Crabtree Neck Land Trust
Descendants of the early Hancock settler for whom Crabtree Neck was named are among those behind Crabtree Neck Land Trust, which impressively has six preserves in and around this reach of land. They include the 3-mile Old Pond Railway Trail, with two trailheads near U.S. 1 (one is in the village just off the highway on Point Road across from Hancock town hall). It follows a railbed on which trains in an earlier era transported rusticators heading to (and later from) Bar Harbor, completing the last leg of the journey by ferry. The trust has also made it easier for folks to swim, walk, or simply enjoy views of Frenchman Bay at Carters Beach down on the neck. To get there, drive about 4½ miles down Point Road and turn left onto Haskins Road, which soon ends at Carters Beach Road. Walk the unpaved shore-hugging road, aka Carters Beach Corridor, about a half mile north to the beach. Here, one of the trust-owned tracts along the road connects with Frenchman Bay Conservancy’s Salt Pond Preserve ( www.frenchmanbay.org). Yes, there's a salt pond near the beach. Salt Pond Trail is about a mile out and back.