Maine’s Bethel Community Forest Grows by 532 Acres

Inland Woods + Trails and The Conservation Fund partner to expand community recreation, prevent fragmentation of historic working forest!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2019, Inland Woods + Trails, purchased the Bethel Community Forest. This 978-acre forest was purchased in collaboration with the Trust for Public Land and the Northern Forest Center. Since 2019 a variety of hiking and mountain biking trails have been built.

Each spring Inland Woods + Trails hosts the “Plant it Forward” event series. So far over 17,000 trees have been planted in the Community Forest as part of our efforts to restore the landscape to a more balanced ecosystem. The goal is for an exemplary forest that supports biodiversity, reduces erosion, enriches soil, and hosts healthy wildlife habitat.

The Bethel Community Forest is also managed to protect the feeder streams to Chapman Brook and the Androscoggin River and to protect one of the most productive deer wintering areas in the state.

In the fall and winter the forest is open to traditional recreation uses such as hunting (with permission) and snowmobiling.

Visit our Resources page to see the forest management plan.


Bingham Forest: 
The 2,358-acre Bingham Forest was conveyed to the Bethel Water Company in 1925. In 2007, a torrential rainstorm severely damaged a brook in the forest which was a key part of the infrastructure for the drinking water supply for Bethel. The town then shifted to sourcing water from subsurface wells, and in 2010 the trusteeship of the forest was conveyed to the Town of Bethel. The Bingham Forest is managed for watershed protection, wildlife habitat protection, public recreation, and sustainable timber management. IWT serves as the recreation managers for the forest.

In 2019, a clear route of access was available to the Bingham Forest when IWT purchased the Bethel Community Forest. In 2020, the Bingham Cascades Trail was built off the Summit Ridge Trail. It travels through the Bingham Forest and visits a series of waterfalls and cascades. In 2021, a single-track mountain bike trail “Flux” was built as a connector from the BCF to a bike trail located on Bethel Water District land called “Ghost”. Additional single track has been built since then, and various double track woods roads have been rehabilitated for recreation use.

 

Bethel Community Forest West (BCF West): BCF West is a 532 acre forest originally part of the Chadbourne Tree Farm forest network. In 2020, the property was sold, along with nearly 15,000 acres of Chadbourne Tree Farm land to The Conservation Fund (TCF). In 2022, it will be purchased by IWT and converted to the Bethel Community Forest as part of the Chadbourne Conservation Partnership plan.

Currently there are 3 miles of hiking trails and the trailhead can be found at 753 North Road, Bethel ME.


The connection: 
When Inland Woods + Trails was founded, a foundational goal was to connect Sunday River to the Bethel village through a system of trails. The Bethel Community Forest and Bingham Forest are enormous puzzle pieces in IWT’s mission to create a 3,600-acre tapestry of conserved land to connect communities of Bethel and beyond with the peaks of Sunday River. These forests host trail corridors that will allow travel from Bethel to Sunday River via a traditional hiking trail, a single-track bike trail, a multiple use double track trail, or a snowmobile trail.

 

During at least the next two winters the Town of Bethel will be conducting a timber harvest
in the Bingham Forest.

What does that mean for Bethel Community Forest visitors in the winter?

  • There is absolutely no parking at the BCF gate at the corner of the Daisy Bryant and
    Locke Mtn Rd at any time between November 1 and when the gate opens in spring.
  • To provide access to BCF during the winter, we have activated a second parking lot at 305 North Rd in Bethel just past Coleman
    Concrete. This is a multi-use trailhead with parking for snowmobile access, backcountry
    skiing, and snowshoeing. This would not have been possible without the extraordinary help
    of the Greenstock Snowmobile Club, IWT staff and volunteers, and the supporters of the
    CATS expansion who are making the dream of an interconnected year-round trail system
    from Mt Abram to Sunday River a reality.
  • The first 1/2 mile of trail will be multi use–please ride, ski, and snowshoe with caution and heed the trail signs you find. Dogs must be on leash in this area.
  • The snowmobile trail in the BCF has been rerouted to steer clear of the logging and trucking operation. Please stay on the marked trail.
  • The Bingham Cascades Trail is closed in the winter due to logging in the Bingham Forest, but is open for spring through Fall use.
  • Have fun and be safe.

 

Trails available & stats:  Easy trail symbol Moderate difficulty trail symbol Difficult trail symbol

Traditional hiking trail: 10.69 mi  

  • Summit Ridge Trail 1.7 mi 
  • Bingham Cascades Trail 3.29 mi 
  • Whitecap Cliffs Trail (under construction) 2.16 mi 
  • Lichen Ledge Trail (under construction) 1 mi 
  • Parks-Bennett Trail 2.07 mi 
  • Red Pine Ridge Trail 0.47 mi 

Single track bike trail: 6.42 mi 

  • Flux (easy/intermediate) (two-way traffic) 0.74 mi 
  • Ghost (easy) (two-way traffic) 0.76 mi 
  • Phoenix (easy/intermediate) (two-way traffic) 1.21 mi 
  • Tribute (intermediate) (one-way traffic) 1.95 mi 
  • Gulley-Verse Travels (proposed) (intermediate) (one-way traffic) 1.35 mi  
  • Lynx (intermediate) 0.1 mi
  • Limbo (easy) 0.4 mi

Gravity bike trail: 1.79 mi 

  • Parietal (difficult) (two-way traffic) 0.5 mi 
  • Palatine (under construction) (difficult) (one-way traffic) 0.2 mi 
  • Malleus (under construction) (difficult) (one-way traffic) 0.2 mi 
  • Maxilla (extremely difficult) (one-way traffic) 0.22 mi 
  • Humerus (under construction) (extremely difficult) (one-way traffic) 0.67 mi 

Double track, multiple use pathways and woods roads: 7.56 mi 

  • Summit Access Road 1.36 mi 
  • #13 Snowmobile Trail 1.8 mi 
  • Old County Road 0.95 mi 
  • Knoll Road 0.41 mi 
  • Boundary Brook Road 0.49 mi 
  • Upper Community Access Trail 0.61 mi 
  • Lower Community Access Trail (under construction) 1.94 mi 


Rules:
 
 

  • Mountain bikes have the right-of-way on single track bike trails 
  • Dogs allowed on leash or under voice command on all trails 
  • Bikes are not allowed on hiking only trails 
  • Authorized vehicles may be present at any time on all double track roads and pathways 
  • Motorized vehicles are prohibited on all trails except for snowmobiles on the snowmobile trail in the BCF and Bingham Forest 
  • Snowmobiles have the right-of-way on the #13 snowmobile trail 
  • Active forestry may be occurring at any time 
  • Overnight camping is prohibited 
  • Open fires are not permitted
  • Park in designated parking spots only; do not block the gate if closed and do not park along Daisy Bryant Road. 
  • Carry out all litter, including pet waste. 


Maine Trail Finder links:

Bethel Community Forest & Bingham Forest – Hiking Trails

Bethel Community Forest – West

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