This lovely park and swim area is just outside the city. There is a playground with swings, slide,…read morerocking motorcycles, see saw and even an old school merry go round that leaves everyone dizzy. There are gazebos and tables for picnics and shelter from the sun. The swim area is not the sandy beach type but rather a grassy knoll that leads to a refreshing pond. The bottom is murky only when you get deep. Perfect spot to cool off and enjoy the fresh air. There is a boat launch across the street as well.

I feel the need to preface all of my nature reviews with this: being 90% forested and having around…read more3500 miles of coastline, Maine has a tremendous amount of spaces, walkways, paths, and trails of all kinds and of all levels. There's something for everyone. What I'm reviewing is how a spot compares to similar outdoor spots in my personal opinion. Being in nature - and remembering to carry in, carry out - is always five stars! :) Parking? Sort of. Loop trail? Yes. Well marked signs? Yes. Element of surprise? Yes. What. A. Find. Whenever I'm journeying around Maine (checking out state parks or Atlas Obscura recommended spots), I try and also find a few trails or hiking spots to check out (because the state is huge, and when I'm in an area I'm not usually in, I want to discover spots I wouldn't otherwise!). Reynolds Forest was the best part of my day! In fact, one of the most standout spots I've been to in a while! According to the Kennebec Land Trust website (https://www.tklt.org/reynolds), "This 35 acre parcel provides visitors excellent birding opportunities, interesting wildflowers and floodplain species, and views of the powerful brook (now called Goff Brook), with its foaming water roaring over exposed rocks into stone-lined pools. Part of the conservation property not visible from the trail has seen an increase in invasive Japanese knotweed and non-native bush honeysuckle, and has served as a field research site for Colby College students studying invasive plant control methods." There's some parking off the shoulder of the main road, and the walk into the woods alongside Goff Brook is lovely. It's not long before you can suddenly hear the roaring of the (small, but mighty) waterfalls (which was once used for saw and grist mills. We made sure to come after a couple days of rain and it was worth it! We gently navigated out to some exposed rocks and sat in the sun, near the falls, surrounded by tall trees for a long time. Perfect spot for a picnic (and... I think we also spotted some foragers too). There's also a small Old Farm Loop Trail that passes by fields and an old foundation a little further beyond the Streamside Trail. BEWARE OF TICKS. BEWARE OF POISON IVY. WEAR APPROPRIATE SHOES.

I feel the need to preface all of my nature reviews with this: being 90% forested and having around…read more3500 miles of coastline, Maine (and NH) has a tremendous amount of spaces, walkways, paths, and trails of all kinds and of all levels. There's something for everyone. What I'm reviewing is how a spot compares to similar outdoor spots in my personal opinion. Being in nature - and remembering to carry in, carry out - is always five stars! :) Parking? Yes. Loop trail? Yes. Well marked signs? Yes. Element of surprise? Yes. This is a gem of a hike. And it's proof that just when you think you know Maine... you don't. Will I ever run out of incredible places to explore here? Mt Pisgah proves I won't. I had never heard of this spot before, but was doing research for somewhere to play outside near the Augusta area, and this came up. It was everything I was looking for: 2 to 4 miles, meandering through the forest, and absolutely outstanding views at the top. I took Blueberry Trail (1.3 miles) which was mostly a very windy path through woodlands; what makes it so special, though, is the wild blueberries that grow near the top. From the informational sign: "...In natural settings native highbush blueberries are typically found in areas with wet, acidic, organic soils. Mt Pisgah, where highbush blueberries occur, does not resemble these preferred habitats. At this site, the highbush blueberries are found in an upland forest with dry soil and no nearby water source. It is unclear how the highbush blueberries came to be in this less than ideal habitat." TLDR: There are magical blueberries here. When I reached the top I climbed up the historic fire tower for impressive 360 degree views of the surrounding area. To come down from the summit there are two options: Tower Trail (which is about .7 miles) which passes through rich forest (expect lots of wooden planks over streams) OR the access road which is a straight shot on a well groomed, relatively accessible (think stroller-friendly) road back up and back from the parking lot. Side note: Ledges Trail, 1.4 miles, adds steps but not views. (From the informational sign at the top of the mountain: "In Hebrew, Pisgah means a lookout or place with a view, and refers to the place on Mt Nebo from which Moses looked out over the promised lands. In the 19th century, before the fire tower was constructed, the summit of Pisgah was an open pasture that provided panoramic views. Mt Pisgah has a rich agricultural history. Old stone walls, second growth pine and hardwood forest, and gnarly sugar maples with tap holes tell the story of intensive land clearing, pasturing, cultivation, and farm abandonment.")

