Hodson and Rheault Preserve

Discover

Hodson and Rheault Preserve in Camden offers a walk from stream-side woodland toward the open blueberry landscape of Howe Hill. The contrast is the main pleasure: shaded trees and the sound of Sucker Brook give way to a broader sky and views over nearby hills. A shorter woodland loop and a longer summit route allow visitors to shape the outing around that changing scenery.

Coastal Mountains Land Trust manages the connected setting through a preserve and an adjoining conservation easement. Begin at the Molyneaux Road entrance and choose the current mapped route. The Hodson Loop can provide a complete small woodland outing, while the Summit Trail continues across the Rheault land toward Howe Hill. That choice gives the visit a clear focus before the paths divide.

The lower section has its own specific interests. The operator identifies a hemlock grove, an historic mill site, mature hardwoods, and apple trees along Sucker Brook. These features make the route rewarding before any view appears. A stream and traces of earlier work suggest a landscape used in several ways over time, with the present forest holding pieces of those earlier chapters close to the walking path.

Rebecca Goldfine's original Maine by Foot account especially enjoys the cool, moss-lined stream near the beginning and the old sugar maples on the Hodson Loop. Her description provides a useful theme for a shorter visit. Give the trees and water enough time to become the purpose of the outing, rather than treating them only as an approach to the higher ground.

For the longer walk, the woodland ascent eventually reaches Howe Hill's managed organic blueberry barren. The open setting changes the scale of the experience, replacing close views of trunks and brook with a wider outlook across the region. Remain on the marked route through the working farm. The path allows enjoyment of the landscape while keeping the growing ground and its continuing agricultural purpose intact.

At the top, the operator identifies a rock engraving associated with the Howe family, another detail linking the hill with people who have known and used it. Look for that feature from the established route, then take time to enjoy the surrounding view. The outlook gains character from the blueberry ground immediately around it, bringing working land and more distant hills into the same scene.

The connected protection reflects separate gifts: the Hodson land in memory of Richard S. Hodson, followed by the Rheault easement. Caroline Hodson made her gift in 1992, and Sarah Rheault donated the adjoining conservation easement in 2005. The route now connects the results of those separate personal decisions. Those decisions created a continuous walking experience from brook to open hill. Follow the preserve's no-dogs rule and return by the planned route, noticing the transition back into shade after the summit. Hodson and Rheault is rewarding because its parts form a natural sequence without losing their individual interest. Whether the day centers on the stream-side loop or continues toward Howe Hill, the outing brings together woodland, farming, local history, and a landscape kept available through personal conservation gifts.

Fun facts

1. The route connects Hodson Preserve with the Rheault conservation easement.
2. Howe Hill contains a managed organic blueberry barren.

Read the official sources →

Visitor perspectives

1. Rebecca Goldfine enjoys the moss-lined stream, old sugar maples, and a leisurely climb toward the blueberry barrens and open Howe Hill views.

Capture

1. Compare the brook’s close woodland frame with the open hill’s wider scene.
2. Include the blueberry ground within a trail-based view toward neighboring hills.

Social

Hodson and Rheault connects Sucker Brook woodland with Howe Hill.

A shorter loop offers its own complete forest outing.

Mature maples and a moss-lined stream reward a slower pace.

The summit route reaches an open blueberry landscape.

Stay on the marked trail through the working farm.

A Howe family engraving adds a local historical detail.

Conservation gifts created the connected walking setting.

Enjoy the return to shade after time on the open hill.

Hashtags

1. #Cre8Travel
2. #Maine

Sources & visitor information

• www.coastalmountains.org
• mainebyfoot.com