'Round the Marsh at Thayer Brook Preserve

Friday, October 16th, 2026 | 1:30-4:30 pm

Save the date for our fourth annual free 'Round the Marsh hike at Thayer Brook Preserve in Gray on Friday, October 16th at 1:30 pm.

The 3.4-mile guided trek will be led by Trail Steward and long-serving volunteer Steve McPike, whose thorough knowledge of the preserve and the entire Libby Hill Forest trail network will add significant depth and texture to the hike. Plan for a three-hour visit to one of Cumberland County's most remote and intriguing places. We'll meet at the trailhead parking lot at 92 Ramsdell Road in Gray, ME.

Established in 2022, the 147-acre Thayer Brook Preserve is a component of the 2,600-acre Libby Hill unfragmented habitat block – among the largest in Greater Portland – and is dominated by a large beaver marsh formed by more than six beaver dams which are home to enormous beaver lodges and large populations of birds. Beyond the marsh, most of the preserve’s acreage is dominated by glacial erratics left behind as the region’s glacial ice receded more than 10,000 years ago. The challenging rocky terrain is one reason the preserve has seen relatively little farming and no residential development over recent centuries.

Registration coming soon.