Deering Pond via Sanford Railroad Trail

Destination:  Deering Pond
Trail:  Sanford Railroad Trail
Region:  ME - Southern  
Location:  Sanford, ME
Rating:  Easy  
Features:  Pond, wetlands, rail trail
Distance:  Approximately 8.0 miles  
Elevation Gain:  Minimal  
Hiking Time:  Typical: 4:00  
Season:  Variable
Last Updated:  11/09/2019  
Author:  Phil Blampied

This information has been excerpted (with permission) from 20 Great Easy Woods Walks near Seacoast New Hampshire, by Phil Blampied, copyright 1999.

Route Summary   

The trail is about 4 miles from end to end. Your walk can be lengthened by walking the entire distance back and forth to avoid having to spot a vehicle at one end. Or the walk can be shortened depending on which access point you choose to start at and how much of the trail you wish to explore.

Trail Guide   

This is an easy, flat, few hours stroll. The old railbed of the Portland to Worcester freight line has been preserved through a forested area of the Springvale section of Sanford, Maine.

Now maintained by a town committee, the trail runs from the Lebanon town line to Main Street in Sanford, about a four mile distance, through woodlands and wetlands.

Deering Pond (photo by Phil Blampied)


The roadbed is flat, great for winter cross-country skiing, and passes a remarkable, undeveloped woodland pond, Deering Pond, midway on the trail.

Heavily used by snowmobiles and ATVs on weekends and holidays, the railroad trail is usually deserted on weekdays and earlier in the day.

 


ME - Southern

  Trailhead sign (photo by Phil Blampied) Driving Directions   

This trail has several access points in Sanford:
  • Rt. 109 (Main St.) in Springvale (part of Sanford), across from the Sherwin Williams paint store
  • Oak Street (Rt. 11A), four blocks up from the Main Street intersection
  • Hanson Ridge Road, about a half mile north of its intersection with Rt. 11A

Parking areas on Oak Street and Hanson Ridge Road are marked by signs.

About Deering Pond   

According to the Sanford Trail Committee Deering Pond is, by legend, a "bottomless" pond, and records show that, over a hundred years ago, a railroad car sank into the waters and was never found. Today, it's a swampy but tranquil body of water, used mainly for fishing from shore in the warm weather and, when the ice forms, for ice fishing and snowmobiling.
 
 

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