Royal River Hiking Trail

The Pineland Public Land Unit offers abundant wildlife and a pleasing landscape of forests over rolling hills. Hikers are invited to explore this hidden property. Located about four miles east of the center of the Town of Gray, the Pineland Public Lands includes more than 600 acres in Gray, North Yarmouth, and New Gloucester. The forests on this land, along with the nearby agricultural fields, which are now privately owned, once supplied the needs of hundreds of residents and staff at the Pineland Center. Now, this wonderful area of undeveloped forests helps to fill the growing need for open space and outdoor recreation. Pineland has 3.2 miles of loop trails to offer its visitors. Taking hikers through ever changing woodlands, the 1.7-mile North Loop Trail covers some steep slopes to reach the Royal River. On the other side of the road there is the 1.5-mile South Loop Trail taking visitors on a pleasant hike through the woods on more gentle slopes. Those interested in the natural treasures of this woodland can travel off trail and find rare Maine blackgum tupelo trees as well as large and impressive pines, oaks, and hemlocks. For another woodland attribute, Pineland has the claim of being home of the biggest ironwood trees in the state. Pineland offers a wide variety of wildlife habitat, which provides opportunity to see a vast range of animals. Upland species include white-tail deer, red fox, snowshoe hare, red squirrel, gray squirrel, ruffed grouse, woodcock, and wild turkey. In addition, where the forests meet the privately owned fields there is habitat for bluebirds, meadowlarks, and kestrels.