The Presumpscot Regional Land Trust has collaborated with local artist Dale Leroux and they are hosting his Elf, Gnome, and Fairy Home art installation, which features a dozen different stops to view his art along the three-mile trail, at the Pride Preserve in Westbrook.
Pride Preserve, opened in 2020, is the largest conserved forestland in urban greater Portland and an amazing recreational resource. It features a 3.5-mile trail network through forest and wetlands, which is mostly flat and ideal for multiple uses in all four seasons. These trails offer a very remote, quiet, wilderness-like experience.
The trailhead for the Preserve is on Duck Pond Road, which is off of Route 302 to the west. We have entered "Pride Preserve" into the car's navigation system and we had no problems finding it.
Click here to get directions to the Pride Preserve.
Click here to see the trail map.
There is a small paved parking lot that usually fills up on weekends. In this case, you can park on the side of the road.
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You can find this map with the locations of the fairy houses marked with stars right as you enter the trail. I suggest taking a picture of it so you could reference it if you are having a hard time finding the houses.
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We decided to explore the Red Loop first. These are just a few houses we found along the Red Loop and Rapids Spur:
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It took us about an hour and a half to complete the Red Loop but we stopped quite a few times to admire the cascades, watch a pair of ducks swimming in the pond, and, of course, take pictures of the magical houses.
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I just love these little duck tushies sticking out of the water!
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We are definitely coming back to look for the fairy houses along the Blue Loop!
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