A nice 1-2.5 hour hike (depending on which trails one takes), especially for winter hiking, and a…read moregreat panoramic view atop the high scalable tower.

We made a short stop to view this garden finding it quiet, tranquil and less than impressive though…read moreobviously your mileage may and very likely will vary.

Really pretty, I love coming here. It's nice all year round and even has a Geocache in it.read more

Grafton Notch State Park occupies 3,129 acres (1,266 hectares) surrounding Grafton Notch, the…read moremountain pass between aldpate Mountain and Old Speck Mountain. The drive to it along ME 26 was beautiful, despite the intense and brutal heat on the day of our first visit. There are roadside turnouts for both Mother Walker Falls and Screw Auger Falls; the water flow at the falls was markedly curtailed due to the current drought conditions. You'll find signage that explains this area's glacial and geologic history. The trails leading to the waterfalls are short and well-marked, with uneven rock and forest flooring. Tip: Apparently Screw Auger Falls is so named because it looks as like someone took a giant auger and drilled large quantities of rock out of this quite sizable granite rock formation formation Tip: Dogs are allowed here for no additional fee. They're permitted throughout the park and on the trails; but not on the beaches I totally enjoyed everything I saw here on my first visit, and have already gone back a week ago. I expect to make visiting this very special destination a regular habit :-)

Grafton Notch State Park, one of Maine's scenic byways, is always going to have a really special…read moreplace in my heart: it's the first time I stepped on the Appalachian Trail! And, I don't know, you don't forget that do you? Screw Auger Falls - Anytime I get the chance to play on rocks and waterfalls, I'm going to! The Bear River has areas of expansive smooth rocks that may or may not be accessible (depends on how much water is flowing). On one side, there's a tinier waterfall; the other side, the gorge where Screw Auger spills down. The rocks here are so interestingly carved and worn because of the years and years (and years) of water washing over them. Mother Walker Falls Turnout - I think this is where The Abandoned Road is, an interesting stone stairway, a wee cave, and some information about "this section of Bear River in the deep gorge below is called Mother Walker Falls. Roaring over broken rocks and falling into little pools, the river gradually drops a total of 98 feet." You can't see much because of the density of the trees. Moose Cave - This is a 1/4 mile loop of mostly packed surface, stairs, some boardwalks and planks, and a few steep drop-offs. There's a reindeer moss garden before Moose Cave which was formed when a great slab of granite broke away from the mountainside. Supposedly at some point an unlucky moose got trapped here. Eyebrow Trail/Table Rock - So now we get to some hiking. I did some research that suggested Table Rock (2380°, 2.4 miles; specifically going orange to blue to white [AT]) was slightly easier than Eyebrow (2600°, 2.1 miles; specifically going orange to white [AT]). Either way, you get to spend some time on the AT, and some folks are here just to step foot, snap a photo, and move on. We decided to do Eyebrow Trail and it was one of the toughest hikes I've ever been on in the best way possible; it ignited a passion in me I didn't know I had! There were areas where you had to scale the mountainside with an iron cable bolted into the ground; other areas where you had to climb vertically on a rock surface via an iron ladder. The summit's views reminded me of areas of the Highlands in Scotland; and, I don't know that I've ever smelled pine so raw and cold and crisp before. I will never forget this hike; maybe sometime I can come back and do Old Speck (4180°)! Spruce Meadow Turnout - We stopped here to have lunch. If you walk a little further then where most of the picnic tables are, there's a lone table facing an expanse of stunning mountain. It's a good place to have a good meal with a good friend. Scenic Turnout - There's not much that here, a trio of signs/placards that talk about the area. What a beautiful Maine spot this is!

