Peaceful series of trails with a couple of small waterfalls. Mostly flat and very well-maintained…read more You can do a couple of short walks to see both falls in about a 1.5 miles, or do larger loops and get in 4-6 miles. Didn't see any other people on the trails in pleasant April weather during school vacation week!

Beautiful walk to heaven. Please watch out for high tides. It's a 2 mile walk on the blue path and…read morea 7 mile on the yellow path.

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.

Mount Apatite is unlike many other networks of trails as it offers some really interesting…read moreabandoned quarries. These mining areas used to be rich in apatite and tourmaline, but mostly are abundant in quartz and mica now. You will for sure see families chipping away at boulders and panning in the water for gems and even gold. There was an area where you could crawl into the ground/under the enormous boulders and see a car-sized quartz amidst tree roots. Very, very cool. As was the beach-like/snow-like slag piles and the opportunity to get pretty high on the quarry ledges. I do a lot of hiking/nature walks/trail exploration and my biggest frustration with Mount Apatite is the underwhelming amount of signage. For example, there's no kiosk with a trail map; this wouldn't necessarily be a problem if the trails were properly marked, but they're not and there's only two: blue and red. The blue trail is 99% marked; the red trail is 99% not marked. Despite being seasoned, we still somehow ended up in people's backyards more than once. Just some "Private Property" signs on those dead end trails, or even some wooden signs pointing to the quarries or height of land would be appreciated. Also - the abundance of trash was pretty off-putting. CARRY IN, CARRY OUT. The amount of plastic bottles, Dunkin cups, and food wrappers was astounding. All in all, I probably wouldn't explore this particular spot again, but definitely love that such an expansive, unique spot exists in Auburn.

Need an adventure that not only takes you past military vehicles, hikes you up a small mountain,…read morebut also gives you a mining experience?? This is the place! With a short walk straight up the main trail you will find numerous dig spots that hold numerous types of rocks including Apatite, Tourmaline, and Quartz. Some of the quarries have filled with water and are speckled with frogs and other creatures. This became a fascination to my friend's son who I had with me as the frogs were in their froglet stage. He spent time counting and recounting how many he could see (we got up to 40), skipping rocks, and walking around the edge to explore. We hit up several dig spots, each one of them was cooler than the previous according to my buddy. There was many "Whoa, Miss Mary, check this one out". We brought garden tools to chip away and dig up our treasures. Our last spot we hit also had a nice view of the Auburn area. On the way down we explored one of the many side trails that many mountain bikers use. I guess I see a reason to coming back soon!

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.

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

Maine beauty at it's finest! Really wish we had gotten here about a month sooner, temp would have…read morebeen a little warmer (it was in the 30's thankfully) and we would have had a ton more color than what was left on the trees. But, none the less, this is still an amazing place to visit. Easy hike up the side of the mountain (it really never is overly steep)... I'd say the difficulty rating would be moderate (at best). Nice views of the stream as you hike your way up. You can even get off the path easily to take shots up stream of the Step Falls. As you hike closer and closer you can hear the rush of water passing through the space that was eroded down on the steps. Amazing views looking up and amazing views looking down into the valley area once you reach the top. I would say you can go at your own pace, but it is entirely possible to do this in 90 to 120 min round trip. Maybe 3/4 of a mile all the way in to the top with a pretty groomed trail all the way through. Good place for kids and several people even brought their pups along for some fun. Check this one out!

Great hiking area in Oxford County, ME. Visited this hiking spot during a recent camping trip at…read morePapoose Pond in Waterford, ME. Only a 15-20 minute drive from the campgrounds. Super quiet hiking spot early in the morning during the week but weekends may differ. About a 25 minute hike up, 20 down. Definitely recommend!!

This is one of my favorite places in Maine. I happened upon here randomly and was so delighted to…read morehave found my way to these islands. I think the word is "quaint", which best describes this whole area. It's not as popular as other places on the coast and even though it's not a secret, I haven't ever seen it get "busy". There's so much about the area that's beautiful but this is the place I take everyone who comes to visit me. It's the same kind of geological formations as you see in the two light area of Cape Elizabeth, but way less people and the rocks are all on their side instead of laying flat. The Giant Stairs are beautiful regardless of the weather, but coming here on a nice day when the sea sparkles is really nothing short of magical. I love the way it's "set up" because you keep the mystery hidden behind the cottages/houses and you park where the designated spots are, you walk backwards towards the main road, turn down to the entrance of the trail, and the whole thing is this dramatic appearance of a beautiful Maine coastline. It's not a crazy hike so you don't need to worry about people's skill, and everyone loves the view. I love the little shop right there as well. It's got all these cute kitschy Maine things and it's not overpriced for a "touristy" place. I hope this review doesn't end up ruining a perfectly wonderful thing, so try not to put this on your "top 10 things to do in Maine" listicles. But do go, the drive alone is worth it.

Very underrated from the information we found online but we were in the area so decided to go. I'm…read moreso glad we did !! Beautiful walkway along the ocean, cliff top area. It's not a very long walk but we had kids with us and very easy for little legs.

From my original review: "'You know what I love about this place? It's low risk, high reward.'" We…read moreoverheard an older woman tell her husband this as they approached the summit. And as we stretched out on the rocks enjoying our picnic in the the warm sun, taking in the view of what seemed to be endless forests, bodies of water, and islands, we couldn't have agreed more." A decade later this is still true. If you're looking for an easygoing, very accessible way to go hiking and get some fresh air while wandering Maine's woods, take in the changing leaves of autumn or the abundance of blossoms and wildflowers in the spring, Bradbury - located just thirty minutes from Portland - is hard to beat. According to their website, Bradbury Mountain State Park was one of the original five state parks in the state of Maine, acquired by the Federal government in 1939. The mountain is open year round from 9am until sunset and offers a variety of hiking trails that range from very, very easy ("wide gradual ascents", "well packed and fairly flat") to slightly more challenging ("steepest ascent, but not difficult to hike", "areas with sharp turns"), from .2 miles to 1.5 miles (or more if you want to build your own adventure here - which is very easy to do because this state park's trails are now abundantly well marked; expect lots of maps throughout to let you know where you are AND lots of wooden signs pointing you in the right direction). You could easily do it all in one half day or break up your walk and come back another time, especially considering it's an easy, convenient mountain with an elevation of just 485 feet. Dogs are allowed on leashes, horses are allowed on certain trails. There are bathrooms. You can check out an old cattle pound. Explore for geocaches. It's a cute little mountain, and I'm so happy it's right in (proverbial) our backyard.

I remember going here as a kid and I took my youngest son almost a decade ago. We wanted to do the…read moresummit trail and climb Bradbury Mountain. Definitely not a big challenge but it was fun. I grew up in Lewiston so this park is close by. I will have to take John next time we're in Maine. Lots of other trails to explore.

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.

Wonderful hiking trail to the top of a mountain in Rome. Good amount of parking with a large sign…read morewith plenty of info on the trail, mountain, and area. The trails are well marked in most spots (went off in one spot but quickly realized our mistake). While the view isn't panoramic it is quite a nice view of Belgrade lakes. The mountain will gain you about 350 feet in elevation and will take you about 45 minutes to do the loop. There were some spots on the trail where you needed to maneuver through uneven rocks and spots where the climb got a bit tough, but nothing too hard. I brought a 9 year old and he had a blast. I could see much younger kids pulling this off with no issues.

Great spot for hiking especially with your furry best friend. Not really any spots for viewing but…read morestill a good hike.