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Gould Landing
Gould Landing: Woods and Water at Pushaw Lake
Discover
Gould Landing brings a small woodland and Pushaw Lake's open shore together at the end of Essex Street in Orono. The landing and Nadeau-Savoy Memorial Park provide a lakeside beginning, while a kiosk on the wooded side marks the walking trail. Taken together, they make a compact outing with a noticeable change in scale: broad water first, then a closer encounter with forest and wetland edges.
Orono Land Trust describes the conserved land as thirty-eight acres containing uplands, wetlands, and two islands. It stewards the property for the Maine Department of Transportation. A trail easement granted by Glenn Young in 2003 improved access and made a walking route possible. That history gives the short walk an interesting foundation. Its public usefulness depends on a small connection of land as much as on the size of the wooded parcel itself.
Begin by orienting yourself between the shore and trail entrance. The lake side includes a canoe and kayak launch, beach area, and covered picnic tables; the woodland kiosk provides the route information. The combination allows different kinds of visits. Someone arriving for a quiet walk can enjoy the water before entering the trees, while a properly prepared paddler can understand the forested edge as part of the landscape around the launch. Each activity still deserves its own plan.
Along the trail, the land trust identifies benches overlooking the lake and wetlands, a glacial erratic, and birdwatching opportunities. The boulder makes a good fixed point within a landscape otherwise shaped by softer margins: trees, wet ground, and water. Notice how much of the lake is visible from each permitted stopping place, and how the view changes when vegetation becomes the foreground. A woodland route can reveal a lakeshore through intervals of light and sound as much as through an uninterrupted panorama.
Rebecca Goldfine's original Maine by Foot account records that distinction. During a travel-day stop, she enjoyed stretching her legs here but found fewer clear views of the marshy edge than expected. She especially appreciated the landing and small park at the beginning. Her response is useful precisely because it is specific: the attraction combines an open shore with a more enclosed trail, and visitors who enjoy both are likely to understand the outing better than those anticipating continuous lake views.
An older paddling column by Jeff Strout offers another perspective on the same launch. Writing in 2010, he valued its accessibility from the Bangor area and described finding quieter pockets despite the developed shoreline. That is one paddler's historical impression, rather than a guarantee of solitude or conditions. It helps explain the landing's practical role as a place where an everyday schedule can meet a much larger body of water.
Arrange parking before setting out. The town requires a Gould Landing/Nadeau-Savoy parking permit and explicitly allows nonresidents to request one. Check the current application and display requirements rather than borrowing an older visitor's roadside suggestion. Once parked appropriately, leave time to return to the shore after the woodland walk. A picnic, a view across Pushaw, and the recollection of a sheltered wetland edge give Gould Landing a satisfying shape without requiring a long excursion or an ambitious trip onto the lake.
Fun facts
- The land trust describes thirty-eight acres of upland, wetland and two islands.
- A 2003 trail easement improved access to the property.
- The town’s parking permit is available to nonresidents as well as Orono residents.
Before you go
- Request the current Gould Landing/Nadeau-Savoy parking permit before using permit spaces.
- Locate the woodland kiosk before beginning the trail.
- Expect filtered woodland views as well as open water at the landing.
- Prepare lake paddling separately according to weather, equipment and your party’s ability.
Visitor perspectives
- Rebecca Goldfine enjoyed this travel-day leg stretch but found fewer clear views of the marshy lakeshore than expected; she especially liked the landing and small park at the start. Exact visit date unknown; page updated 2026-07-09.
- Jeff Strout valued Gould Landing as a convenient paddling escape from the Bangor area, describing quiet pockets despite a developed shore. His 2010 column is an individual historical impression, not a current condition or solitude guarantee.
Capture
- Start with a wide permitted shore view that relates the lake to the picnic and launch setting.
- From the woodland route, frame the glacial erratic or layers of wetland-edge vegetation without entering sensitive ground.
Social
Gould Landing combines Pushaw Lake’s shore with a sheltered woodland walk.
A small 2003 easement helped make the trail possible.
The open landing and wooded route offer contrasting views of the same landscape.
A glacial erratic provides a memorable feature along the trail.
Leave time to enjoy the shore before and after walking.
Orono’s parking-permit process also welcomes nonresident applications.
A woodland lake view often arrives through branches and changing light.
Plan a paddle as its own activity, even when the launch is close to your walk.
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