The Rye Harbor State Park offers some great views of the Atlantic Ocean, the Isles of Shoals, and…read morethe Rye Harbor. This is a great place to do some saltwater fishing, have a picnic, or just to enjoy the scenic views. Others may utilize this spot for private events and for weddings. There is a fee to access the park, and when it is unstaffed for a portion of the year, there is a self-paying kiosk. Plenty of parking off the main road as well!

This little park has a beautiful view of the ocean. Please be aware that between the hours of 7am…read moreand 9pm, no dogs are allowed after April until late fall.

Cold clear and…read morequiet Wonderbrook Park is a eighty acre tract of land that is a combination of two donations. One by the Wellman family in 1994 and the Murphy family in 1997. The park is now part of the Kennebunk Land Trust. The park has one main trail that sort of wanders around through the woods. I've actually only been here in the winter but of course it is open all year long. I imagine it gets really buggy in the spring and has a whole different feel and look during the warmer months. Unfortunately the small parking lot isn't plowed in the snowy season and parking can be iffy. Dogs are allowed as long as they are well behaved and the owners clean up and mountain bikes are also permitted to use the trails although it can get very muddy and narrow in here so the biking can be technical. Lots of lovely old trees and ferns, in the winter the entire place is dead quiet, peaceful and eerie. I've never seen another person here but I suspect that in the warmer months it gets lots of use. It does get icy and difficult in the winter but in heavy snow it would be a nice place to snow shoe or cross country ski as long as the skier is really good at turning and stopping. Wonderbrook is a cool and peaceful little park that offers a lot of different things to do throughout the year. A nice park to find some quiet and solitude.

Wonderbrook Park is tucked in the back of a neighborhood but has the ability to park about 10 cars,…read moreno more than that. It does not have bathroom facilities. There are two walking/hiking paths that are decent in length but unfortunately I cannot tell you how long because it was not marked anywhere. Our guess is about 2.5 miles? The walking paths are defined but you need to watch out because there are a lot of roots, rocks and branches. Overall the hike was great exercise through the woods but there weren't any notable views worth stopping and taking a long look at. It was also surprising that we did not see all that much wildlife. We very rarely saw a squirrel or a chipmunk which was sort of unusual. I'm glad we went and we would visit again but if you are going for more than just exercise (views, animal life, easy walk) this one may not be for you. Oh and be sure to bring your bug spray. You really don't need sun block because it is in the woods.

If you want a quieter beach than the madness of Ogunquit, then come to Drake's Island beach,…read morequieter, more locals and very laid back, I spent a whole day here by myself. Kennebunkport, Wells, Ogunquit and York are all side-by-side seaside communities along the Maine coast and they all have their own beaches as well. It really depends on what you're looking for but if you want a locals-only beach then this would be it. Also if you plan on swimming and not just dipping in quickly, try to find a spot on the estuary side as opposed to the ocean side, the water is easily 20 degrees warmer on the estuary side. Parking here is at about $5 /30 minutes and paid by machine and credit card only.

This may be one of my favorite areas in Wells next to the Estuarine. But def my fav beach. Plenty…read moreof space and tho popular not over crowded. There is town parking 1/3 mi from the beach at $5/hr or just ride your bike. We actually had a whale pod sighting today!

It's seems like Mainers crave "secret beaches" more than ever before. With so many tourists in the…read moresummer time, the usual haunts can be overcrowded and offer limited parking and costly fees (because tourists are actually willing to wait in lines and fork over cash for an authentic coastal exeprience). Because going to the beach is sacred for me (I'm a mermaid, afterall) I am one of those locals looking for a spot where I can sun in splash in peace. I had heard of Laudholm Beach in passing, and decided one hot Friday to seek it out. Just a fortyish minute drive from Portland brought me to the Wells Reserve where you can access this beach after walking the Barrier Beach Trail (stay on it until it brings you out of the woods and over a wooden staircase). It's a dream come true: impressive and expansive views of sparkling Atlantic Ocean, piping plovers, waves, (comparatively) warm water, lobster boats, and limited people (and most of that small number are just here to walk the length of the beach before returning whence they came). There are quite a few rocks to navigate past at first, but that's what keeps most people at bay. You can pull up a patch of sand and spend hours uninterrupted here, or you can explore a bit and find mud flats and salt marshes that help protect various beach life (birds, fish, plants). Just be warned... at high tide there is little to no beach . Not an exaggeration. My walk back to the trail was partially in water (and back over those aforementioned rocks making it a bit dangerous...what's life without adventure though?!). Happy to know this place exists for when my other "secret" spots are overtaken by the loud, rude, non-mermaid believers.

