Runaround Pond and Chesley Meadows Preserve

Runaround Pond Landscape – Downloadable PDF
Runaround Pond Recreation Area at Maine Trail Finder

Maps of Chandler Brook paddling starting at Runaround Pond. 

Runaround Pond Recreation Area (GPS: 315 Runaround Pond Road, Durham, Maine): The trail and boating-skating network at the eastern end of Runaround Pond begins and ends at the 133-acre town recreation area with an accessible bathroom, picnic tables, hand-carry boat access, fishing ledges, and good parking plowed year-round. The walking trail is wide and flat and generally suitable for gentle walking. however some sections have roots, tall grass, and ledges. Less-well maintained informal small loop trails allow exploration of the woods and the shoreline of Chandler Brook. The trails pass near historic cellar holes, the retaining walls of the old mill, the historic granite dam, and quarries. The large loop marked by blue blazes is 0.6 miles in length, looping both north and south from the parking area. Paddling and skating begins at the recreation area, or scroll to tabs below for paddling Chander Brook from its Runaround Pond outlet.  

CAUTION: The trail loop crosses Runaround Pond Road in two locations. The road crossing closest to the parking lot (boat ramp) is on a sharp curve, and thus creates safety issues. Neither the Town nor Maine DOT support this unsafe crossing; there are no safety signs to accessibility accommodations. Cross at your own risk.

To get to the parking area at Runaround Pond Recreation Area from I-295, take Exit 22 in Freeport/Durham. Turn right onto ME-136 North and drive 6.2 miles. Turn left onto Rabbit Road and continue onto Runaround Pond Road for 1.1 miles. Look for the entrance to the parking area and boat launch on the right. The blue blazed trails leave from both ends of the recreation area’s parking lot.

More tabs — below on this webpage — describe the history and natural resources of this park.  

Owned and managed by RRCT and abutting the town’s recreation area, the more-than 165-acre Chesley Meadows Preserve was created in late 2015 and expanded in March 2017 and March 2019. The preserve includes more than a half mile of Runaround Pond shoreline along with an open marsh, stream, beaver lodges, and forested riparian zones. RRCT prioritized conservation of the property due to the wild shoreline, mapped deer yards, and significant wading bird and waterfowl habitat. The preserve hosts a snowmobile trail and is popular for its pond frontage, its hunting, deer yard, occasional neighborhood equestrian use and snowshoeing and skating. There are no developed or marked trails other than the snowmobile trail, which is wet even in the driest parts of summer.

Parking is available on Davis Road shoulders or in a small turnout at the intersection of Davis Road & Chesley Hill Road; look for the blue Chesley Meadows Preserve sign at the intersection. (For water access to the Chesley Meadows Preserve’s Runaround Pond shoreline, park and launch at the Runaround Pond Recreation Area.)

A November 2015 article in the Tri-Town Weekly describes the first acquisitions.  An April 2017 article in The Times Record describes the 2017 expansion. Funding sources included private donors and the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership.

RRCT & You:  RRCT relies heavily on volunteers and help from Preserve users like you. You may know more recent information about trail and Preserve conditions than we do. We invite you to be a thoughtful steward by acting as a respectful visitor, adhering to posted rules, and following Leave No Trace practices. RRCT’s small staff and volunteer Trail Crew is able to inspect and maintain RRCT Preserves infrequently; we ask you to report to us any issues you observe that you cannot address yourself, and especially to update us on any safety or public safety issues. Please help us on your visits with litter, pet waste, and minor trail issues. We also invite any information on needed or suggested updates to this webpage. Reach out in any way, most simply with an email to info@RRCT.org

CHESLEY MEADOWS PRESERVE RULES & REGULATIONS: 

• The preserve is open for hiking, snowshoeing, backcountry skiing, skating, backcountry equestrian use, and snowmobiling on or off trail. Bikes are not allowed due to trail construction standards.
• Dogs are welcome, but on leash or voice control, with strict attention to pet waste removal.  An abutting pasture often hosts cows which are incompatible with off-leash dogs. Due to deer wintering, we ask that dogs be on leash during periods of deep snow; deer struggle to maintain energy during the winter; dogs and humans cause them to expend this precious energy.
• Please respect various postings on private abutting land; many of these postings aim to protect nearby farm animals from dogs or hunters.
• Safe and responsible hunting on the preserve is encouraged. We promote safe hunting experiences and protect deer by educating users of the hiking trail and their dogs to be respectful of hunters and deer during season, including winter deer yard season. As a courtesy, please call RRCT to inform us if you plan any trapping on the parcel. Hikers should always wear orange during all hunting seasons, on all hikes.
• Tenting and camping is allowed, but with permission, and well-away from trailheads or neighbors. There are no good sources of water on the preserve, and no privies.  There’s no developed or dry camping spot on RRCT’s shoreline on Runaround Pond. Give us a call, and plan on strict adherence to “Leave No Trace” principles.
• Smoking is prohibited on all RRCT preserves.

