Dahl Wildlife Sanctuary, Conway

Dahl Wildlife Sanctuary, Conway

New Hampshire Audubon North Conway, New Hampshire 03860

Official Website
Dahl Wildlife Sanctuary brochure and map

About this Location

The Dahl Sanctuary is a 60-acre property along the Saco River near the intersection of NH-16 and NH-302 in Conway. It is owned and managed as a wildlife sanctuary by New Hampshire Audubon, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service holds a conservation easement through the Wetlands Reserve Program. The sanctuary is bordered by the Saco River, retail and outlet stores, NH-16, and a private campground. Primary access to the site is via a trail that starts at the southeast comer of the L.L. Bean Retail Store parking lot on NH-16.

The property was donated to New Hampshire Audubon by Helen and Ruth Dahl in 1988. Used as farmland throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, the Dahl Sanctuary is now used primarily for open space and wildlife habitat. It includes a wide variety of habitats, including a wooded shoreline on the Saco River, a large gravel barren, silver maple floodplain forest, old oxbow channels, upland softwood forests, open fields, and early successional shrub and grassland habitats. Several of the natural community types are rare in the state, and two rare plant species occur. The Dahl Sanctuary is an excellent place to observe wildlife like birds, amphibians, and mammals, and it is open for public exploration on a year-round basis.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

Content from Official Website

Last updated November 14, 2023