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Parker Pond Headland Preserve

Location and Description:

Location: Fayette, Maine

Please respect our neighbors: The Parker Pond Headland parking lot is adjacent to summer and year-round homes.

KEEP DOGS ON LEASH UNTIL REACHING THE FIRST TRAIL INTERSECTION ON THE HEADLAND LOOP TRAIL AND LEASH AGAIN BEFORE RETURNING TO THE PARKING LOT. SEE MAP AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.

WHEN HIKING, ALWAYS KEEP DOGS ON LEASH OR UNDER VOICE COMMAND. PLEASE CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR PETS.

Property Description: This preserve protects a stunning 142-acre forested peninsula with 5,000 feet of rocky undeveloped shoreline along the clear waters of Parker Pond in Kennebec County. The peninsula rises from a boulder-strewn shore to rocky ledges 250 feet above the lake level. With giant hemlocks, a stump with the bright orange hemlock reishi fungus in the forest and blueberries and huckleberries along the shore, Parker Pond Headland is a stunning and diverse place to visit.

Directions: From Route 17 in Kents Hill, take Rt. 41 north 3.6 miles to the Chimney in West Mt. Vernon. Take Sandy River Road 2.5 miles to Fellows Cove Road. Take Fellows Cove Road (private road) to the end to a KLT sign and a parking area on the right. A KLT/PPA registration box is at the trail head.

Usage and Trails

Allowable Uses: The preserve is open to the public from dawn to dusk for hiking, snowshoeing, swimming, fishing, ice fishing, and hunting. Motorized vehicles, camping, and fires are not allowed.

Headland Loop Trail: A 1.5 mile moderately steep trail begins at the end of the Fellows Cove Road at the KLT/PPA registration box. The trail passes through the peninsula’s impressive hemlock forests and along the shoreline, then climbs to ledges which provide an expansive bird’s eye view of the eastern side of Parker Pond.

Hardwood Loop Trail: A second loop trail, approximately 1 mile, features the southern part of the Headland and the 42 acre Hodgkins addition to the Headland.

Access & Parking: Canoe or kayak in via the Maine State Boat Launch on Tower Road in Vienna to the Headland Point side trail; or drive to the four car parking lot at the end of Fellows Cove Road in Fayette.  

During mud season (approximately late March – late April) the Headland Preserve is closed to hikers During this time, the Fellows Cove Road is
only open to homeowners to minimize the impacts on the road.  The Fellows Cove Road is privately owned and maintained. Maintenance costs associated with mud season are expensive. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

 The public can continue to access the Parker Pond Headland trailhead by hiking in from the Sandy River Road, or across Parker Pond when it is frozen. 

History:

This preserve was established for the people of Maine in 2004 with the support of the former owners, the Diller and Karp families, members of the Kennebec Land Trust (KLT) and the (PPA) Parker Pond Association, and the people of Maine through a Land for Maine’s Future grant. In 2008, the Hodgkins Family donated another 42 acres to the Headland Preserve.

The Headland is owned by the Kennebec Land Trust and further protected by a conservation easement held by the Parker Pond Association www.parkerpond.org. The property is managed by a stewardship committee comprised of PPA and KLT volunteers. Both organizations collaborate to ensure that the Headland will be retained forever in its essentially undeveloped, open, and scenic condition.

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Map:

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