Wolfe's Neck

Once a year or so we make a pilgrimage to Freeport, Maine. Our first and favorite stop -- one that we discovered a few years ago -- is the 245-acre Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park. Five miles of rustic, but well-maintained trails lead from the parking lot around this wooded "neck" of land between Casco Bay and the Harraseeket River.  It is a beautiful park, with trails that lead down to the shoreline.

At low tide, which happened to be the case when we visited today, you can walk along the shore among the exposed rocks, wracks of seaweed, and beds of mussels and bits of broken shell, snails, and rock.

Kodi played happily in the seaweed; it formed a soft bed to lay in while chewing a stick or even a bit of seaweed.

Looking landward you see the red oaks and white pines growing right down to the shore. The park is named after Henry and Rachel Wolfe, the first Europeans to settle the area in 1733. Much later, the Smiths donated the land to the State of Maine and in 1972 it opened as a state park.

The woodland trails meander through oak and pine, balsam fir and hemlock, and patches of red maple.

 The wood engraved signs guide visitors to all parts of the peaceful and scenic park.

On the drive back into the center of Freeport (for stops at Patagonia and LL Bean) we drove by Wolfe's Neck Farm and stopped at the Bow Street Market (for a sub and soup and some Wolfe's Neck meat to take home). Most people visit Freeport for the shopping, we go mostly for the trip to Wolfe's Neck.