The Griggs Preserve in South Newcastle offers a short but enjoyable trek through the woods for hikers of all ages. The preserve is just over the town line from Edgecomb in an area first settled back in the late 18^th century. From the Davey Bridge linking Wiscasset to Edgecomb head north on Route 1 for one mile and turn left on Cochran Road by Skip Cahill Tire.

A mile down, you’ll come to the Trails End Road; turn left. The gravel road is marked with a private driveway sign. The Griggs Preserve is just two-tenths of a mile on the left. There’s a small parking area and wooden kiosk. Visitors are asked to park in the parking area and not on the road.

Before beginning your hike, be sure to sign in. A trail map was posted on the kiosk. You can download a copy at www.sheepscot.org. There’s one path leading into and out of the preserve. It heads gradually uphill roughly north from the trail head. It was dry and hard-packed most of the way. A short ways along you’ll come to the “Shad Run,” blazed in white, that loops around the preserve.

We went counter-clockwise and shortly could see the blue waters of the Sheepscot River through the trees. From here the path swung southwest rising upward overlooking the river and paralleling the railroad tracks used until recently by Maine Eastern Railroad. A wire fence marking the preserve’s western boundary separates the Griggs Preserve from the railroad, which should not be trespassed on.

The trail snakes its way through tall northern pines, birches and oak trees to a small natural spring that bubbles up from the ground, its clear waters trickling down the slope to the river. The path runs 240 degrees southwest from here, crossing a small stream to a scenic overlook. Looking west across the river is Clark’s Point, Wiscasset, rising 226 feet at its highest elevation. Southwards, downriver is the old “Iron Bridge” carrying the railroad from the Wiscasset side of the river called “Moose Point” to “Flying Point” in Edgecomb, so named according to legend because it was here that Native Americans came to hunt ducks and other migratory birds.

Since Colonial times, this part of the Sheepscot has been known as the “Upper Narrows.” Although the river is narrow here, its channel is very deep, 40 to 47 feet according to my navigational charts. One of my hiking companions told me some really huge lobsters have been caught here in this part of the river.

The path soon splits to the “Heron Leg,” blazed in blue, that follows the river and railroad below. It was pretty narrow in places but dry-packed with pine needles. It eventually turns to the left and uphill. Where it levels off at the top is a stone wall and a huge white pine tree identified on the map as the “Hill Top Pine.” The return loop blazed in white begins here, making this a good spot for a snack or picnic lunch.

The whole loop was about a mile and a half. We spent about 90 minutes here during our recent visit. There’s a fair amount of up and down hiking and a good deal of the trail system is rock-strewn. The place where the path crosses the stream lacks a bridge but was easy enough to hop across without getting wet. The trail is well-marked and a good one for beginners.

 The Griggs Preserve is open dawn to dusk. Dogs are allowed but should be leashed. This trail system is owned and maintained by the Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association, now a part of the Midcoast Conservancy.