I thought this spot was beautiful. Quiet. The grounds area…read morecould use some updating. But it's got water, rocks, shade trees, and a swing! Precious low key spot for some relaxing.

Nice little park. Not too busy and has a few nice trails by the water. Also picnic tables and and…read morespace to play catch or toss a football. Lots of trees for hammocking as well!

Sunnyside Park may be small, but it's a nice spot for kids to play and burn off some energy. The…read moreplayground has had some upgrades over the years, and while it's in decent shape, it's nowhere near what it looked like when I was a child. There's a bit of nostalgia lost, but at least it's still a good place for families. It's not a destination park by any means, but if you're in the area and need a place for the kids to run around, it does the job. It's clean, relatively safe, and usually not too crowded. Just wish it still had the charm I remember from years ago!

This place is so cute. I can't wait to bring my niece and nephew here. Also my fur baby. A nice…read morelittle hide away. I've lived here my entire life and never knew about this park!!!

As a family this was our first time at Vaughan woods and we will be back many times. It's a short…read morewalk/ hike through the woods and the waterfalls and bridges as well as the different kinds of trees make this a beautiful walk in any season. The trails are not marked well and to which trail your on but the path is easy to see. Come and check this out if your in the Augusta area.

If you're looking for a pleasant walk through the woods and you happen to be in the area, take a…read morecouple hours and lose yourself in Vaughan Woods where there are plenty of accessible and relatively easy (outside of some serious root systems poking through the ground) trails to walk, a large field to daydream in, plenty of old world charming stone bridges to cross and look for trolls under, and a large dam that you can watch water trickle through or even walk above and see a big still pond. Unfortunately this feels a lot less magical as the name "Hobbitland" might imply. It feels more Three Billy Goats Gruff. Am I being too particular? As a girl who grew up loving and still loves fairy tales I just want to make it clear that while this walk is great: a) there's nothing all that shire-y about it (more just familiar Maine woods-y), and b) the happily ever after happens at the beginning (what I mean by that: the stone bridges and dam are the first thing you come across, while the rest of the trails are just paths through the woods. Call me spoiled, but I've done plenty of walks and hikes that have some destination that make it worth the effort, does that make sense?). So should you do this? Yes! With Spring there's a thousand green shades, and Fall introduces a million hues of orange, red, yellows. But now that I've done it once I probably wouldn't ever come again. There's far too much else to explore in this great state and there's only so many chapters left in my story!

Beautiful state park with great views on many trails. The trails are pretty flat and not difficult,…read moreand they are very shaded, so it's a very relaxing set of hikes. Looks like a great spot for a picnic as well.

This is a great little state park close to Portland and Freeport with trails that go along the…read moreocean, through the woods and along the Harraseeket River. Nice picnic spots and places to sit and admire the view. This is a popular park in Summer, especially in nice weather, so parking could be a challenge. If you're in the area, definitely worth a visit. Don't forget to leave your money in the box at the entrance of you don't have a Maine State Park pass so we can keep state parks like this open and maintained.

Best trail ever.... The ocean views are totally amazing. This is our favorite…read more Easy hiking and so surprising when you come to the ocean.

Easy walk on the Hoyt/Main (1.2 miles total) trail marked in Blue. It takes about 35 to 45 minute…read morewalk to the coastline with gentle rises and falls over uneven terrain caused by exposed roots. A couple of rock walls to climb over. Lovely well maintained boardwalks cross 2 streams and a muddy section. The Elliot (0.8 miles) and Tibbitts (0.7 miles) Trails add additional lobes to the walk with additional viewpoints. Do mind the privacy of the house at the beginning of the trail. Limited parking across the road from the trailhead for about 15 cars maximum which is easily exceeded on holiday weekends with good weather. Beware of rogue waves on the slippery rocks--the coastline is notorious for being merciless to those who fall in.