Facilities

Location & Parking

Suckfish Brook Conservation Area lies between Blackstrap ridge and Mast Road and is accessed from two locations off of Mast Road. Trails on the northern portion of the property are accessed through Upland Way, approximately one mile from the Mast Road / Blackstrap Road intersection. After entering Upland Way, continue past the paved portion of that road to the second parking pad. The southern portion of the property can be accessed through a woods road / trail located at the Falmouth / Westbrook town line. Parking is available at the entrance of that woods road.

Description

Suckfish Brook Conservation Area is a 94-acre parcel that includes extensive wetlands, including portions of Falmouth's only northern peat bog, ±1,500 feet of frontage on Suckfish Brook, and 40 acres of upland hardwood forest. A ±4-acre beaver pond is one of its most salient features. There is a mile of woodland trails on the northern portion of the property, and a ¼ mile long trail that provides access to the bog on the southern end.

History

This property was acquired in 2012 with funding from the Maine Natural Resources Conservation Program and the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, and is protected through a conservation easement held by the Falmouth Land Trust. Most of the property was part of the original ±500 acre Huston farm, a prominent early Falmouth family. The Huston brothers were the King's foresters in the 1700s, when this area grew the tall pine trees needed for masts on British ships (hence the name Mast Road). A memorial gravestone for the Huston family is located on the northern edge of the parcel, just off the loop trail. Legend has it that a pair of mules were lost when an attempt to mine peat from the bog was made in the early 20th century.

Natural Features

The beaver pond and associated wetlands are the most striking natural features on the property, which is home to a wide variety of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, including the endangered box turtle, Maine's rarest turtle. Brown trout and white suckers - "suckfish" - spawn in the brook. The unique plant life found in the bog is also of special interest. View photos of the natural features that Suckfish Brook Conservation Area has to offer.

Allowable Uses

Hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, hunting, and nature study are all allowed. Motorized vehicles are prohibited. Trails are not handicapped accessible.