I feel the need to preface all of my nature reviews with this: being 90% forested and having around 3500 miles of coastline, Maine has a tremendous amount of spaces, walkways, paths, and trails of all kinds and of all levels. There's something for everyone. What I'm reviewing is how a spot compares to similar outdoor spots in my personal opinion. Being in nature - and remembering to carry in, carry out - is always five stars! :)
Parking? Kind of.
Loop trail? No.
Well marked signs? Yes.
Element of surprise? Yes.
The most challenging part about Wilbur's Preserve at Cox Head is the drive! It feels like you're going upta camp on some back roads that have hairpin turns, rollercoastery up and downs, and is barely wide enough for one car to drive on. I did a whole lot of honking (sorry to the neighbors who live in this area) to alert any oncoming vehicles that I was there!
When you arrive there's a pull-off on the left for maybe two to four cars; this road (Green Point) also ends abruptly (as in, if you kept driving you'd be in the sea). Maybe a couple more cars could park at the end, but I don't know if it's allowed.
The trail is about a half mile, and it's of those low risk, extremely high reward kind of hikes. The walk up is a bit uphill and steep-ish in some parts; the path can be quite shallow with somewhat of a drop-off to one side, but you get to the summit of Cox's Head sooooooooo quickly. And from these ledges are just absolutely spectacular, sweeping views overlooking Atkin's Bay, Popham Beach, Fort Popham, a couple lighthouses (bring your binoculars!!!), and open ocean. It was just such a breathtaking sight for minimal effort.
(SIDE NOTE: there's two trails - the one up to the scenic overlook and a side one off of this main one called "Old Tree Loop". That tree trail is overgrown, and despite it being autumn, I still had thorns tugging at my clothing as I tried to squeeze through it. Personally, I'd skip it [especially during tick season]; there's nothing to look at on it anyway!) read more