Today we are sharing with you a short hike we took at the York Land Trust’s headquarters on Near Point Trail. This easy .75 mile loop trail takes you through open fields and dense forest, with lookout points of the salt marsh. To find the trailhead look for the kiosk near their visitor center, and there you will see the mowed path in the field to follow to the woods. Then step off the main trail at the vistas signs to visit the two scenic spots along Smelt Brook. Then back on the trail, it will loop you through the field, past a small pond, and back to the York Land Trust’s headquarters where you can visit their newly installed garden, built to encourage the community to just sit and enjoy the peacefulness of the location.

Dogs are allowed on-leash. Please respect the wildlife who call this area home, especially the Bobolinks and other birds who nest in the field, and always pick up after your pet on this carry-out trail. We visited before the recent rain, so the drought conditions were keeping the mosquitoes down on this normally buggy trail. We also caution when visiting with dogs to be aware that the field will have a lot of ticks, especially in the spring and fall. But once again the drought helped to keep them down on our particular visit. Parking is available at 1 Long Neck Marsh Road, York, Maine off of Route 91.

For more trails in the area, including Highland Farm Preserve just down the road, visit our Dog Friendly Places recommendations.