Noah’s Ballast

After working with the Swan’s Island Community, MCHT acquired Noah’s Ballast along with a deeded right of way in 2022.

The Noah’s Ballast Preserve is a 10-acre parcel on Swan’s Island, Hancock County. It is named for its main attraction, an ancient boulder beach which formed after the last glaciation when relative sea level was at its post-glacial maximum. Goose Pond Mountain would have been a very small island at the time, just above sea level. Most of Swan’s Island would have been submerged during this period. High-energy waves washed away the finer-grained sediment from among the boulders and rolled them around to create the rounded shapes you see today. There are other raised boulder beaches in the region at around 230 feet of elevation above current sea level.

The boulder field is surrounded by a stand of red pine to the northeast, and pitch pine forest to the southwest. The preserve is surrounded by undeveloped forest land, and long-used community trails cross private land to access it. There are no structures or other indications of previous development or human land use, other than social trails that wind through the forest to reach the boulder field.

From the northeastern shore of Goose Pond, follow the trail as it winds southeast and climbs to scenic ocean views toward John’s Island. Continue a little further to reach the preserve’s expansive boulder field. To exit, retrace your steps and avoid the unmaintained route leading east through private lands.