This is a nice little state park that we have driven but never stopped. Im so glad we stopped this…read moreday. Its on the water with a rocky beach. Lots of parking. The trail we walked went right along the ocean and had lots of picnic tables and benches to stop. Such a beautiful spot.

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? Yes. Loop trail? Kind of. Well marked signs? Not really. Element of surprise? No. For Cumberland County folks, Moose Point feels like a combination of Fort Williams Park and Mackworth Island. It's got grassy knolls to picnic on with views of Penobscot Bay, evergreen groves to meander through via wide and well maintained trails (some of which have benches, some of which have little staircases leading down to the pebbled water's edge), a gazebo for events, and during low tide there are tidal pools to explore (during high tide it's much more difficult to navigate because it's mostly just uneven rocks and not much of a shore). I think this is a beautiful spot in midcoast Maine, and I'm glad there are locations like it throughout the state. Personally, I don't necessarily feel the need to come back (except to get my Maine State Parks Passport Stamp!!!), just because we have something soooooooooooo similar so close. But I can see how it's a draw for so many!

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.

Point Venture…read more 120-acre park that was opened in '74, and surrounds the site is historic Fort Pownall (British fortification built during the French-Indian War). The Good: *Hiking trails, including a seven-mile loop that goes around Cape Jellison. *Over one-mile of shorefront that can be used for fishing or boating. *Fort Point Lighthouse *Several dirt lots to park at *Informational signs talking about the history of the place *Scenic picnic tables overlooking the ocean The Meh: *Park entrance fees that aren't expensive but still... It is worth noting they're on the honor system to pay, so you do you, boo. The Ugly: *Kinda lame that the lighthouse is now a private residence, and you can't go in or near it. Conclusion: Nice park with great views and some interesting history thrown in to boot.

The bones of a…read morehotel The Sunken Garden is a lovely and quiet area that offers a wonderful place to spend some time after walking around the town of Wiscasset. One of the first things a visitor notices, after the plants, are the number of cool looking rocks that surround and make up the foundation of the garden. The rocks actually have an interesting history. Across the street was once the Wiscasset Hilton Hotel that burned to the ground back in 1903. Frances Sortwell, whose family owned the hotel, got tired of looking at the rock foundation of the building and finally decided to do something beautiful with them. So she got together with some artistic and talented friends and decided to make a sunken garden from the remains of the old hotel. Today the stones and all the plants of the Sunken Garden remain as a quiet and reflective spot to relax, rest or just think about the past. A gentle place of beauty that is worth spending some time.

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.

My family and I came here for about an hour while checking out things to do in Bangor. It's a nice…read morepark with the main fountain and multiple human-made waterfalls which you can get close to, but the water today at least was super cold and wakes you up. The very breezy wind caused the water to make it almost feel like it was raining. There are also a lot of trails which we did not take. We saw at least two larger groups having a picnic on the grounds and having a good time. The park provided two port-o-potties for bathroom use and the one I was in really needed to be emptied. Besides this, the park appeared to be well maintained. The park is not too exciting, but the water features upgrade the whole experience. A nice place to visit and picnic. Plenty of free parking.

This is a local place for ppl with toddlers. There isn't anything for anyone else. There's a field…read morewith a bridge (that used to have water from the waterless waterfall) Otherwise- you walk up the side of the hill and it takes you around a quick circle to the other side (takes maybe 5-10 min). It was interesting seeing how there was a gravel area (left side going uphill and then on the left side halfway up) and you could tell that someone lived there before the park was in existence. It's really cute driving by though. Stopping by isn't necessary.

Fort Knox in Penobscot, Maine is adjacent to the Penobscot Narrows Bridge. It is situated on the…read moreWestern side of the Penobscot River, with the views of the town of Bucksport directly across. Its a granite fort built between 1884 and 1869, and although it never saw any battles, it was used for training and it is well preserved. It's 125 acres so covers a lot of ground, and involves some walking, including stairs and small hills. While the history and the fort are amazing, this is also a place to see eagles and other birds and wildlife that flourish here. And lots of boat watching as well. We did see eagles! There is also a gift shop and restrooms available and staff are eager to share information and answer any questions. We spent almost 2 hours here exploring. Entrance to the fort and observatory for 2026 for 2 non resident adults was $22 ($11 each). You could also.just choose to pay for fort entrance which is less. Plenty of parking and the entire area is clean and well maintained.

This is one of the best places I visited on my end of summer Maine vacation. Had no clue that I…read morewould get to see the bowels of a civil war era fort that was built to defend against British invaders that never showed up. The observatory at the top of the bridge was amazing!

This is such a cute little park with picnic tables overlooking the river next to the covered…read morebridge! There are three concrete picnic tables, two that are covered, and one that has a hibachi grill next to it. There are also a few parking spots, so it's a very convenient location. There are no facilities or trash cans, so it's all carry-in carry-out. We enjoyed our picnic lunch and took our dogs on a brief walk! It was great!

Really fun State Park to visit. Many well parked trails or you can just drive to the top of Mount…read moreBattie. Great views of the harbor and Camden as well as down the coast towards Rockport. We had just spent 10 days in Acadia and Camden Hills was a nice break from the crowds - albeit on a much smaller scale. Certainly worth a visit !

Spectacular view of Penobscot Bay, the surrounding islands, and the Town of Camden. Well…read moremaintained and clean park, we walked a few of the trails on our visit today. $6 per person for non residents of Maine. That pretty much says it all, a short review, but this is a "must visit" if you are in the area.

On the hillside above the Maine Maritime Academy, the ruins of this fort make up the centerpiece of…read morethe park. There is also a large open multi-purpose area that could be a football or soccer field. The fort was built in 1779 by British forces during that American Revolutionary War. It was initially part of an initiative by the British to establish a new colony called New Ireland. It was the principal site of the British defense during the Massachusetts-organized Penobscot Expedition, a disastrous attempt in July and August of 1779 to retake Castine in response to the British move. The British re-occupied Castine in the War of 1812 from September 1814 to April 1815, rebuilding Fort George and establishing smaller forts around it, again creating the New Ireland colony. It is at a strategic location near the head of Penobscot Bay. There is a small dirt parking lot and of course the stone and earthworks. A caption or two explains the history. Watch your step as there are some big drops. [Review 14882 overall, 384 of 2021, number 64 in Maine.]

My usual mountain hike areas are not well known and sometimes takes time to find the entrance to…read morethe trail. This is not such a place. Driving into the area, I found a museum for the local fish hatchery, a busy swimming area, and public bathrooms. Such luxury compared to what I usually have when out for a hike. The road to the trail was a dirt road and I believe I traveled about a mile before getting to one of three parking areas. There was a large map showing all of the local trails, mountains, and scenic spots. The trail itself was well marked with wooden blue blazes, well groomed, a well maintained bridge and signs along the way to guide a hiker song the trail they want. Much of the trail was smooth granite that made easy walking and can also make for easy mountain biking as a biker when scooting by me while I relaxed. Near the top of the mountain was where the best views were had. At the very top, the view was not as spectacular but needed so I could say I did the whole mountain. All or nothing!! I will definitely be back with my husband and our bikes to check out the mountain bike trails and to check out the museum.

Great Pond Mountain is a fabulous spot and there are different ways to get to the top. There's a…read morelot of granite higher up in the trail and there is a nice loop around the summit.