We visited the Wells Reserve at Laudholm and decided to hike to this beach which lacks the crowds…read moregenerally found at Maine beaches. Unless your are private landowner near the beach, this is the only way to access the beach.

This place is delightful...a hidden gem. Found it as a recommendation of a friend...we had a…read morewonderful time enjoying the sun and breeze.

My Daughter and I attended the pow wow july 19th. As we entered the park we looked at the vendors…read more which there was not many. We looked around it took us a whole 20mins. Very disappointed we continued to and looked for the food vendors. Thinking there will be native American food, like bison burgers like advertised. We ordered a burger at 9 dollars which truly didn't match no bison burger. I ate but my daughter was not due to what I endured.it was disappointing . Being Native myself it was sad for what happened. The dancers was great but that was all . We were there 2hrs tops including driving time. All set with this hopefully next year it will be better.

A must-do if you enjoy walking outdoors and you're in the area. Beautiful scenery and nice trails,…read moreeasy to do with dogs or children. Pro tip - there's a tree stump on the trail where it's good luck to leave a little token - a rock, a shell, a penny, or any other small trinket you happen to have!

You have to cross the Wiggle Bridge to get to Stedman Woods…read more It's a short walk in the woods which is surrounded by water

Part of the adventure of the Raymond & Simone Savage Wildlife Preserve is simply finding where it…read moreis. Every website I looked it up on mentioned that it was on the Eliot/South Berwick town line - but the official address will NOT help you on Google. Go farther down Dover Rd than you think: you'll see a small wooden fence and an old wooden barely noticeable sign just behind. THIS is where you're going. The trail itself is alright - now that I've done it once I'm not sure I would necessarily come back and do it again. It's a big loop that starts and ends through woodlands, meanders through some open space, and brings you down alongside parts of the Salmon Falls River and Shoreys Brook (quite murky when we came), but because of the lack of trail markers and the paths people have (seemingly intentionally) made from trample-grooming across the fields, it can become confusing as to where you should be going. It's not particularly difficult to navigate, though the trail bit through the forested areas were narrow and root-covered so be careful where you walk. Also, apparently this particular spot is great for bird watching (I've seen others mention sightings of bald eagles! how cool!), and it's amazing the work that the Great Works Regional Land Trust has made to preserve this 26+ acre property given to the community by Simone Savage; it really is in meticulous condition. Please note there are no dogs allowed.

After a long day of hiking various trails in the area, we decided to squeeze in one more right…read morebefore dusk and we're so glad we did because it ended up being our favorite. Just the drive to find the entrance to Bauneg Beg (which we did from Fox Farm Hill Rd) was stunning - sweeping views of wide open fields and meadows. Lovely. If you're coming to the mountain this way, there's a inconspicuous brown wooden plank sign before the small off-street gravel parking lot (we blew past it initially, and probably would again if we came bag so just go slow!). This conservation area is comprised of close to 90 acres of logging trails (a two mile network) through thick woodlands and rock formations, one such called Devil's Den made up of impressive and daunting looking boulders - hiking up the relatively steep rocky "path" constructed through here, though, brings you directly to the top of Middle Peak. Apparently Banueg Beg has three distinct peaks which can actually be seen from the ocean (and in the past they were used to help navigation to ME's coast, kinda cool right?). Unfortunately, the views from the top (apparently you can see Mt Washington and the Atlantic on a clear day) where we specifically were didn't quite offer what we were expecting as much of it is obstructed by the overgrowth of trees and vegetation. A bit of a bummer, but still worth the work-out! Instead of backtracking, we went down the mountain via the more accessible, gentle, all-levels trail through a pine grove (Ginny's Way). Bauneg Beg was just such an unexpected, beautiful network of trails through such a thick, tall deciduous forest that we were impressed. The signage on the paths themselves could be improved (some trees have multiple boards with arrows pointing in literally every direction making it VERY confusing; guess that's part of the adventure, though!), but this particular spot just had that untouched-by-man, trekking-through-the-raw-beauty-of-Maine-without-a-single-person-knowing-where-I-am-and-can't-bother-me-via-text feeling really reconnects a gal to nature and makes her want to create or write something beautiful, y'know?

Good reward at the top for a short hike. You can see pretty far with the views but nothing…read moreextraordinary, since the mountain is not very tall. The trail is very well marked, with trail markers every twenty feet or so. The walk is mostly wooded, so just take some time and enjoy the rustling of the trees. This would be a good trail to bring your dog on. Parking lot probably fits 10 to 15 cars. There were no bathrooms on site.