Cross River Preserve is a 19-acre parcel that stretches from ME-27 to the Cross River. A 1-mile loop trail takes hikers through mixed forest and along a freshwater wetland and stream, before reaching the tidal shoreline and mudflats of the Cross River.

The Cross River property was donated to BRLT by the town of Boothbay in 2014. The Cross River is a tributary of the Sheepscot River and is the longest remaining stretch of undeveloped water frontage on the Boothbay peninsula. Upper Cross River has a reputation as a hurricane hole for boats and provides a quiet sanctuary on the bustling Boothbay peninsula. The roughly 320 acres of tidal flats found here host a variety of marine species including clams, crabs, and lobster larvae, and the migratory shorebirds that feed on them.

The Cross River area was first settled in the mid-1700s, with much of the forest being cleared and used as pastureland. The fields were abandoned around a century later, and the forest slowly returned to what we see today. The preserve is home to a variety of trees including some large diameter Red Oak and White Pine, which probably served as field boundary markers over 100 years ago. The habitat within the preserve is diverse and attracts a variety of creatures including songbirds, aquatic insects, and amphibians.

From the roundabout in Boothbay travel north on ME-27 for 3.4 miles. The preserve parking area is on the left.

The Maine TrailFinder website and the AllTrails website have descriptions and maps of hikes at Cross River Preserve.