Eleanor L. Campbell Preserve
Eleanor L. Campbell Preserve Brochure
Size: 32 acres.
Trails: One trail; approximately 0.5 miles
Features: Short and easy walk to seaside beach, scenic overlook and high biodiversity in a small area.
Two distinctly different waterfront properties. On the east, hikers can walk or wade on Polly Cove gravel and cobble beach; on the west, you can see a bit of VH history at the Bathing Pool, a former place of resort for picnickers and rusticators.
Be Aware:
Foot traffic only
Stay on trails
Watch for Poison Ivy
View Bathing Pool from roadside only (no hiking to dam)
Directions: From the ferry – go left on Sands Rd. for 0.4 miles, then right on Old Harbor Rd. for 0.3 miles, then bearing slightly left onto North Haven Rd. for 2.5 miles, at which point you reach the junction of North Haven Rd. and Calderwood's Neck Rd., bear right onto Calderwood's Neck Rd. After crossing the Carrying Place Bridge, drive about 1 mile, watch for Zeke's Point Rd. on your left. The Campbell Preserve is another .08 miles out this dirt road; parking is on the right.
Polly Cove
History
Located on either side of the Zeke’s Point Road at the northern end of Vinalhaven, this 32-acre preserve comprises two distinctly different waterfront properties. On the east, hikers can walk or wade on Polly Cove’s gravel and cobble beach, and enjoy vistas towards Isle au Haut and Mt. Desert from the half-mile long trail that rises to a scenic overlook. On the west, you can see a bit of Vinalhaven history at the Bathing Pool, a former place of resort for picnickers and rusticators.
Owing to the unsafe condition of the dam there, hiking on the Bathing Pool parcel is not permitted. For those who prefer a less challenging hike, this preserve offers an easy route to the seashore: just park in the pullout at the foot of the hill by the Bathing Pool, where a short (200 yards) and level trail will lead you to Polly Cove.
The preserve was given to VLT by Eleanor L. Campbell. She conveyed the 21 acre parcel at Polly Cove to Maine Coast Heritage Trust in 1993, which was subsequently transfered to VLT, and in 2001 she conveyed the 11-acre Bathing Pool parcel directly to VLT.
The Bathing Pool, photo by Sheri Romer.
Natural Resources
The forested trail at Polly Cove may be short, but it offers surprising diversity compared to most of the island, thanks
to its distinctive Hardwood Seepage Forest Natural Community (listed as rare in Maine). Hardwoods like sugar, red, striped, and mountain maple, paper and yellow birch, and bigtooth aspen are in abundance, and the ample sun and ground water allows a full range of shrubs, ferns, and wildflowers as well; lady slippers and red baneberries can be found, for example. In all, there have been 160 different species of plants identified here.
You never know what you’ll see at Polly Cove for wildlife, either: ospreys, eagles, kingfishers, sea birds, red squirrels, deer, mink, raccoons, and lots of migratory birds in the spring and fall are just some of the usual sightings.
