About

Donated by the Gillis family in 1992, Mayberry Hill in Casco is LELT’s oldest preserve. With the addition of a new, off-street parking area built at the end of 2022, the property and trail system is seeing more and more visitors. With that in mind, and as part of LELT’s strategic priority to improve access to the outdoors in every Lake Region community, we’ll be improving the field loop trail at Mayberry Hill Preserve to universal access standards. When completed, the trail will be similar to those LELT has constructed at Pondicherry Park and Peabody-Fitch Woods in Bridgton: six feet wide with a packed gravel surface, and a little over a half-mile long.

More information about the project.

‍Specific project components:

• Create a 6 ft wide, packed gravel trail from the parking area around the entirety of the field loop
• Install benches as rest points along the loop

Timeline

Trail construction and bench installation is expected during the Summer of 2025. The exact timeline is dependent on fundraising status and contractor availability.

Fundraising

As of April 2025, LELT has raised $67,000 to support the project. Funding has been received from Maine Recreational Trails Program, Morton Kelly Trust, Athletic Brewing’s ‘Two for the Trails’ program, and individuals. With over $30,000 left to raise, we are accepting donations of any amount, and are offering a special opportunity to support the project with the donation of memorial benches to place along the new trail (details below).

- Send a check to Loon Echo Land Trust at 8 Depot St, STE 4 Bridgton, ME 04009.  Memo: MHP Trail
- Donate online at link.lelt.org/mhpaccess.

Honorary and Memorial Benches

We have four opportunities to support the Mayberry Hill Trail project with the donation of a memorial or honorary bench that will be installed along the upgraded trail. Specific locations will be determined by LELT and will be available for selection on a first-come, first-served basis.

Donation amount: $6,000 per bench

Bench Description

• 6 feet long
• Durable metal and composite material
• Each bench will include a plaque with a short inscription.

Inscription Guidance

LELT invites donors to submit a proposed inscription for review and approval by the Land Trust. We ask that proposed inscriptions be either “in honor of” or “in memory of” a person, family, or idea. All inscriptions should be simple, timeless, and free of pop culture, commercial, religious or political references.

Character limit: 20 - 50 characters

Sample Inscriptions

• “In memory of Joe Doe who loved Mayberry Hill”
• “A gift from the Smith Family”
• “For those who seek the peace that this view brings.”
• “With love from the NAME HERE family.”

Process

Benches will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact maggie@lelt.org with interest.

1. Donor fills out pledge form or make a direct donation & select bench location.
2. Finalize inscription text.
3. Bench installed when trail work has been completed.

View this information and photos in a pdf format here.