The new trail at Gilsland Farm starts at the Visitor Center parking lot. It runs through woods and along a boardwalk, then comes out into open meadow, with three benches along the way. The main loop is about 2,265 feet long. It's five feet wide, six feet on the boardwalk, and surfaced with hard-packed stone dust, with an average grade of 4%. A separate 318-foot spur climbs to a high point in the West Meadow that looks out over the Presumpscot River estuary. The steepest grade on the new trail is on that spur, at 8% for 15 feet.
Maine Audubon's latest Gilsland Farm page says the All Persons Trail is expected to open the week of October 19 to 25, 2026. That puts this week right in the middle of the window. The same page also states that dogs aren't allowed in Maine Audubon's wildlife sanctuaries, even on a leash, because they can disturb wildlife.
That rule sums up how Falmouth's trails work this fall. Each improvement fits a particular walk, a particular companion and a particular part of the calendar. So the best trail for your Saturday depends more on who's in the car and what week it is than on distance or scenery.
Gilsland Farm is now the easiest walk in town
Getting a trail onto town-owned conservation land usually takes years of planning. This one was built quickly. In the September announcement, Maine Audubon said construction started in mid-July. The work was funded by the Recreational Trails Program, the Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust, Fields Pond Foundation, Athletic Brewing Company's Two for the Trails, Martin's Point Health Care and other donors. In September, six wheelchair users tested the unfinished trail and its signage and gave feedback, in a visit organized by Alpha One.
It was built to the U.S. Forest Service Trail Accessibility Guidelines. The parking lot is 105 feet from the trailhead and has two van-accessible spaces. Those specs matter beyond wheelchairs. They make this the trail for a jogging stroller, a grandparent with a cane, a friend recovering from knee surgery, or anyone who wants the estuary view without watching for roots.
The trail follows part of Gilsland Farm's existing network, with some sections rerouted and others newly built. During construction, small sections near the Visitor Center and West Meadow were fenced off with orange fencing. If you know the old loops well, expect the routes around the Visitor Center to look a little different.
Two rules make Gilsland a particular kind of outing. Pets have to stay home, and the trails are for foot traffic only. Trails are open sunrise to sunset. The Visitor Center and Nature Store at 20 Gilsland Farm Road are listed at 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, though the All Persons Trail page notes that hours drop to 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from fall into spring. With October light fading early, a weekday-afternoon visit should start well before the gate time you're used to from summer.
The dog trails got their own upgrades in August
Dog owners didn't get the new Gilsland trail, but they did get repairs. In its September newsletter, the Falmouth Land Trust reported that town staff, FLT staff and interns replaced five old bridges on the trails at Tidewater Farm in August. They also added a bog bridge over a muddy section of Town Forest. A Maine Conservation Corps crew spent time at FLT's Underwood Springs Forest Preserve, raising and hardening the trail tread so wet areas drain better.
Those fixes target what a dog walker actually runs into in late fall: soft ground, standing water and worn crossings. Once the leaves come down and the rain starts, a raised tread and a new bridge decide whether a dog comes home clean or needs a hose-down at the trailhead.
Here's how the main options compare this fall.
| Trail | What changed in 2026 | Best fit this fall |
|---|---|---|
| Gilsland Farm All Persons Trail | New 2,265-foot accessible loop plus 318-foot estuary spur, expected to open the week of October 19 | Strollers, mobility devices, visiting relatives; no dogs |
| Tidewater Farm | Five bridges replaced in August | Dog walks with stream crossings |
| Town Forest | New bog bridge over a muddy section | Wet-weather dog walks |
| Underwood Springs Forest Preserve | Tread raised and hardened for drainage | Wet-weather walks; site of the November 27 Green Friday walk |
| Hadlock Community Forest | White entrance trail repairs planned this fall | Check conditions first; a popular hunting area in November |
Hadlock changes after Halloween
Hadlock Community Forest gets the most planning, for two reasons that overlap in November.
The first is trail work. FLT and the Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust won Maine Trails Program funding earlier this year to improve the trails connecting Falmouth and Cumberland. Maine Trail Builders is repairing the white entrance trail that starts at the main Hadlock Road parking area. FLT said the work would start this fall and warned that crews with tools and machinery would be working along the trail. No start or end date has been published. The first stretch you walk from the main lot is the one under repair.
The second is hunting. FLT's Hadlock Community Forest page says the property is town-owned, that hunting is allowed, and that it's a popular hunting area. Different properties follow different rules. Under FLT's hunting policy, hunters on FLT-owned land need advance seasonal permission and must carry written confirmation. Town-owned land like Hadlock falls under the town's hunting zones and guidelines.
Maine IF&W's 2026 deer hunting rules set the calendar from here into December:
- Regular archery deer season runs through October 30.
- The youth deer hunt is October 23 and 24, which is this Friday and Saturday.
- October 31 is Maine Resident Only Day.
- Firearms deer season runs November 2 through 28.
- Statewide muzzleloader season runs November 30 through December 5.
- An expanded archery season continues in designated areas through December 12.
The same IF&W page states that hunting is prohibited on Sunday. IF&W's hunting equipment guidance recommends wearing at least one article of hunter orange. A blaze orange hat for you and an orange vest for the dog are cheap to keep by the door through early December. This post covers published dates and rules only and isn't legal advice. For anything specific to your own land or plans, check with IF&W or the Town of Falmouth.
November's guided walks line up with that calendar
FLT's events calendar for the rest of the season fits the same pattern. The free guided walk at Suckfish Brook Conservation Area, 4 Upland Way, is set for November 15 from 2 to 3:15 p.m. That's a Sunday, in the middle of firearms season.
The free Green Friday walk on November 27, the day after Thanksgiving, covers Underwood Springs Forest and Woodman Preserve. Walkers meet at the Friends School parking lot at 11 U.S. Route 1. It's the same Underwood Springs trail the Maine Conservation Corps crew raised and hardened this summer, so the walk is a chance to see that drainage work in late-November conditions.
For families with toddlers, two smaller events come first. Maine Audubon's Fall Family Fun program for kids ages 2 to 5 meets at Gilsland Farm on October 21 at 9:30 a.m., during the new trail's opening week. FLT's Forest PlayGroup meets October 28 from 10 a.m. to noon. FLT's calendar hasn't listed a location yet.
Early December pulls the season back toward the village
On Saturday, December 5, the season's two outdoor organizations overlap. FLT is holding a free nature-journaling walk and workshop at its office from 1 to 2:30 p.m., limited to 12 people. Maine Audubon is staging Eyes on Owls at Gilsland Farm the same day, with three performances. Ticket prices depend on age and membership.
The same morning, Very Merry Falmouth runs its Ugly Sweater 5K and Merry Mile at 9 a.m. and holiday shopping from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. That weekend starts with the community tree lighting at Village Park on Thursday, December 3, at 5:30 p.m. Very Merry's site doesn't say whether dogs are welcome on the 5K course, so check before you bring one.
If you're new to town, or you're comparing Falmouth with nearby towns and want to know how close a trailhead is to the streets you're looking at, that's something I'm always glad to talk through. Shivam Kumar can help you see which conservation land is a short walk or drive from a property, and what each one is like once the leaves are down. Let's Connect.
