LOCATION
Broad Cove Reserve is located in Cumberland Foreside on the east side of Route 88 near the intersection with Tuttle Road (see Google map below). A large parking lot is located on the right side of Beach Drive just beyond the entrance. From here, it’s a 10-minute walk down the paved road to the beach.
size + distance
1.9 miles total / 22 acres
Public access
The public is welcome to enjoy the beach and trails during daylight hours only. Boating, swimming, fishing, walking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing are permitted.
Please respect landowners’ privacy by staying on marked trails.
Bikes and motorized vehicles prohibited.
Dogs
Permitted on the trails, but must be on a leash at all times.
Prohibited from the beach.
Because of the close proximity to sensitive marine habitats, please be sure to pick up after your dog.
trail DESCRIPTION
To reach the beach via a quiet walk through the woods, cross over Beach Road and follow the trail north along the stone wall. This section has some elevation gain and is fairly rooty. It then descends gradually toward the cove over some uneven, often wet terrain that has foot bridges and several sets of stairs. About half way down this trail there is a short trail that connects with Town Landing Road. A loop can be made by returning from the beach via the sidewalk running along the uphill, paved Beach Drive and then a short walk up a steep hill on a wooded trail with good footing that ascends to the parking lot.
PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
Since 1997, CCLT has held a conservation easement on this 104-acre property that was owned by the Payson family. Owned by the Spears Hill Homeowners Association and the Town of Cumberland since 2014, the property offers stunning public waterfront access.
The property’s sheltered coastline serves as critical habitat for shorebirds and horseshoe crabs. The woods and meadow feature a variety of ferns and native wildflowers. Shell middens found on the property indicate that it served as important fishing and clamming grounds for Abenaki people in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the mid 1800s, it was the site of Cumberland’s town farm, which provided disadvantaged residents a place to live, work, and raise and grow food.
