On Friday, Feb. 12, celebrate the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend with a joint Pemaquid Watershed Association (PWA) and Damariscotta River Association (DRA) hike at PWA’s La Verna Preserve in Bristol. Join the fun and hike or snowshoe, weather depending, to the beautiful vista overlooking Muscongus Bay with Bill Claflin, PWA preserve steward, and Sarah Gladu, DRA director of education and environmental monitoring.

The hike is a chance to participate in the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend, a series of events held twice a year, led by outdoor oriented organizations and companies to celebrate the how, where, and what of being active outside in Maine. The goal of the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend, a project of the Maine Outdoor Coalition, is to make Mainers aware of the many wonderful and fun outdoor opportunities in the state such as hiking at the La Verna Preserve.

On Feb. 12, hikers will be able to enjoy the beautiful La Verna Preserve in the winter. The 131-acre preserve features hardwoods and conifers surrounding 3,600 feet of spectacular rocky shore frontage on Muscongus Bay on the Pemaquid Peninsula. The dense forest gives way to swamp, freshwater marsh and overgrown farmland in places.

This PWA and DRA family-friendly hike is free and suitable for all ages. Bring water and appropriate walking shoes or boots or snowshoes. Please come dressed for the weather conditions. Binoculars and a camera are encouraged. The hike will last approximately three hours. Participants are asked to meet in the parking area of the La Verna Preserve before 1 p.m.

To get to La Verna Preserve, take Rt. 32 south from Round Pond. Go 3.5 miles south of Round Pond Post Office. Notice the Ocean Hill cemetery on the right. After that is an old Federal style home with a modern house right beside it. Immediately next to that on the right, there is a parking area for the preserve. The trail head is across Rt. 32. If you get to North Country Wind Bells, you have gone too far. If you prefer a longer, more scenic drive, we suggest traveling south on Route 130 from Damariscotta until you get to Rt. 32 sign turning left in New Harbor. Travel on Rt. 32, go past Shaw's Wharf with Hardy Boat Cruises and Long Cove, pass North Country Bells, and look for parking on left with the La Verna Preserve sign and parking area.

For more information about PWA visit www.pemaquidwatershed.org or call 563-2196. For more information about DRA visit www.damariscottariver.org or call 563-1393. To learn more about the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend, visit www.greatmaineoutdoorweekend.org.