This review is for the trail that creates a loop with the Royal River Park…read more Access is along Melissa Drive and there is no street parking. The other end of the trail is in the business park off Forest Drive where Pet Scripts, Forest Falls Cafe and many other businesses are. This is business park is also parking during the Yarmouth Clam Festival each year. We came across this lovely little section of trail while walking around Royal River Park and wanted to make a loop instead of turning back and the way we had come. There are lovely views of the falls and you can look across the water to the Park. The houses along this section are amazing and they certainly struck it rich with the view! The path is short and is dirt but mostly even. There is a section of wall built to give the homeowners some privacy. Please stay on the trail and dogs are to be leashed and picked up after. Be aware that this land is almost all privately owned and there is a just a path that is a public way. You must carry in and carry out.

Amazing experience... Carl, Margaret, and family have a real love for what they do! The goats are…read morefabulous animals, each with their own names and characteristics ! All ages will love this adventure!

Called to see if they had any fresh cheese while we would be diving by - lucky they did. Karl &…read moreMargaret invited us in to feed the baby goats and bought a tub of fresh chèvre that was delicious with some cracker and local honey. Just a great experience!

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.

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.

My first time exploring the Spear Farm Estuary Preserve was immediately after The Great Maine Wind…read moreStorm - and the damage it caused to the trails and trees was both devastating and breathtaking at the same time. To be walking alone through such a scene of natural wreckage on a beautiful sunny day in the fall felt haunting and peaceful - was this scene from some apocalypse film? Admittedly, I probably shouldn't have been walking through here when so much of the walking path was obstructed by downed enormous trees, but it was like an adventure crawling under and climbing over them! Despite the unique circumstances of my first visit, this is a spot that I would absolutely come back to again and again (I bet it's amazingly serene in December before the first snowfall!). There's off street parking, and the preserve itself is a 55+ acre area with a big freshwater pond and benches overlooking it, woodlands and a high-canopy forest, and open salt marshes as it abuts the Royal River. With over a mile and a half of accessible, extremely well manicured, well marked trails that loop and plenty of places to sit and enjoy a picnic, it's one of those hiking spots that I'm genuinely glad to know about (it was fun meandering around here without fear of getting lost since all the trails connect and the ocean acts as a natural border. You know you've found a good trail when you feel sad after you've "reached the end" of your first walkthrough of it! Before you go: hunting is allowed - though it has to be 300+ feet away from the trails - so be sure to rock your orange in October and November; beware of ticks; and, don't stomp around off trails too much (that way we can actually preserve this amazing, diverse habitat).

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!

Nice walking trail in Windham to bring the dog and get some fresh air. There's a good sized parking…read morelot and a solid trail system to explore. The trail was somewhat overgrown in fall and had a lot of leaf cover but walking around roots and rocks was not bad.

On a midweek, midday exploration of Maine's trails in the summer I came across Black Brook…read morePreserve. I'm *SO* glad I did. I didn't know what to expect, and ended up having a really pleasant - albeit quick - walkabout in the woods (and sat for a while on a bench overlooking a little stream to just listen to the plethora of birdsong)! I began on Diamond Trail (which is where you start from the parking lot), then went to Pine Grove Trail (a whole 410 feet long), to Hawkes Trail (2740 feet long), and once again to Diamond Trail which brought me back to my car (it says it's 1.9 miles long, but because I skipped the part where Beaver Trail is, I think maybe I only did a mile of it). I found Black Brook Preserve to be excellently groomed and marked; nearly every single fork in the road had a giant wooden information sign letting you know which way was what and how long it was. Again, it's easily walkable and very quickly too because most of the trails are measured in just feet! Also, lots of great plaques with tree types. Finally, it seems as if some new construction has taken place at the beginning of the trail with an "observation deck" into a pond-like area (couldn't see much because of the thick flora, but I bet it's much different in the fall/winter). Cute prints of human feet AND different kinds of animal tracks you might see in this area.

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 so many amazing trails throughout all of Maine; and each one is probably someone's…read morefavorite. If this is your go-to spot, I'm sorry for what I'm about to say. But, for me, Chandler Brook Preserve - part of the Royal River Conservation Trust - left a lot to be desired compared to similar preserves and natural spaces (we are fortunate to live in such an incredible state that has so, so many!). I was unimpressed by the lack of signage and markings on the trail system/pathways. We take a lot of hikes and nature walks and never get turned around -- here we did. There seem to be both designated paths and created paths "through" things from overusing "shortcuts" (does that make sense)? That was definitely part of our confusion. The fields/meadows are beautiful; but the brook itself is pretty murky -- it looked like a river of coffee. And also, the banks of the brook are incredibly eroded/are eroding and not barriered off (you'll see this in my photos with the ladder), so be careful where you step. For that matter, there's also old barbwire near some of the paths, so - again - be very careful where you step. Maybe it's much different during the fall or for equestrian use, but this is not a trail that I would recommend.

A HUGE thank you to Deni for writing a review on this place. We had no idea it existed and…read moreseriously this place made our Memorial Day Weekend. It's super cool how a tiny path enters into an amazing park and offers placards of its' historical past. Our dog loved it and we loved the dog bag stations, trashcans, and super nice benches, picnic tables and look out spots. The bridge was AWESOME too. We found a great little cafe off the path called Forest Falls Cafe, which next time we will definitely eat at. There was enough shade for our dog and a nice breeze off the river. We'll be able to come back through the summer with him even on hotter days. There were a few families that passed us on bikes, a few others eating lunch at the picnic tables, and couples walking the paths. This place should be on Boston's Chronicle as a hidden gem or tank of gas episode. Wow, we LOVED it.

We entered the park by the William Rowe School on the aptly named School Street. Some of you may…read moreknow this area of ball field and tennis courts as the space used to set up the rides for the Yarmouth Clam Festivals and have eaten your fried dough here and then had a turn on the Zipper. There are signs that caution you to leash your pet and there are rules posted for your canine companion. Please be a good dog companion ambassador and follow the rules. This is a great park for the whole family. The paths are paved so they are accessible to all (there is a hill so you may want to help anyone in a wheelchair along that section). Be aware that the river has a really fast current and rapids so children, pets and anyone else not being safe can be swept away! If you are a dog owner and want to let your pal romp free of leash, there is a designated spot at picnic point where you can "unleash the beast" and let them play. There is also a sandy spot with access to the water for your pup to jump in and cool off which one of ours gladly took advantage of. The trail winds along the rapids and falls and there are signs of old industry and left over parts of buildings. There are informational signs along the way to read. There is a bike rack and picnic area (not in an off leash section) on the side of the park near the Yarmouth History Center as well as another trail head. There are open fields where your kids can play and you can play too! without being cramped in with too many other people. I wish there were maps of the area showing the intersecting trails as this park meanders through and between many neighborhoods. We met many other people walking these trails and everyone was friendly. While dogs are supposed to be leashed, we did encounter a few off leash, however, the owners did have voice control and we had no issues. The views are amazing, the history lessons insightful and this is a great space to spend time and hang out. *as a side note... we did find an "alligator" strategically placed which made me laugh out loud. If you walk this trail and see that red eyed monster too, let me know!*