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.

I once again visited this NWR shortly after sunrise and once again had the trail to almost to…read moremyself. The other visitors, though a few may have been residents, were a multitude of gulls, a pair of chipmunks, one great blue heron and a kingfisher. 3 Claps.

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.

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.

If you are on Bailey Island I recommend a stop at Giant's Stairs Trail. There are directional…read moresigns to get you there once you are fairly close. I parked by the McIntosh Lot Preserve where there is a small parking area on the side of the road. Stay on the path and be respectful most of the area is private property. The rock formations are magnificent, i was in awe of what I saw. Pictures cannot do it justice.

After I aborted my hike on nearby Mackworth Island State Park due to high, cold winds - I stumbled…read moreonto the Gilsland Farm Audubon Center. They have a nice visitors center - with a cool gift shop, meeting rooms, a trail system on the property, and more. #GilslandFarmAudubonCenter

Lovely spot. So glad to see this beautiful property preserved in its unspoiled state.read more

This is a lovely state park with stunning views of the coastline and opportunity to scramble along…read morerocks at the water's edge. Although it does not have a beach, Two Lights State Park was a fun place to explore for our family. It has clean restroom facilities and picnic tables if you want to enjoy lunch. Away from the coastline, the park also has a wooded trail that provides respite from the sun. The only downside is that NO lighthouses are visible within the park. Instead, you'll have to turn right just outside the park and drive about a half-mile toward a seafood restaurant and tiny beach. However, the view of the lighthouse is partially obstructed by a mega-mansion under construction. That said, we managed to capture a photo of the famous lighthouse (from the Edward Hopper painting) by going up a private street (Two Lights Terrace) for a quick photo. It's unfortunate the state park did not acquire the land where the restaurant is located and block the construction of private housing.

The parks in the Cape Elizabeth area are all amazing and the Two Lights State Park is no…read moreexception. This particular park is a bit deceiving in that the name two lights might make you think you are going to see 2 lights, there is only one on the mainland, and the other is 17 miles out to sea. But who really cares when the park gives you the amazing views that it does! The trails wind on the upper cliffs of the shoreline and provide an awesome view of Casco Bay and the ocean. Along the walking trails are benches and picnic tables where you can take pause and be at one with the ocean. The views of the crashing waves and the rocky shoreline are amazing!

This is part of the Standish Parks and Rec. I went here recently to start the Mountain Division…read moreTrail (MDT) from the side opposite of where I live, in the up and coming town of Windham. It was a beautiful drive from Windham to Standish on Route 35. The great Sebago Lake on the right and the woods on the left. I wasn't aware of this, but the woods are owned by the Portland Water District. They contain over 13 miles of trails and have a connected trailhead with the MDT. While I waited for my hiking partners I wandered around the field to check out my new surroundings. Johnson field seems to be a typical local soccer field. They have a large parking area, clearly marked with a sign along the road. Around the field they have a jungle gym and a play area. They also have 3 adult plyometric machines to get an outdoor workout? It's like an outdoor step and rowing machine. I had never seen anything like it. The restroom situation is Port-A-Pot, but they seemed clean enough, better than a trailside bathroom break. The trailhead kiosk for the MDT starts to the left of the field and runs along a gravel road that seems to be a multi-use trail shared with the YMCA camp. I would like to see the traffic on this trail/road in the summer. Not sure if it would be a place to have a dog off leash, because of traffic, despite the size of the trail. Johnson Field is a fine place to park and then walk.

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!

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!