The Little River Trail, which belongs to the City of Belfast, skirts around the Nordic Aquafarms project site along two reservoirs. It is a beautiful hike of up and down terrain and a variety of scenery. You’ll encounter pine-needle trails under tall pines, sections of boardwalk over boggy, fern-covered areas, and plenty of birding opportunities.
It’s a 5-mile trek from one end to the other or it can be done in smaller sections. From the Nordic Aquafarms site, previously owned by the Belfast Water District, there is plenty of parking near the South Trailhead kiosk at the back of the lot. This part of the trail is one mile to the Perkins Rd. crossing (about 45 minutes), and then you can opt to continue for three miles to the next kiosk, located at Walsh Ball Fields on ME-52 (a little over 2 hours). There’s a great big boulder next to the river about halfway down, and a great spot for a snack.
If you are game to tackle the last mile, you’ll need to head across the street and behind the YMCA where the blue blazes will lead you through the community garden. Then, you’ll head over a bridge, around the Troy Howard Middle School, and on through brook crossings and woods trail to arrive at the ME- 3 North Trailhead (45 minutes). By the way, if you love Geocaching, this trail has many!
The trail has been managed by volunteers through the Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition, and this website http://belfastbaywatershed.org/trail-guides.php provides nice references for trail birds and plants. Visitors are welcome every day. We ask that you carry out what you brought with you, be wary of downed trees from the recent storm, and most of all- enjoy the hike!