Surry Hill Community Forest
Location and Description:
Location: Fayette, Maine
Property Description: Surry Hill’s 337 acres include diverse stands of regenerating forest and a 600-foot hilltop, complete with fields that offer panoramic views of the surrounding lakes and Mt. Washington, 63 miles to the west. Permanently conserving this property will protect water quality and valuable wildlife habitat and provide recreational opportunities for all ages. One of KLT’s primary management goals for the Surry Hill property is to help mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration.
KLT is in the process of developing mountain bike and multi-use trails on Surry Hill in collaboration with the Central Maine Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association. Work began in 2020 and is ongoing. As of fall 2023, many trails are still under construction and no directional signage exists on the property; please visit with caution.
Directions: Turn south on the Tom Surry Road from Route 17, opposite the Fayette Central School. In about 0.4 miles, the town maintained road ends, and on your right is a town turn-around. The entrance to the Surry Hill parking area is at the north end of this town turn-around. Please do not park in the town turn-around itself.
Usage
Allowable Uses: Hiking, nature observation, snowshoeing, biking, hunting. No motorized vehicles except snowmobiles are permitted seasonally on designated trails only. Dogs are allowed on a leash or under voice command. Please clean up after your pets.
More information:
This ambitious effort is an inspiring and hopeful example of how land trusts and other conservation owners are making a big difference in the world. Undeveloped land sequesters carbon—a natural climate solution. KLT plans to maintain approximately fifteen acres as open fields to preserve scenic views and for grassland bird and pollinator habitat. The Surry Hill fields offer tasty blueberries for hikers and habitat for pollinators, ground-nesting birds, and resident and migratory raptors.
Brochure about forests mitigating climate change.
View of Wayne from the summit of Surry Hill. Photo: Andy Tolman