CELT currently has two trail notices for regular users at Great Pond and Robinson Woods. ( Click here for maps and more details.)

At Robinson Woods, we're asking that mountain bikes dismount for the section of trail that runs along the mill pond in areas where there is standing water or mud.  We've received a permit from the Cape Elizabeth Planning Board to install more boardwalk in this area and are seeking volunteers to assist with the project.  If you're interested in volunteering, please email us asap ( [email protected]).  These wet areas have the tendency to widen over time as bikes travel further to the margins to avoid the mud, thus compounding the problem.

 

At Great Pond, the town and CELT are teaming up to replace the stone stairs along the western shore. The existing stairs have been deteriorating for some years and we've now brought in outside expertise - Jed Talbot from Off the Beaten Path.  Using an elaborate pulley system, Jed will actually be suspending the 200-pound rocks on a 'trolley' system through the woods.

 

Given the absence of stairs and the heavy rocks suspended in the trees, we've made the decision to close the trail at the work site.  The trail remains open on both ends but through passage will be discontinued for the remainder of the project.

Residents of Hobstone Woods, off of Mitchell Rd., helped to acquire this parcel in 1997.  Initially slated to be 'phase three' of a condominium development, the builder abandoned plans to complete the project. Sensing an opportunity to put these 20 acres into conservation, Hobstone resident Richard Haupt approached CELT about purchasing the property. Over the next year CELT coordinated a joint fundraising campaign in which Hobstone residents, CELT and the Town of Cape Elizabeth each contributed one-third of the purchase price.

 

After acquisition, CELT coordinated with local residents, including Cape Boy Scout troops, to build trails on the property.  While much of the property contains wetlands, the high ground provided an opportunity to build almost a mile of trails winding through this spruce and fir forest. Today visitors are welcome to stroll past the property's many vernal pools through a very dense coniferous forest.  Wood Ducks are among some of Hobstone's most colorful residents and it's always a surprise to come across one of North America's more festively feathered fowl ambling through the forest.

 

Each spring the property comes alive with abundant wildflowers and vernal pools teeming with life.  The vernal pools and streams through the property are within the same watershed.  Beginning in Cross Hill, the stream winds its way through Purpoodock Country Club, under Route 77, through Hobstone, under Mitchell Rd., through Cranbrook, into the mill pond at our Robinson Woods property, and eventually into Pond Cove.  Currently the trail system does not connect to any adjacent trails but there are areas where one or more trails could potentially connect in the future.

 

On-street parking is available at the terminus of Hobstone Rd.  Bicycles and hunting are not permitted on the property.

 

For an overview of our properties please visit our interactive trail map.