Church Land Preserve and Lily Pond Park

Discover

Church Land Preserve and Lily Pond Park offer two different ways to experience a protected freshwater landscape on Deer Isle. Island Heritage Trust manages the mature northern woodland and the park's more open pond approach, each with its own entrance and route choices. A visit can focus on mossy forest or on a shorter shoreline setting. Plan the chosen approach from current information rather than assuming the paths form one continuous circuit around the water.

Church Land's entrance is on King Row, across from the cemetery. Its trails pass mature spruce-fir forest, bedrock ridges, narrow hollows, and wetland near the headwaters of Fish Creek. The northern shore of Lily Pond provides a clear destination within that wooded network. Use the current map to select a circuit appropriate for the group, accounting for roots, rocks, and the differences between a relatively gentle beginning and more rugged ground farther inside.

The forest's small features give the walk much of its character. Moss and lichen cover boulders, while trees frame changing views through the woodland. The trust's naturalists encourage attention to the differences between fir and spruce and to the layered life close to the ground. Observe those details from the path without moving moss or peeling lichen from stone. A short pause beside one boulder can become as informative as reaching the next junction.

The preserve's name reflects an earlier land arrangement. In 1797, a much larger tract was provided for supporting the island's ministry, with land available for uses such as woodlots, gardens, and livestock. The modern preserve occupies only part of that historic holding. A supporter purchased the protected parcel in 2016 and donated it to IHT in 2017, securing public access and protecting more of Lily Pond's wooded watershed from development.

Lily Pond Park offers a separate approach suited to a different kind of visit. Gravel paths pass an old farmstead setting and lead toward the beach and pond, with benches and routes designed to improve access. The park also has a native-tree nursery begun in 2023, linking woodland care with education and future planting projects. Check current entrance, parking, and path arrangements before relying on a particular access route or accessibility feature.

Choose between these settings according to the day's purpose. Church Land emphasizes mature woodland and the quieter northern shore, while the park provides another way to spend time near the water. They should not be treated as a promised through-walk. Rebecca Goldfine's original Church Land account particularly enjoys the mossy forest and pond destination, while noting that roots and rocks become more noticeable beyond the initial approach. Her dated experience helps convey the character without replacing current mapping.

Leash dogs, remain on designated routes, and leave the pond's banks and vegetation undisturbed. Day use and no-fire rules apply, and water activities require their own assessment of conditions rather than assumptions based on a pleasant shore view. For photographs, connect a mossy boulder with the northern forest or frame the park's pond outlook from established access. Together, these protected places explain how conserving a watershed can support different experiences while keeping the same water, woodland, and community landscape at the center.

Fun facts

1. Church Land’s 2017 gift protected woodland within Lily Pond’s watershed.
2. Its name recalls a larger tract provided for the island ministry in 1797.
3. Lily Pond Park began a native-tree nursery in 2023.

Read the official sources →

Visitor perspectives

1. Rebecca Goldfine enjoys Church Land’s mossy woodland and northern pond outlook, while finding roots and rocks more noticeable beyond the initial approach. Her account was updated July 15, 2026.

Capture

1. Frame moss-covered boulders within the northern woodland from the trail.
2. Use an established park stopping place for pond views without entering bank vegetation.

Social

Church Land Preserve and Lily Pond Park offer separate woodland and pondside approaches on Deer Isle.

Use King Row for Church Land’s mature forest network and choose current park access separately.

Church Land’s mossy ridges, hollows, and northern pond shore provide a complete woodland outing.

The name recalls a historic ministry-support tract granted in 1797; the modern preserve occupies only part of it.

A supporter’s 2017 gift protected more of the pond’s wooded watershed and retained public access.

Lily Pond Park’s native-tree nursery links forest care with learning and future planting projects.

Rebecca Goldfine enjoys Church Land’s mossy forest and pond outlook while noting roots and rocks deeper in the network.

Check present access arrangements, leash dogs, and avoid assuming a through-walk or universal accessibility across both sites.

Hashtags

1. #Cre8Travel
2. #Maine
3. #ChurchLandPreserve
4. #LilyPondDeerIsle
5. #ProtectedWatershed

Sources & visitor information

• www.islandheritagetrust.org
• www.islandheritagetrust.org
• www.islandheritagetrust.org
• www.islandheritagetrust.org