Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge

As we drove north from York we opted to drive as near to the cost as was practical for a while.  At one point we needed to make a quick stop (for a restroom break if I recall correctly) so we pulled into the parking lot for the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge.

Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1966 in cooperation with the State of Maine to protect valuable salt marshes and estuaries for migratory birds. Located along 50 miles of coastline in York and Cumberland counties, the refuge consists of eleven divisions between Kittery and Cape Elizabeth. It will contain approximately 14,600 acres when land acquisition is complete. The proximity of the refuge to the coast and its location between the eastern deciduous forest and the boreal forest creates a composition of plants and animals not found elsewhere in Maine. Major habitat types present on the refuge include forested upland, barrier beach/dune, coastal meadows, tidal salt marsh, and the distinctive rocky coast.
--from Rachel Carson NWR website

If I hadn't seen a sign about the upcoming visitor center I likely would have missed the turn, but since I spotted it I figured that we could afford to make some time to stop.

I didn't have too much time to spare (only about ten minutes actually), but I decided to take a few minutes to walk partway down one of the trails.

 The walk was wonderfully cool and full of many different shades of green.

 The glimpses of open areas were especially tantalizing in their beauty.

I always find it fascinating to note how many different kinds of leaves you can find in the forest.

 We had already eaten lunch for the day, but it was nice to see that there were a number of picnic tables.

After I got back into the car we continued our northward journey towards Acadia, but it was a good stop that I enjoyed.  You can see a couple more pictures in this album.

~Matt