Paddling from Runaround Pond downstream along Chandler Brook (also known as the Middle Branch of the Royal River) is described in detail here as part of the Royal River Water Trail, and also described here as one of the many family-friendly paddling opportunities in the area.     

Runaround Pond has a rich history, ranging from Abenaki sites, Revolutionary War veterans, modern writers, and modern conservation-oriented landowners. This eleven-page document describes the historic, community, and literary context of Runaround Pond and its conservation lands.

Did you know that Stephen King grew up on Runaround Pond Road? Learn more about Stephen King and Runaround Pond. 

After centuries as Wabanaki home land, Judah Chandler moved to  Runaround Pond in the late 1700s, building the first dam creating the pond;  the cellar hole of his home is alongside the hiking trails. Learn more about Judah Chandler and the Wabanakis and Runaround Pond.

When RRCT opened new trails at the town’s Recreation Area in 2017, birding opportunities without boats increased considerably, while paddling is still the exceptional birding experience here. RRCT’s adjacent Chesley Meadows Preserve provides rich birding opportunities.

For more information on birding watching visit: The Best Birding in the Royal River watershed.

Old Crow Ranch is a private farm that produces hogs, chickens, and cattle. It is protected by a 65-acre agricultural conservation easement held by the Royal River Conservation Trust, with funding from the Land for Maine’s Future program. In 2019, Old Crow Ranch acquired a nearby pasture at the same time that RRCT acquired an 11-acre agricultural conservation easement on a pasture (now known as Old Crow Ranch II) protecting local agriculture and also creating a scenic buffer to RRCT’s Chesley Meadows Preserve.  

New Leaf Farm was conserved in December 2023 by a RRCT “forever farm” conservation easement covering 75 acres of the farm, in close partnership with Maine Farmland Trust, RRCT’s Land Acquisition Fund, and Land for Maine’s Future. New Leaf Farm was a pioneer in the farm to table movement in Maine and has been supplying local food to markets and restaurants in Greater Portland for many decades.

This dog-friendly year-round campground with yurts on Runaround Pond encourages visitors to explore the nearby conservation land at Runaround, Bradbury Mountain, Big Falls Preserve, and the Intervale.

When RRCT began acquiring conservation land at Runaround Pond in 2015 (now known as the Chesley Meadows Preserve), RRCT also began assisting the Town of Durham with management of its Recreation Area.  In 2017 and 2018, with support from private donors and the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund, RRCT volunteers and staff repaired gates, replaced gateway signage, installed kiosks, and expanded trails in the town park. The Town of Durham simultaneously installed a privy, safety signage, road striping, and more.

Durham is on the southern edge of Androscoggin County. According to recent state recreation plans, Androscoggin County has the lowest percentage of conserved land of any county in Maine (3.60%), as compared to 18.9% statewide and 6.5% in Cumberland County. According to 2018 MEGIS data, only 1.4% of Durham’s land is conserved, even while Durham’s population is growing steadily. Eight percent of Maine’s population is in Androscoggin County, but the county benefits from less than one quarter of one percent of Maine’s conservation land. Durham is thus dramatically underserved by conservation land, compared to most Maine towns. Recent RRCT acquisitions have slightly improved the 2018 Durham statistic, but more work is necessary; RRCT works to guarantee that the youth of Durham and Androscoggin County have more opportunities to hunt, fish, paddle, hike, skate, and explore.

Recent mapping by The Nature Conservancy has identified Runaround Pond as one of the highest priority areas for planning for habitat “resiliency” in the face of climate change, and as part of a priority focus area for riparian (stream and pond) corridors for habitat. RRCT’s Conservation Plan (2022) identifies Runaround Pond as a focus area for a variety of reasons, including the “Four Town Hot Spot,” the need for focus on under-served towns including Durham, and simple ecology.