The stunning trees of Perkins Woods as seen from Androscoggin Lake.
Photo: Jane Davis
Property Description: The 14-acre Perkins Woods Preserve features tall eastern hemlock, white pine, red oak, and white ash trees. Parts of the forest have a cathedral-like open structure, with little tree, shrub, or herbaceous understory. Some of the legacy trees in this beautiful forest stand are over 150 years old. There are few old growth stands like it in central Maine, so this property is important not only for its ecological and scenic values, but for its historical significance as well. One unique feature of this property is the stand of Pitch Pines, a native Maine species with three needles in a bundle and reddish scaly bark plates, which provide ideal nesting habitats for fish-eating birds including osprey, eagles, and herons.
Usage and Trails
Allowable Uses: hiking, swimming, picnicking, skiing, nature observation, and hunting are allowed.
Trail: A KLT sign at a bedrock outcrop marks the start of an easy blue blazed 0.50 mile loop trail.
Note: Please do not approach or disturb birds when they are nesting and raising young.
Access: Access to KLT’s Perkins Woods Preserve is by watercraft in the summer. In the winter, hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing provide access when the lake is frozen. Begin at the Maine state boat launch on Route 133 in Waye and paddle south toward the undeveloped western shoreline just north of the Androscoggin Boys Camp. A white KLT sign marks a small landing area on the southern shore. The sign-in box and trailhead are a short distance uphill from the shoreline.
Snowshoeing the Perkins Trail in Winter 2015.
Photo: Jean- Luc Theriault
History:
In 1980, John Perkins, a summer resident in Wayne, inherited the last parcel in his father’s Androscoggin Lake housing development project. John, his wife Pat, and their children have spent many summers observing wildlife, especially birds, on Androscoggin Lake. These observations reinforced their understanding of the habitat values of undeveloped lake shorelines. In 2001 they donated the Perkins Woods to KLT to protect wildlife habitat and to provide the public with the opportunity to visit a forest preserve that continues to inspire visitors. Today, natural forces - including wind, climate change, insects, and diseases - continue to change this forest stand.
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