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.

Update: I love this…read morepark and I love that people bring there well behaved dogs here so they can walk and have fun. Just an FYI there is an overweight boomer woman who has a small white dog who was at the park yesterday giving people hell for having their dog off leash. She picked up her dog and as her dog was wagging its tail and clearly wanted to get down and play began, she began a slue of micro aggressions about how her dog was "reacting" and she was having "panic attack" lady, don't bring your dog here if you can't be around other dogs. Also, this park is only "on leash" for the first 100 feet and then dogs are allowed off leash. She is a miserable, mean and nasty boomer who needs to chill and stay away from Clifford park with that attitude. Her dog was cute though but I feel bad for it.

What at first looked to be a small green area instead revealed itself to be beautiful park tucked…read moreaway in the middle of Biddeford, with a playground, tennis courts, restrooms, and miles of hiking trails of varying difficulty levels that wind through tons of trees and scenic granite boulders. There are even the remains of a small cemetery plot and a small waterfall.

A beautiful beach that is mostly full of locals. Parking is by the day. There aren't many…read moreamenities so make sure to bring whatever you need. We had a wonderful afternoon enjoying the view. Some of the family went for a swim. The water was cold but not frigid. I'd definitely visit Fortune's Rock Beach again.

Ahhhh Ocean Air! How I love spending lazy, summer days at Fortune's Rocks. I grew up going to…read morethis beach and I never take it for granted. You can take nice long walks at low tide or play in the waves at high tide. However, it cannot be a full high tide as there is no beach area to sit but give it a few hrs & the sand reappears and you can swim or walk the day away. There is an area of rocks & tide pools that's amazingly peaceful to stroll while checking out the beautiful sea stars, shells and other sea life. It is truly a place of tranquility mostly because it does not get that busy in the summer.

This hike is a nice place to take a short stroll for the locals but not a place I would recommend…read moretourist to come. First off, it is only about half mile from parking to the waterfall. So total hike was only 1 mile. it is a WALK, not hike. Good for families with young ones. Be very aware that the mosquitoes here are super HUNGRY! I have never gotten so many bites within such a short time inside a hike! I got 6-7 bites all over my legs just from hiking here for 30 mins. My husband got 8+ bites all over his body! Luckily my little one only got 1 bite. We were all over Maine in the last 2 weeks including kayaking and out at Acadia national park. All outdoor activities and barely got any bites until now! There are other trails here too but after getting so many bites, we wanted to run away as fast as we could! I wish I didn't come here. View and waterfall are not worth it for trade off of these hungry hungry mosquitoes!! *sooo itchy* :-/ Bring bug spray if you wanna come!

Jewell falls is a waterfall of water flowing from the Fore River and is named for Tom Jewell who…read morewas one of the founders Portland Trails and very much alive today. Did you know that Portland Trails started in 1991? He donated the land around the falls and the rest of the land the trail walls through is a mix of public and private land. You see evidence of this with many marked signs that designate private property -- good to respect these so we can continue to walk these trails. Somehow I got lost off my usual path I take and ended up going on the greater fore river sanctuary trail loop around and across the railroad tracks, but the boardwalks were great! Back to the falls, if you start at the trailhead near Brighton ave, it's less than 0.25 miles of a walk. The falls are made of horsetails of rushing water over large slabs of rock. The trails are really well maintained and there's not too many people. You can definitely still hear traffic from some parts but there are a few quiet enclaves.

There's a headquarters building for the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust (where you can park) with…read morea beautifully manicured "backyard"/garden area where they host events for NPOs and private gatherings. You'll definitely want to come check this spot on on your own, though because Emmons Preserve has it all: - A story book trail for children (follow a children's book along an easy to navigate path that includes tunnels and a hut made entirely from weaved together branches and tree limbs, faces on trees, fairy houses, log benches to sit upon, etc.) - Long bridges over the Batson River (the reflection of the leaves in the glassy surface of the water was stunning!) - Vernal pools, wetlands, wide open fields, dense forests - Informative signs about the area (including the wildlife and trees, the fire of 1947, the logging industry, and QR codes to help you identify bird calls) - Plenty of well manicured trails - I saw lots of runners on the Learning Trail; on the other side of the property, you can venture into the woods up the Batson River Trail to Jeremy's Trail which connects to Jenne's Loop. These offer more views of the river and an unexpected scenic, bubbling, babbling, absolutely lovely little waterfall. Another spot you could hideaway at with a good book or a picnic (carry in, carry out!!!). Fill up that cup with a big dose of nature therapy, my friends. Forest bathing is important.

