Beaver park is one of Maine secret gems. You'll find yourself navigating cute paths in this sweet…read morelittle woodsy park. Hike, swim, fish or take your kayaks for a peaceful ride amongst the ducks that often reside here.

This is our local town park in Lisbon, it's sort of our hidden gem! Want to hike? Lots of trails…read more Want some peace and quit? Beaver park is the place. Do you like to fish? Yes, you van and you should of course you need a fishing license. We have a gauge field, with two softball/ baseball fields. The cost is a few bucks it's worth it. I'm all about local, so if your in the Lisbon area stop by sometime.

My family has visited this park for years and have always enjoyed the experiences. During the…read moresummer my daughters loved stopping here after track meets for a swim. Recently, my wife and I have enjoyed taking the dog for a walk here during the off season. Highly recommend.

A wonderful easily accessible, family friendly park. The beach is clean, large and easy to access…read morefor kids and adults of all ages and abilities. There's a dock with a water wheelchair for those that might need it. Very inclusive. Lifeguards are attentive. You can rent kayaks, tandems, peddle boats and paddle boards to explore the pond. The facilities are large and clean. There's usually a food truck. With ample parking, ease of access, this beach is a winner. The water is warm, and CLEAN. Pack for the day, and stay until sunset. You'll LOVE it.

Pleasant Pond is 3.5 miles long and is connected via a bridge to Upper Pleasant Pond, which is 2.5…read moremiles long. Encompassing a total of 797 acres, the ponds have a maximum depth of 26 feet with a minimum depth of 10 feet. Pleasant Pond encompasses the towns of Litchfield, Richmond, Gardiner, and West Gardiner, (Kennebec County), Maine. There is a public boat launch on Thorofare Road, in Litchfield. Pleasant Pond is known as one of the best bass fishing locations in Central Maine. It is a 4 season body of water to enjoy activities including; ice fishing, snowmobiling, ice skating, swimming, boating, fishing, kayaking, paddle boarding, jet skis, and so much more. Pleasant Pond is also teeming with wildlife, including loons, osprey, falcons, bald eagles, largemouth bass, pickerel, perch, and brown trout. A beautiful, expansive body of water not to be missed if you are in Central Maine!

Maine Trip #1…read more "Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed ... We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in." ― Wallace Stegner, The Sound of Mountain Water Androscoggin Riverlands State Park (ARSP) first came to my attention while in Maine visiting my family. I had never heard of it before, and when I did some research, I found out why. ARSP opened six years ago, but hardly anyone was using this amazing park. A year ago, they put up more trail signs in order to encourage people to visit, in the hopes that they won't be so nervous about getting lost in the 2,700 acres, 12 miles of river frontage, and 22 miles of trails. History: The Androscoggin River is the 3rd largest river in Maine, and it begins in the mountains of New Hampshire. The Native Americans camped and fished for at least 9,000 years, and they gave the river its name--meaning "plenty of fish." Thanks to riverfront industries, the Androscoggin River became one of the ten most polluted rivers in the country back in the 1960s, but thankfully, the Clean Water Act in 1972 helped water quality improved tremendously. Amenities: * Toilet (outhouse--these things are probably way better than portable toilets. Open-air and wood building makes for no odor. * Large, dirt parking lot * No fee * ATV riding * Canoeing * Cross-country skiing * Fishing * Hiking (trails) * Horseback riding * Hunting (except Sundays) * Kayaking (two water landings) * Off-road biking * Picnicking * Snowmobiling * Snowshoeing * Watchable wildlife * Carry In-Carry Out * Pets welcome (on a leash at all times) * 8 old foundations show the community that existed here before 1927 I had a wonderful time hiking the Homestead Trail. It has several different terrain and lots to see. Unfortunately, I didn't know exactly how far the trail would go, so I turned around. (I now have a trail map and will post it.) At one point, I did lose cell signal so be prepared for that. Make sure you bring bug spray! I didn't see a single soul while I was on my hike, which is wonderful for me. I love the solitude and the "wilderness" at ARSP. I think you will too.

This is a great little trail to take your kiddos on. There's a playground, a story walk (that…read morechanges monthly), beautiful water views and an easy to follow trail around the pond. If you take a little detour off the story walk, you'll even find a cool teepee shaped bunch of sticks leaning against a tree. Children love to explore this area. It's not so far off the path that you'd ever get lost. In between the first few pages of the story walk, when you have an opportunity to go straight, do so. I promise it's only a few feet down the path. Can't miss it!

