Maine Coastal Islands NWR - Salt Marsh and Corea Heath Trails (Gouldsboro)

I hiked two trails this morning in the Maine Coastal Island National Wildlife Refuge - the Salt Marsh and the Corea Heath Trails.

The 9,478 acre Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex consists of five individual refuges along Maine's coast.

Salt Marsh Trail - Gouldsboro Bay Division

The Gouldsboro Bay Division, in Gouldsboro, protects 635 acres, including mature upland forest and a large tidal saltmarsh and mudflat.  It shares a parking lot with the Frenchman Bay Conservancy's 438 acre Frances B. Wood Preserve.

The Salt Marsh Trail is a 1.6 mile trail that leads through a conifer forest to two observation platforms with views of the salt marsh.   There were no human footprints in the day old snow that covered the trail.  A few downed trees and icy slopes provided an obstacle course feel to an otherwise beautiful trail.  

Corea Heath Trail - Corea Heath Division

The Corea Heath Division consists of 431 acres of coastal peatland previously owned by the U.S. Navy.  

The Corea Heath Trail is a 0.4 mile handicapped accessible trail that leads to an observation platform overlooking a coastal plateau bog.  This is an easy flat trail with expansive views of the heath.  

Monroe Falls (Monroe)

Monroe Falls is a local park better known as a swimming hole than a hiking destination although there is a nice 0.1 mile leaving down to the falls. My son and I visited the park this morning and enjoyed the interesting ice formations above the falls. The trail had a significant amount of ice on it.  We encountered a helpful resident who pointed us in the right direction (we were on the wrong side of the river.)   This is a very scenic spot.  

Vasselboro Wildlife Habitat (Vasselboro)

The Vasselboro Wildlife Habitat is a 366 acre preserve managed by the Kennebec Land Trust.  The preserve's two forested trails lead to a pond and a wetland.  More information about the preserve, including it's history, can be found at https://www.tklt.org/vassalboro.  

I hiked the Alewife Amble Loop trail today.  The 1.2 mile lollipop trail travels through scenic woods and along the shore of Webber Pond.

Green Lake National Fish Hatchery (Ellsworth)

I did a quick 1.2 mile hike today at the Green Lake National Fish Hatchery in Ellsworth.   I parked in visitor parking next to the hatchery building and walked the initial 1/3 mile on the paved hatchery road.  At the end of the road at Green Lake the trail then headed into the woods.   

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service maintains around two miles of woodland trails on 129 acre property.  Visitors can also view the inside of the hatchery building.   

Stones River National Battlefield (Murfreesboro, Tennessee)

We are visiting friends outside of Nashville and decided to go for an early morning hike at Stones River National Battlefield, a National Park unit in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Stones River was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the civil war, and the park does a good job of interpreting it's history.  The 600 acre park contains seven miles of trails leading through woods and open fields.  We did a two mile walk along paved trails and the park road and saw abundant deer along the way.