Had a lovely walk here on a cool August morning with seven of us plus a sweet Frenchie, Chester…read more Shady trees, and nice views. Totally recommend!

This picturesque park is the perfect place for a walk. The mostly flat, 1 mile loop is not…read moreparticularly buggy and there are lookout points with benches if you need a rest or just want to sit and enjoy the view. It also creates the perfect place for reflection, perhaps to meditate or journal. Pro Tip - Grab a flyer from the Visitor Center or look up the website on your phone before you start the trail so you know what each marker on the trail means. The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge is also dog friendly. Although, there really isn't a trashcan to throw away potty bags. It's usually not too busy when I've been there, but I'm usually there in the morning. When you start the trail, there is info on Rachel Carson's environmental contributions and life along with what wildlife you might see during your walk. There is a small parking lot. I haven't had trouble finding parking before; although, I'm not sure if it's the timing of when I've been there or if it just seems to be a locals place that the tourists haven't discovered yet.

Saco Trails has done a great job with this area and we discovered another new trail on this latest…read morehike. The terrain is varied and you should be prepared with good hiking shoes or boots. You will be hiking up and down short hills and the path will be rocky with roots and covered in leaves. Also, you will be walking around a marsh and along Stackpole Creek so there are many areas that are wet and you will want to keep your feet dry. The trails are extremely well marked, however, I would recommend taking a picture of the trails at the trail head to review as you hike. While we have been here a few times, we had never followed the Blue Heron trail to the end and were surprised when it just stopped at a bench overlooking the river. Well guess what... that is what it currently does! We back tracked and ended up crossing over the bridge to join the Red Maple trail and loop around the hill (you will come to a spot where you can look across the river to the bench at the end of the Blue Heron trail). This is a great spot for birders!!! Some trails are also open to mountain biking. Dogs are supposed to be on leash, no longer than 4ft, but that does not mean you will not come across someone with an off leash dog walking these trails. There is a decent sized parking area at the trail head which is located off Rt 112. The trail does skirt along private property so be aware of where you are. They are also building a development and there is currently a construction trailer near the trail head. You can make this hike a short hike or a long one. This last hike we ended with a 4.68 mile hike. I really like this spot and recommend bug spray in the Summer and expect to find ticks for sure.

Paved paths, natural beauty, easy access, plenty of parking, port-a-potty. Boat rentals in the…read moresummer. So much to do - walk, bike, horseback ride or maybe even roller blade. Canoe, kayak, paddle board on the Presumscot on a hot summer's day. Something for everyone!

This park is a dog-walkers dream…read more There is a 2-mile loop that includes part of the mountain division trail that goes all the way around the park. There is water for your dog to jump into, and fields for him to run in. During the summer they have boat rentals. Along the walk is the Gambo Dam. There are a few bridges to cross as well. Trash is carry-in, carry-out but they do have a dog-potty bag station and a few port-a-potties. The park is very clean and well maintained. A nice swing set and picnic tables too!

This was such a cool park to explore. Gorgeous trail along the water and we saw a pair of bald…read moreeagles! The pet cemetery was really sweet and such a fun surprise towards the end.

I can practically see Mackworth Island from my livingroom window, and it's a quick drive--and also…read moreone of my favorite walks in Portland. It's no secret, of course, and as other reviewers have noted there isn't much parking. For some reason I've always been lucky that way and have always found a spot (to be sure, sometimes the only open one). What I recommend--giving away secrets here!--is to aim for just before or after prime times like first thing in the morning or lunchtime. Once you're there, this wonderful little island right smack in a city makes you feel like you're miles away. The trail is less than a mile and a half but you can easily linger in the many path detours to lookout points, several of which have benches with the most marvelous views out into the Casco Bay that you can find anywhere. I have a favorite spot to take a breather with a book and a good coffee, but I'm not letting on exactly where that is : ) I also highly recommend the side paths to the pet cemetery (not Pet Sematary!) where the original owner of the island, Governor Baxter, buried his many Irish Setters and one very special horse. Check out the tombstones; it's quite moving. Also be on the lookout for the famous fairy houses (hint: there's one main area and you'll likely find random little setups hidden throughout). I don't want to ruin the sense of discovery on Mackworth--that's part of the fun!

Greetings all! If you're interested in a reasonably short hike in Old Orchard Beach I would highly…read morerecommend the Milliken Mills Trail. The entrance to the trail is located on Portland Road just shortly after Milliken Mills Road. It is near the Eastern Trail. The trail has many different routes you can take and all are relatively short. All the trails are well-marked and full of nature.

We stumbled upon this trail one day while walking the Fore River Pathway Trail. This trail is also…read moreone of Portland Trails' network of trails and can be connected to the Fore River Parkway Trail by crossing the street. We crossed the street at the stop light by Mercy and discovered a little slice of wildlife heaven. This loop is a short walk, but what makes it interesting is that there is such a great little ecosystem. The pond is located between the employee lots and the hospital. The loop takes you around the marsh that they were not able to fill in when they built the hospital here. The path is paved and probably only 1/4- 1/2 mile total. There is some fencing around the pond/marsh. We have seen ducks, geese, woodchucks, lesser blue herons nesting, turtles, red-winged blackbirds and many other birds I can not identify. While this path is not long, it is pleasant and a nice distraction from all that is going on around you. I imagine for families or friends who have someone at the hospital, it is a nice way to get out and get air... or even a nice place for employees to take a quick walk on a break. As a side note, they have high bush blueberries planted along the backside of the loop by the train tracks and each blueberry season I have gone over and picked tons of berries!

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!

If you're feeling adventurous, start your hike in Emmons Preserve on the Learning Trail and you can…read morewalk all the way to Tyler Brook Preserve via the Baston River Trail through woods and past extremely old cemeteries. You can also drive down Tyler Brook Lane off of Route 9 (it feels a little like you're going down a private road to someone's house [you are], but keep straight and you'll see a little parking area on the right hand side for three or four cars. From there you can walk down a wide pathway that leads to the start of Tyler Loop (which is about a mile long). Go to the right, and you'll follow Tyler Loop (marked white) through the woods; go to the left, and you'll follow overlapping trails (Tyler Loop and Baston River Trail, which is marked yellow). It's from this latter half of the loop where there are offshoots that offer scenic marsh overlooks (one off a red marked trail [Tyler Brook Overlook] that goes out and comes back, one on the trail itself, and one off Blue/Brook Loop [on their trail maps it says Blue Loop; on the directional sig it says Brook Loop]). Be absolutely sure to cross the bridge and check out the pretty, but very small falls where Batson River Trail and Tyler Loop branch off from each other. It's a very, very mellow walk, dog-friendly as far as I can tell, plenty of well maintained slatted planks along the pathway, and it's extremely well marked. It's a nice walk in the woods, and if that's what you're looking for and you're in the area then definitely stretch your legs and check it out!