I wasn't expecting so much from this little park right off Route 302 (it's located on a dirt road…read morejust after the Westbrook Pool & Spa; there's a large granite sign at the mouth of the road, and you've probably passed it a million times - I know I have - but once you see it, you'll know exactly where this gem is forever)! Donnabeth Lippman Park - formerly known as Chaffin Pond Preserve - is 123 acre mostly wooded area that surrounds a 10 acre pond that's apparently great for fishing. I came here for a walk in the woods and was delighted to find that there was more than meets the eye: there's a family-friendly (you could easily take a stroller here - it's packed earth and not very root-y), totally accessible to all abilities, story book trail with a giant "Once Upon A Time" sign inviting you into the woods (how magical and fantastical is that?). Once you're finished, you can walk back to the parking lot from here via the yellow trail or you can take that same trail and follow it up alongside the pond, through the woods, then back down around the opposite side of the water (side note: I love loop trails - who wants to double back and see the same things?). A red trail deviates off to Mud Pond, and a green trail just adds an extended path through the forest before reconnecting to yellow. All of it is perfectly marked! It's a wonderful walking trail and if I lived nearby I could see this also being a solid spot for a good run! Admittedly, after heavy rain or during spring you should expect it to be quite muddy. No hunting allowed here, so it's a good spot for year round enjoyment (for those of you who are looking for a new snowshoeing spot!); there's an abundance of picnic tables overlooking the pond, a swing set, a big playground area, and plenty of green space to stretch out on. Again - what an unexpectedly great spot hidden in plain sight!

What an unexpectedly wonderful little walk!…read more The Intervale Preserve is a little more than a half mile loop in New Gloucester near the Royal River. It's almost entirely flat, easily accessible, and easy to navigate as well (it's really well marked trail). When you arrive, you'll walk along a couple parallel plank bridges before seeing a small sign attached to a tree pointing at both directions of the loop; doesn't matter which direction you go, you'll end up back where you started (the best kind of trails in my opinion!). It's mostly forested, but there are two viewing areas out into the marsh which are great for bird watchers. It's important to note that you're not actually near the river, so don't expect to see any water. Regardless, it's a gentle, beautiful, quick walk: like a fast acting dose of Maine right into your soul (be sure to breathe in deep, the smells of these New England woods are unlike anything you can get elsewhere). Also: this is an EXCELLENT trail for mushroomers. In late September/early October I found an abundance of birch bracket fungi... I think I also spotted reishi, but I'm not entirely sure!

There are multiple improvements this year. The park is newly paved from the main road to the beach…read morearea. There are new entry booths far from the main road effectively ending the back up in the main road. I highly recommend the state park pass.

We've camped all over the state of Maine, but keep coming back to this campground right in our…read morebackyard. It's priced at a premium over other Maine state parks, $10 more per night, but worth every penny. And I much prefer it to the campsites that cost three times as much that have cable hook ups and far too many conveniences. Nice balance between modern conveniences and good old fashioned family fun.

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.

We have rented kayaks from Sebago Trails for quite a few years. They deliver to our cottage and…read morealways bring great kayaks and deliver and pick up on time. Wonderful people who always go the extra mile! Highly recommend!

Having done this twice now, I won't come back a third time. The novelty wore off upon our second…read moreouting, but I still think it's absolutely worth doing at least once! Some things still hold true a year later: 1. Scheduling, paying for, and signing the waiver for your adventure online is unbelievably easy. You can rent kayaks, paddleboards, or canoes for 2, 3, or 4 hours at a time (embarking between 9a and 3p. You can add a lesson before your rental, a cell phone dry bag, a dog life jacket, and a large dry bag all for an additional nominal fee. You can launch from Sebago Trails (side note: they have a really neat - and super secure - docking system/apparatus for you to get in and out of your vessel safely) or pick-up and take-away (something we haven't done, but - contrary to what I said above - *is* something we'd come back here for if that was an option for us)! 2. There's plenty of parking! Unfortunately: a) One of our kayaks was broken (which they told us about, but still put one of us in), and in the end we had to turn around after a little bit of paddling to swap it out. The kayaks aren't all the same brand or style, either, so where I was in something super sleek (that moved quickly through the water), my partner was in something much bulkier (that took a lot more work to paddle). b) The staff was so friendly and welcoming the first time! The second time, not so much. So, for us anyway, it's a bit hit or miss there. The SPTC map: a) The first time we came we kayaked Panther Run (a really mellow, lazy river inlet), portaged across the Mill Street Dam, kayaked all the way up Panther Pond, and ended at Hawthorne Beach where we swam and enjoyed snacks. It was a workout, but we saw so much wildlife and hardly saw other people. Such a peaceful, lowkey, lovely way to spend a day! b) The second time we came there had been no rain most of the summer. And that changed the Panther Run experience entirely (as there was barely any water): we got stuck on the sand so often, that we decided to turn around and head out into Sebago Lake instead (another route that STPC offers if you're not renting and taking away). We kayaked up to Hot Tub Island (which is this man made ring of stones) for lunch but it - and the knee deep water around it - was absolutely covered in and full of bird poop. So we kayaked over to Raymond Beach which was the other spot STPC suggested, but it was so crowded we had nowhere to pull up. In the end it was a nice day bobbing in the water - we saw lots of fish, baby ducks, turtles, and an enormous barn owl! - but not for $90.