quick to place blame where it does not belong, so I’ve come up with a few possible causes for my predicament. It may have had to do with the maps which did not have “You are here” marks, it could very well have had something to do with the new-looking “trail discontinued” signs at a couple of junctions and, if I am going to be honest, I may have been daydreaming and missed a turn. Whatever the cause, I eventually circled back to the trailhead and I will definitely go back to investigate.

Bogey and I had the trail pretty much to ourselves, with the exception of one couple and their dog (also on leash), on a Sunday afternoon in September. It was very quiet. Two planes flew overhead during our one-and-a-half-hour adventure, chipmunks chattered and the birds were singing up a storm, but there was no traffic noise to speak of. I did not come across any amazing views but there were plenty of plants and rocks to make things interesting.

Although we had the trail to ourselves, winter months may be the best time to explore the woods, as ATV’s and mountain bikes are allowed on some of the trails and hunting is permitted.

That said, the area is 308 acres (our 3.6 mile walk could have been quite a bit longer), so there is plenty of space to spread out.

Directions to trailhead:

Follow Rt 100 to West Cumberland and turn right onto Blackstrap Rd.
— Continue on Blackstrap Rd for about 2.5 miles to Babbidge Rd.
— Turn right onto Babbidge Rd.
— At 1.3 miles, turn right into the East Windham fire station parking lot.
The trailhead is to the left of the building.

Spotted on the trail at Lowell Preserve | Photos: Shannon Ehrich Warren