During our visit in early May there were few people here making for a quiet visit. There are…read moreseveral picnic tables and a few benches scattered around the property with beautiful views of the water. This fort was active through many wars and then decommissioned while building a protective wall around the property. Huge slabs of quarried stone, partually carved blocks and lots of stone 'chips' are scattered about. There are a few information signs detailing the history of Fort McClary and some buildings have signs that state the building purpose. Foundations of some buildings is all that remains. They have a few cannons on display. Check out their website for information on events and when the fort is manned. There is a seperate picnic grove up the road about 50 yards across the street. A dirt parking lot holds around a dozen vehicles or so and there is an 'RV turn around' area, but no parking for RV's or busses here. One outhouse is located past the end of the parking lot. There is a wooded trail at the back corner.

A nice outing. The structures are still in good shape, lots of history here…read more Especially loved the map that shows where things are in front of you. Views of Constitution Light (NH) and Whaleback Light, which is actually just a short 10 minute drive away and we went to visit that after! Sign said they officially open Memorial day but the picnic area across the street was open.

Absolutely stunning views as you walk along the trail. So many great spots to take pictures and…read morejust enjoy the the sights. Trail can be quite busy, make sure to move to the side for faster travelers. Pathway is pretty easy, just a few ups and downs... very doable. We loved this spot so much, we came back again before we headed home.

The walk is a must to view the gorgeous coast of York. Definitely wear good walking shoes and pay…read moreattention to the trail. This not a paved sidewalk. There are any areas of uneven rocks and no railing, but it is a must . There are plenty of areas to stop and enjoy the spectacular views. The walk is just over one half mile and ends, or begins at the public beach. There are many signs warning of poison ivy, so it is best not to touch any of the plants.

Awesome little hidden gem of a wildlife refuge!! There are two hiking trails here - I did the…read morelonger of the two - the William Furber Ferry Way Trail. It has a very unique starting point - next to an abandoned weapons storage facility for an old military base!! But once you get past this, you find yourself wandering through lovely, peaceful New Hampshire woodland with a huge meadow along the way to the Great Bay viewing area! The trail is very well maintained but can definitely get muddy. We had storms the night before my hike and there were some very muddy spots that got a tad slippery - even with my excellent hiking shoes - but there were enough fallen leaves on the ground to provide plenty of pathways to avoid the super muddy and wet areas. And while this trail is wide and well maintained, it's not paved and I wouldn't consider it handicap accessible- although it might be doable if you have some pretty serious trail tires on a wheelchair! Because the trail is mostly flat and not rocky at all. One thing I really enjoyed on this trail were all the adorable American Red Squirrels, the Black Capped Chickadees, and all the fall colors - even in November! The forest was also just full of these absolutely beautiful, ghostly white and pink trees too that were very dramatic! I have no idea what they are, but they are just gorgeous!! I actually came here in search of Wild Turkeys but had no luck this day. It's a very peaceful trail - it was a weekday and I pretty much had it to myself - I only saw two other hikers pass by. The trail maps say it's 2 miles but I ended up with 2.5 miles on my AllTrails tracker for this trail. There's very minimal elevation gain. The halfway point on this loop takes you to a viewing platform of Great Bay with those binoculars on a stand that let you see across the water! There's benches there to rest, as well as benches spaced out along the trail too - just lovely! Another thing that makes this trail fun is that is has "numbered stops" along the way - and the FWS has an info pdf you can view on their website that gives you history and cool info about each stop. The guide to these numbered stops can be found here: https://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Furber_Trail_Guide_FINAL_Aug2014(1).pdf The smaller trail is called the Peverly Pond Trail and is about 1/2 mile long with the trailhead right off the parking lot- but I didn't do this one so can't speak to it. There's plenty of parking in a paved lot and there are decent bathrooms at the parking lot as well - very clean and well stocked! No pets are allowed on these trails - but they do provide an extensive list of pet friendly trails nearby at the information kiosk in the parking lot.

I enjoyed my walk around the lake. There are 2 hiking trails. One is very short but well maintained…read moreand picturesque. The other one is about 2 miles. We saw wild turkey and muskrat. It was mostly in the shade.

The reason we decided to visit this trail/area, is because one of the news channels always shows…read morethe view from the camera at this location. We were always impressed with the view and put this on our list of interesting places. We finally made it this year! The views were beautiful! One of the things we loved about this place, is the fact there are plaques or narrative cards that show what you are looking at with a little history behind it. There are places for you to sit next to the ranger station. A few hikers were enjoying a snack break while we were there. They were commenting on how dusty and dry it was. (the drought of 2025 - for future readers reference) There's not a lot of shade, so prepare accordingly. There was plenty of parking and plenty of trails and views to enjoy! We loved it!

Beautiful! Good bathroom facilities (composting toilets and sanitizer, but clean). Maps…read moreavailable. Ample parking, must pay to park. Well-marked trails. Can hike or drive to summit. Educational center at the top (limited hours). Nice lookout points. Easy to low-moderate hike on the trails we took, in my opinion. Not a terrible distance to the summit, mostly shaded hike. Will go back for sure.

