Zak is Boothbay Regional Land Trust’s (BRLT) largest preserve with 208 acres straddling the watershed of Wildcat Creek in the western half and its headwaters in the eastern half. It encompasses one of the few large open fields remaining on the Boothbay Peninsula and features salt marsh, wetlands, and extensive woods.  It is an important habitat seasonally for nesting birds. Zak Preserve’s 2.5 miles of trails provide an easy hike, and they are particularly suited to snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter months.

Zak Preserve was created in 2003 when Michael and Roxanne Zak donated significant funds toward the purchase of 149 acres, to which they added 52 acres of their own land, thus protecting and preserving this significant natural habitat forever.

Zak is also an important part of the River~Link system.  River~Link was created through a partnership between BRLT, neighboring land trusts, Land for Maine’s Future, and several towns and state agencies, to preserve a continuous natural corridor between and along the two rivers that define the Boothbay peninsula: the Sheepscot and the Damariscotta.  The River~Link trail offers a challenging hike stretching from BRLT’s Zak Preserve on the south end to Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust’s Dodge Point Preserve in Newcastle on the north end. The trail is over seven miles in length not including the respective trail systems at each of the terminal points. The trail crosses two roads as well as private property through the permission of the landowners. Car shuttles can be set up to begin or end at Zak or Dodge Point, or for a shorter hike, visitors can utilize BRLT’s Church Property to connect to River~Link. Dogs must be leashed at all times.

From the roundabout in Boothbay Center travel north on ME-27 for 4.2 miles. The preserve parking area is on the right.

The Maine TrailFinder website has a description and map of a hike at Zak Preserve.