The Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust, in partnership with the town of Topsham and community supporters, has opened to the public Hideaway Farm Preserve, a conserved 33-acre property along the Cathance River.
Located at the end of Katie Lane, the preserve features forest, open fields and riverfront habitat. It protects approximately 3,200 feet of shoreline, including tidal marshes and wetlands.
The property lies about a mile downstream from Head of Tide Park and adds important conserved land along the Cathance River corridor, supporting wildlife habitat, water quality and climate resilience.
Visitors can enjoy a new 0.3-mile out-and-back trail leading through the forest to a scenic overlook of the river. The preserve is open year-round for hiking, wildlife observation, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. It is accessible by vehicle and, when tides allow, by water.
The Land Trust conserved Hideaway Farm Preserve between 2019 and 2022. The property includes century-old apple trees, prime agricultural soils, and landscapes shaped by thousands of years of human history, including the enduring presence of the Wabanaki people and the area’s agricultural past.
Conservation and public access were made possible through funding from the North American Wetland Conservation Act, the Merrymeeting Bay Trust, the John Sage Foundation, the Susanna E. Bedell Foundation, the Davis Conservation Foundation, the town of Topsham, L.L. Bean’s Maine Land Trust Grant Program, the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund and many community donors. To learn more, visit btlt.org and click on Trails, then find Hideaway Farm.