You know those magical places in the world that catch you off guard? You weren't expecting it, or…read morelooking for it maybe, you just stumbled upon it and thought... "this place - however long I stay here, whether I'm just passing through or stop to sit and soak it in - will always sit in my heart." That's how I felt about the brook off Broadturn Farm Trail. Broadturn Farm is this big, beautiful organic farm that invites visitors for a self-guided tour of the farmstead and their fields. Just behind their outhouses, though, lies Silver Brook Trail from the Scarborough Land Trust. It's maybe just a mile loop through former woods (really it feels like you're walking a wide path cut through enormous brambles). There's nothing exciting about it, but it's charming mostly because: a) You could be walking through the geography of a dozen different fables... will you end up at Snow White's cottage, the Shire, Albion, FernGully, or back at Broadturn Farm? b) There's a sign for a "Very Old Pine Tree" (and if that doesn't make you smile, then you're dead inside). Veer off the path to visit her. What IS so special about the place is... once you go down the little hill behind the outhouses you can choose to go right to the path or left to the brook. Go left. You will find yourself at a bench overlooking what I'm positive actually does come straight out of a fairy tale: if you're going in the summer, think hundreds of shades of green, moss covered rocks with water tumbling down them, a babbling brook, streams of golden sun shining through the canopy of trees. It feels absolutely enchanted or otherwordly (and I imagine it's just as glorious in the autumn). It's like a shot of everything perfect about nature right into the soul. And that it's just hidden-in-plain-sight enough, makes it feel extaordinarily special.

We live in such a glorious corner of the world, that I'm trying to see as absolute much of it as I…read morecan. Each Winter when the snow begins to feel overly oppressive, I curl up on the couch with a hot mug of tea and craft a list of all the outdoor places I want to explore. The Edwin L Smith Preserve came up in my research and, since it was a place I had never gone, I made it a point to seek it out first. On a sunny spring Sunday, we decided to spend a couple hours of hiking as much of the trail system in the preserve as we could. But we got bored and left. Yeah, you read that right. It's a trail. It's JUST a trail. A very, very, very long trail through the woods. There's no destination to get to, there's no scenic overlooks, there's no ruins of any kind, there was no nature other than the sound of bird call to admire, there's literally nothing here but trail and woods. Oh, but you won't actually be able to enjoy the woods because you'll be spending most of your time looking down at your feet because: 1) much of the trail is irritatingly windy and hilly - not so much that you'll break a sweat, but just enough to inconvenience you. It seems to just go up and down, and up and down, and up and down... without getting anywhere but up and down, and up and down, and up and down. 2) the impressive amount of roots to trip on... at one point we joked that it felt like we were in some sort of fairy tale where the roots seemed to be multiplying in an effort to eventually entangle us thereby forcing us to stay in the most boring woods for the rest of our lives. I admit: I'm privileged by living in Maine. There are beautiful walking paths, hikes, beaches, mountains to climb, and gardens to both wander and wonder in pretty much everywhere you look. As such, it's always a little disappointing when you find yourself walking a trail that could be any trail in any part of any woods anywhere in the world. That's just not for me. But maybe it's exactly what you're craving. If you need to clear your head and breathe in some of that refreshing Maine air, if you need a peaceful walk through nothing but woods uninterrupted by literally anything, if you need a little gentle monotony in your life, even if you're a mountain biker looking for ten mile work out... then this Preserve might be everything you've been looking for.

Medium-difficult trail for mountain biking but has many mosquitoes. Spray for bugs before beginning…read moretrail.

Greetings all! If you're interested in a reasonably short hike in Old Orchard Beach I would highly…read morerecommend the Milliken Mills Trail. The entrance to the trail is located on Portland Road just shortly after Milliken Mills Road. It is near the Eastern Trail. The trail has many different routes you can take and all are relatively short. All the trails are well-marked and full of nature.

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!

Cost $14 for two people out of state. Beautiful views and nice benches to sit on. We went in…read moreSeptember and it was not too crowded. More peaceful and quaint than the lighthouse parks. You can NOT see the lighthouses from here!!!

The reason we decided to visit this trail/area, is because one of the news channels always shows…read morethe view from the camera at this location. We were always impressed with the view and put this on our list of interesting places. We finally made it this year! The views were beautiful! One of the things we loved about this place, is the fact there are plaques or narrative cards that show what you are looking at with a little history behind it. There are places for you to sit next to the ranger station. A few hikers were enjoying a snack break while we were there. They were commenting on how dusty and dry it was. (the drought of 2025 - for future readers reference) There's not a lot of shade, so prepare accordingly. There was plenty of parking and plenty of trails and views to enjoy! We loved it!

Beautiful! Good bathroom facilities (composting toilets and sanitizer, but clean). Maps…read moreavailable. Ample parking, must pay to park. Well-marked trails. Can hike or drive to summit. Educational center at the top (limited hours). Nice lookout points. Easy to low-moderate hike on the trails we took, in my opinion. Not a terrible distance to the summit, mostly shaded hike. Will go back for sure.