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.

I love the views! It's great for a picnic and a little bit…read moreof history. There's plenty of open space for you to hang out with family or friends and enjoy the ocean views and breeze. While it may be controversial, I'm glad they moved the food trucks to the lower lot. It's less crowded when you arrive and less crowded near the food trucks - meaning only people getting food are in the area, vs people walking/running through with animals and kids that aren't going to the food trucks. It's also less noisy not being next to the generators. We love the food trucks there and will continue to enjoy them while also enjoying the peaceful hill. The kids in the family really enjoy the canons and the playgrounds. The times we have gone the playgrounds have been clean - thankfully no needles or trash anywhere to be seen.

Nice views. Mostly you should come to the Eastern Promenade if you love the overwhelming smell of…read moremarijuana everywhere you go and want your kids breathing in that drug as they play on the playground equipment. Can't say I fall into that category.

I feel the need to preface all of my nature reviews with this: being 90% forested and having around…read more3500 miles of coastline, Maine has a tremendous amount of spaces, walkways, paths, and trails of all kinds and of all levels. There's something for everyone. What I'm reviewing is how a spot compares to similar outdoor spots in my personal opinion. Being in nature - and remembering to carry in, carry out - is always five stars! :) Parking? Sort of. Loop trail? Yes. Well marked signs? Yes. Element of surprise? Yes. What. A. Find. Whenever I'm journeying around Maine (checking out state parks or Atlas Obscura recommended spots), I try and also find a few trails or hiking spots to check out (because the state is huge, and when I'm in an area I'm not usually in, I want to discover spots I wouldn't otherwise!). Reynolds Forest was the best part of my day! In fact, one of the most standout spots I've been to in a while! According to the Kennebec Land Trust website (https://www.tklt.org/reynolds), "This 35 acre parcel provides visitors excellent birding opportunities, interesting wildflowers and floodplain species, and views of the powerful brook (now called Goff Brook), with its foaming water roaring over exposed rocks into stone-lined pools. Part of the conservation property not visible from the trail has seen an increase in invasive Japanese knotweed and non-native bush honeysuckle, and has served as a field research site for Colby College students studying invasive plant control methods." There's some parking off the shoulder of the main road, and the walk into the woods alongside Goff Brook is lovely. It's not long before you can suddenly hear the roaring of the (small, but mighty) waterfalls (which was once used for saw and grist mills. We made sure to come after a couple days of rain and it was worth it! We gently navigated out to some exposed rocks and sat in the sun, near the falls, surrounded by tall trees for a long time. Perfect spot for a picnic (and... I think we also spotted some foragers too). There's also a small Old Farm Loop Trail that passes by fields and an old foundation a little further beyond the Streamside Trail. BEWARE OF TICKS. BEWARE OF POISON IVY. WEAR APPROPRIATE SHOES.

What a beautiful and serene spot!…read more Echo Lake is approximately 15.7 acres. Two granite ledges called White Horse and Cathedral Ledge surround it. We went later in the afternoon so parking was ample. A short walk leads you to the picnic area and lake. It's about a 1 mile hike around the lake. The water was clear and cold. There were lots of mosquitoes at that hour. We enjoyed seeing the tadpoles in the water. My family enjoyed our time there and can't wait to go back to this picturesque spot!

m a local to the state of NH about 1.5hr drive from this beautiful place…read moreWill recommend Will return Check the bacteria site before heading up to make sure its swim able I have state park plates so I went to New Hampshire State Parks website and made a reservation for this particular day in Wood State Park plates you pay one dollar which is your processing fee Without state Park plates, the entry fee is eight dollars per car I recommend making reservations on the website rather than just rolling up in person. They do have a large parking lot, but it seems to fill very quickly. The beach is very family oriented. You can rent canoes. You can rent kayaks. You can rent paddle boats. The fees are very reasonable. They have tubes. You can also purchase for a small fee of six dollars. The beach was not overcrowded. They have many hiking trails and areas around that area as well. They have charcoal grills that you can use up off the beach with some grassy area that you could also camp at. There is also a bathhouse there that's open as well as a small store There are no lifeguards it's a swim at your own risk Very very clean

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

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.

We made a short stop to view this garden finding it quiet, tranquil and less than impressive though…read moreobviously your mileage may and very likely will vary.

Really pretty, I love coming here. It's nice all year round and even has a Geocache in it.read more

This lovely park and swim area is just outside the city. There is a playground with swings, slide,…read morerocking motorcycles, see saw and even an old school merry go round that leaves everyone dizzy. There are gazebos and tables for picnics and shelter from the sun. The swim area is not the sandy beach type but rather a grassy knoll that leads to a refreshing pond. The bottom is murky only when you get deep. Perfect spot to cool off and enjoy the fresh air. There is a boat launch across the street as well.

This is a fantastic public campground ($25/nt) and beach ($5/day). The water at the lake is clean,…read morewarm (in the summer), and the beach is well cared for. There are watercraft available for rental ($20/hr). The campground is professionally managed with DNCR staff ready to help. Firewood is sold on site (no outside firewood permitted) at $7/bundle. The patrons for the most part are kind and respectful (sadly, not all). Reserve online and come and enjoy this gem!

We loved it here! Absolutely gorgeous beach. We did not camp but spend several days here. You can…read morepay to leave and re-enter the beach area. The beach has a picnic area and trees so you don't have to be in the sun the entire day. The water is shallow so it's great for small kids. They do allow you to bring or buy floats. Snack stand was a typical camping store with Keurig Coffee and teenagers. They also had a great playground in the beach area so it's excellent for families!

Taking the hairpin turn and driving up the very steep hill was worth it. The views are…read morebreathtaking! I could have had a blanket to enjoy the view with a picnic. There is an outhouse there which is nice to have if you're planning to spend the day. Plenty of area to park at the top and turn around before heading back down.

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.