LOCATION
Farwell Forest lies between Blanchard Road and Knight’s Pond Preserve (Greely Road Extension) in Cumberland. Limited parking is available at the end of Greely Road Extension (see Google map below). Please be sure not to block the driveway to the house at the end of the road. If this area is full, visitors can park at the main Knight’s Pond parking lot and walk up Greely Road Extension to the trail at the end of the road. The property is also accessible (but there is no parking) from Blanchard Road along a right-of-way on the northeast side of Blanchard Road about 3/10 mile southeast of the intersection with Bruce Hill Road. The right-of-way follows the southeastern edge of a large field before linking to the trail network on the protected property.
size + distance
1.8 miles total / 61 acres
Public access
From the parking area at the end of Greely Road Extension, follow the trail up the hill until you see a trail that goes down on the left. This snowmobile trail leads to the Farwell Forest property. Trails may be used for hiking, nature observation, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, horseback riding, and snowmobiling.
trail DESCRIPTION
The snowmobile trail beginning at the end of Greely Road Extension is marked with orange and red blazes and proceeds to the beginning of the Farwell Forest property on a wide, semi-improved woods road that slopes gently downwards. The trails within the forest are narrow, smooth, and flat. For your safety, please avoid the areas containing old farming equipment and vehicles. The trail that exits the forest and runs along the field heading toward Blanchard Road is often wet and muddy. On the other side of Blanchard Road, the trail connects to Rines Forest.
PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
For more than 100 years the Farwell family farmed this land, supplying the community with dairy products, produce, livestock, hay, and lumber. The forest remained a working tree farm through the years, but more significantly was valued by the family as nature’s classroom with its abundance of plants and wildlife. Norma Farwell Seekins, an educator with the Cumberland school system, dreamed of sharing this special place with the community and preserving it in perpetuity. In 2010, the family granted CCLT an easement on more than 54 acres. In 2025, they generously donated ownership of the land to CCLT, along with an additional nearly seven acres.
This parcel is a key connector between Knight’s Pond Preserve and Rines Forest, ensuring the permanent protection of an existing wildlife and recreational corridor. It is entirely forested with an abundance of pine and oak, and the topography is mostly flat with some rolling hills. It contains a spring-fed stream and provides habitat for a variety of wildlife, including deer, barred owls, woodpeckers, porcupine, fishers, and weasels.
