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Echo lake watershed preserve
An image of the Echo Lake Bog from the scenic lookout that concludes the short trail on the property.
Photo: Josh Caldwell
Location and Description:
Location: Readfield and Fayette, Maine
Property Description: The 304-acre Echo Lake Watershed Preserve was acquired by the Kennebec Land Trust in three separate purchases ranging from 2004-2009. The land is currently used for low-impact recreation activities. There is a 0.1 mile path across the road from the Torsey Pond Nature Preserve parking space that ends at a scenic lookout.
Usage and Directions
Directions: The property is most easily accessed from the Torsey Pond Nature Preserve Parking Area. Take Route 17 to Kents Hill. Go north on Route 41 about one mile to the Torsey Pond Nature Preserve parking lot on the right. Limited parking is also available on the Echo Lodge Road.
Allowable Uses: hiking, nature observation, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hunting in season. No motorized vehicles. Dogs are allowed on a leash or under voice command. Please clean up after your pets.
Caution: Ticks and mosquitoes can be problematic in the summer. Check yourself carefully for ticks upon leaving the property.
Parking: Parking lot on the right, look for KLT sign.
A trail junction just before the scenic lookout at the Echo Lake Watershed Preserve.
Photo: Josh Caldwell
History and Ecology:
The first of the Echo Lake Watershed Preserve purchases took place in 2004 when 100 acres of land was acquired along Route 41. Three years later, a 104-acre parcel abutting the first was purchased. Finally, in 2009, a 100-acre parcel was obtained on the opposite side of Echo Lake from the first two pieces of land. Formerly used for logging, the land now contains a healthy conifer-hardwood forest and several acres of wetland. The forest consists primarily of pine, poplar, beech, hemlock, balsam fir, birch and ash. Several vernal pools provide habitat for spotted salamander.
