Packard Trail

Trail Stats

Location: Buckfield
Difficulty: Medium
Distance: 2.0 miles, round trip
Duration: 1-2 hours
Managed by: Western Foothills Land Trust

What to Expect

The Packard Trail is a 2-mile trail network designed to support year round activities such as hiking, running, snowshoeing, mountain biking, and wildlife observation. The route is punctuated by innumerable scenic features including views of South Pond, several marshes, and North Hill, as well as a dozen or so significant glacial erratics, and small waterfalls along two prominent streams.

The parking area and trailhead are located 1.2 miles south of Route 117 on the east side of the Sodom Road, which is maintained by the town in the winter. Note: When driving east from South Paris on Route 117, after crossing over Streaked Mountain, drivers should slow down as soon as Frechette’s shop is in view. The right turn onto the Sodom Road is very sharp.

The 2-mile loop trail has a mechanically prepared tread surface with a width of about four feet, which allows two people to walk abreast. The overall grades of the trail are kept to a minimum, offering gently rolling hills that are suitable for the very young as well as the elderly. The trail network offers five short side trails to various scenic points including an historic family cemetery. A 0.5-mile outer loop trail departs the main loop at its southern end offering access to a waterfall on the South Pond outlet and birdwatching in the marsh.

Ready to Claim Your Digital Badge?

Submit your entry

To claim your badge for Packard Trail, please first login or create an account.

Adventurers' Log





Adventurer:

Christine

Completed Packard Trail on:

10/29/2019

Trail Notes:

Great waterfalls with the recent rain and got down close to the pond.





Adventurer:

HikerGee

Completed Packard Trail on:

10/02/2019

Trail Notes:

The trail was in great shape and the scenery was lovely. Just a few drops on rain came down during my walk with Shadow (dog).





Adventurer:

scofro79

Completed Packard Trail on:

07/11/2019

Trail Notes:

I hiked this with my girls, who are 8, 7 & 4. We took the additional Cascade loop, but the water was too low to see any waterfalls. The trail was well maintained and beautiful, especially along South Pond. It was extremely busy, so bring bug spray!!





Adventurer:

Renee

Completed Packard Trail on:

06/26/2019

Trail Notes:

Hiked with my mom, aunt, Grampa, Casey, and my 2 little cousins.





Adventurer:

MEiac

Completed Packard Trail on:

06/26/2019

Trail Notes:

Hiked trail with my family today. Beautiful cascading water, falls, and pond. Ages ranged from 2years old to 67years old. Doable for all ages.





Adventurer:

Wendy

Completed Packard Trail on:

05/18/2019

Trail Notes:

Trail was great!





Adventurer:

Rick-Kathy

Completed Packard Trail on:

05/18/2019

Trail Notes:

Not our first visit. Nice break from the rain over the past few days. Water flows down the gullies are impressive this time of year. LEAVES! No bugs out yet! No ticks this time out, either. Came across a fellow adventurer today... should have invited her to hike with us.. maybe next time. Trails were clean, removed some trash from the trail head. Forgot my camera.





Adventurer:

slabslr

Completed Packard Trail on:

09/30/2018

Trail Notes:

Nice walk by South Pond





Adventurer:

Mia

Completed Packard Trail on:

09/23/2018

Trail Notes:

Nice, easy, well marked trail.





Adventurer:

Gagson

Completed Packard Trail on:

08/22/2018

Trail Notes:

I got this one and the Noyes trail mixed up. It say I finished the Noyes trail 8/22/2018 but I completed it 8/30/2018