This was amazing. I'm so glad we decided to go down the coast and take this walk. We decided to go…read moreat sunrise. Although there was overcast, it was still a beautiful walk. I imagined the people who walked this jetty every single day and I was jealous. We didn't tour the lighthouse but we've seen plenty of lighthouses. We've never seen one out a mile though. Don't miss this gem! Be sure to use the bathroom before coming here as we did not see any portapods. Also, wear shoes with hood support. We saw a few wearing flip flops; so t know how they did it. I wouldn't take the risk of tripping.

The ending to a perfect day in Maine? Watching the sunset from a jetty of course!…read more After spending the day exploring coastal areas in southern Maine, we decided to walk the jetty near Wells Harbor/York Beach. We didn't know what to expect when we discovered this spot - so when you come know that there are two jetty's. One you can access from the elongated, sandy parking area on Foster Ln (which was free to use and deserted when we came in early November); and, one you can access from a bigger, concrete parking area at the end of Atlantic Ave (beyond Sage Fishing Charters - it's pay to park here, but I don't know if that's just during the height of the summer season). These jetty's are long (I read somewhere that they're over a mile) stone breakwaters that stretch out relatively far from land into the Atlantic. It's beautiful to walk down and back as you get stunning views of Wells Harbor, the beach on either side, and great for bird watching too (we were captivated by some sanderlings!). It's important to be mindful when walking on jetty's though - these big boulders have crevices between them, so "mind the gap"; if the ocean is rough, you might also get soaked from waves crashing against them! Absolutely worth seeing, especially in the shoulder season when it's got that much more serene, humble feeling to it!

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? Sort of. Loop trail? Sort of. Well marked signs? Yes. Element of surprise? No. I wasn't actually looking for Cutts Island Trail. I sort of stumbled upon it looking for another trail, but there was a spot open near other cars on the roadside, so I decided to check it out. It's mostly a very, very long walk through the woods (almost 2 miles I think?) alongside the Chauncey Creek (which you can see somewhat depending on the season). The trail isn't well groomed, so I'd be on SUPER HIGH ALERT for ticks if I were you coming here anytime late April through early September. At the end of the loop part of the trail branches way out to an area to see almost a 180 degree view of the salt marsh but... mostly I saw planes flying overhead and the sound of cars nearby so there were no interesting birds or creatures to see here other than mankind. This is not a destination hike; even as someone who lives sort of nearby, I'd see no reason to ever come here again. It's a part of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, so if I were you I'd skip this spot entirely and just head directly there instead (321 Port Road, Wells; #yourewelcome).

Gorgeous in winter! Some nice thin trails out of the wind. Wear your micro spikes because it would…read morebe super hard and a mistake could end your life into the river. My dog and i loveeeee this trail in the winter!

Feels like your at Sabbaday Falls. Beautifully tucked away where you would least expect it to be.read more

Free parking and a nice short trail to a cascade. It was dry when we went so the cascade was a…read moreletdown tbh but still a fun time

I have noticed this trailhead many times on our trips to Old Orchard, but never had time to stop in…read moreand check it out. Today, we did! I'm so glad! The trail is beautiful, and easy for anyone (except a wheelchair, sorry) I have a bad knee with limited mobility, and this was doable for me! I'm so glad we made it out there today. The waterfall was at full force, and was so gorgeous. The little landing area at the bottom was full of downed trees, but the kids were having so much fun climbing and navigating. There were people flitting about in every which way, miniaturized by the big waterfall. The bridge was washed out, looking to be repaired, so I think one access from the loop was cut off. But people were navigating over the downed trees and on rocks. Nobody seemed to care. It was a blast! HIGHLY recommend this trail.

This is one of my favorite places in Gloucester. I've been coming here since I was a kid; back…read morethen, we only walked the main trail and didn't do very much hiking. When I rediscovered it, I was surprised how many little trails there are! If you're directionally challenged, like me, you'll probably want to pick up a map before you start walking. The parking lot is pretty small and fills up quickly. Even when it's full, though, I rarely run into other people walking the trails. I love coming here to just pretend I'm in the middle of nowhere, away from all traces of human life... this is the one place I'm happy to be alone, with no music, no kind of stimulation besides the woods. Is there anything better than listening to leaves/branches crunch under your feet, the wind through the trees, the faint sounds of squirrels running on the ground? I think not. Best of all, the trails are easy enough for most people. There are many short trails that connect to longer ones, so if you find it too easy, you can just keep going. I tend to walk longer than I should and end up sore the next day-- but it's always worth it.

What a great park for the north shore!!!…read more We struggle to find places our dog is allowed off leash- so this place is a saving grace!!!! Love that you can spend just an hour or a whole day, since there are so many trails. Not a ton of hills or anything, but the occasionally slight ascent / descent. Followed the yellow and blue trails last time (can't remember the names) and there were a few very unavoidable muddy patches, so make sure you have some footwear you don't mind getting dirty. If you plug it into google maps you may get routed to some awkward non-entrance (we had this problem). Make sure you check Yelp or the Maps app (on iPhone) for the actual entrance. As others mentioned, small parking lot with plenty of street parking. Can't wait to go back!