Hiking Trails
Trails
Whether it’s an old logging road, a paved bikeway or a path cushioned with pine needles, the communities of Southern Midcoast Maine have dozens of trails for all. You’ll be delighted with discoveries of rare (and not so rare) wildflowers, birds and other wildlife. Please stay on designated paths, respecting adjacent landowners' privacy and follow all regulations so that these special areas will provide outdoor recreational enjoyment for years to come. If you're looking for a walk to enjoy the splendor of the changing colors in the fall visit this website for information on peak fall foliage.
Arrowsic:
Bald Head Preserve Off of Bald Head Rd. and on the "Back River".
Butler Head Nature Preserve Butler Head Rd. off of Varney Mill Rd. with views of Merrymeeting Bay.
Sewall Woods Preserve. Whiskeag Rd.
Thorne Head Preserve 96.5 acre peninsula overlooking Merrymeeting Bay and Whiskeag Creek on the west bank of the Kennebec River facing Day's Ferry. Dog walking, hunting, fishing, hiking and mountain biking.
Bowdoin:
Caesar Pond Wildlife Management Area 500 acre wetland and upland forest area. Hunting, fishing, ice fishing, boating and canoeing. View eagles, osprey, deer and waterbirds
Bowdoinham:
Detweiler/Leyman Property, Carding Machine Rd.
Cathance River Walk
Brunswick:
Androscoggin River Bicycle Path Scenic paved path for walking, biking, inline skating and jogging. Parking on Water St. Follows shore of Androscoggin River for 2.6 miles.
Bay Bridge Wetland Interpretive Park, Old Bath Rd.
Bowdoin Pines Trail ½ mile nature trail through a white pine forest. Park on Federal St. by the Cram Alumni House.
Brunswick Town Commons Trails cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, walking and hiking. The woods are the southwestern section of the original thousand-acre "commonage" granted from the Pejepscot Proprietors in 1719. Picnic area with tables. Leashed dogs permitted.
Brunswick-to-the-Ocean Trail Corridor. Valuable wildlife habitat including deer, fox, moose and amphibians. Hiking, nature study, cross country skiing and snowshoeing. From the Town Commons (Rte. 123) to Maquoit Bay.
Captain Alfred Skolfield Nature Preserve 11-acre woodland abutting a salt marsh with two loop trails through white pine, balsam fir, beech, red spruce, red oak, hemlock and other tree species.
Cox Pinnacle 103 acres contains the highest point in Brunswick. Wetlands, wooded trails, ledge outcroppings, stone walls. Cross country skiing.
Crystal Spring Farm Trails 2.5 mile trail winding through forests, fields and blueberry barren. Open year round for hiking or cross county skiing.
Parkview Wellness Trails A groomed wellness trail through the woods surrounding the hospital of about one mile. The trail can be accessed at the rear of the front parking lot, 329 Maine St.
Mid Coast Hospital Nature Trail walking paths through the forested wetlands area between the hospital and the protected estuary and salt water marshes of Thompson's Brook.
Dresden:
Earle R. Kelley Wildlife Management Area. 500 acres with much of it marshland. Maintained by State Dept. of Inland FIsheries and Wildlife. 1.5 miles from intersection of Rt. 27 and Blinn Hill Rd.
Pownalborough Court House has trails along the Kennebec River and lawn area for picnics on Rt. 128.
Georgetown:
Back River Preserve reserved wildlife habitat. Trails not marked.
Higgins Mountain Coastal views from rock outcrops and loop trail.
Josephine P. Newman Sanctuary Travel 9 miles on Rte. 127 south from Rte. 1. 119 acres and 2.5 miles of trails through woods to salt marsh, include glimpses of Robinhood Cove and stone walls.
Ledgewood Preserve 28 acres, including a small beach, along a peninsula projecting into the Sheepscot Bay, Georgetown. Hiking, bird watching and picnicking.
Reid State Park 770 Acres on Rte. 127, on Atlantic Ocean. Nearly a mile and half of sand beaches, open ocean, dunes, marshes, ledges and tidal pools for beachcombing.
Stone School Path Trails under development.
Weber-Kelly Preserve Trails under development.
Harpswell:
Austin Cary Lot 222-acre land with salt water frontage on Long Reach & Doughty Coves and fresh water wetlands. Logging (State demonstration woodlot) and old "woods" road form a network of unmarked walking (challenging) and cross-country skiing trails. Turn right on Long Reach Lane, approximately 1.3 miles south from the Brunswick town line on Rte. 24.
Cliff Trail at Long Reach 2.3-mile loop trail features a shore walk along the tidal Strawberry Creek, two "fairy-house" zones and spectacular views from 150-foot cliffs overlooking Long Reach. Located behind the town offices on Mountain Rd. and the Harpswell Recycling Center.
Doughty Point Preserve 40 acres forested peninsula on Great Island. Water access only.
Giant Staircase. Trail begins at the eastern end of Ocean St. (off of Rte. 24 Bailey Island) and provides a 1/3-mile shore walk with views of the Atlantic Ocean, crashing surf on rocky cliffs and the noted "Giant Stairs". Crosses the Macintosh lot to Washington Avenue enabling a loop on the road.
Skolfield Shores Preserve is 19 acres with a .8-mile loop trail. Features a separate beach access trail to an old stone ferry-wharf, a hemlock forest, lookouts and views over Middle Bay, farm views, two hand-built cedar & hemlock bridges and a salt marsh. Parking is 1/4-mile south of the Brunswick-Harpswell town line on the west side of Rte. 123 at Skolfield Place. A trailhead kiosk marks the trail start.
Eagle Island, the summer home of North Pole Explorer Admiral Robert E. Peary. Three miles off the coast of Harpswell, boat access only.
Long Reach Preserve, Great Island
Mitchell Field has paved and gravel roads (former US Navy facility) provides 1.5 miles o for walkers, bicyclists and rollerblades. 116 acre property has woods and open fields. Grades are gentle. Portable toilet facilities provided. Entrance is 6.9 miles south of the Brunswick town line on Rte. 123.
Thalheimer Farm has a farm road and woods trail with views of fields, orchards and shoreland. The 118 acre property, operated by Bowdoin College as its Coastal Studies Center, is on Orr’s Island (turn right off of Rte. 24, 1.7 miles south of the Orr’s Island bridge onto Bayview Rd. to end of road.)
Land’s End Trails Beautiful trails at the end of Bailey Island.
Wilson’s Cove: a very short walk down to Wilson’s Cove in Middle Bay, but it is pretty and beautifully maintained
Pott’s Point: a short walk with beautiful views of Haskell Island and Casco Bay
Phippsburg:
Bates-Morse Mountain Preserve 2 mile trail leads to Sewall Beach, accessed from Rte. 216. 574 acres of natural, rare, undeveloped coastal, wetland and salt- marsh lands between the Sprague and Morse rivers.
Bijhouwer Forest Easement 73 acre forest includes mountain laurel, seasonal waterfalls and "Hundred Foot Rock". Wildflowers, some rare.
Center Pond Preserve 253 acres, Parker Head Rd. Originally a salt marsh it was dammed in 1883 for ice harvesting. Includes vernal pools, high ledges, mixed woods, small streams, and a beaver pond. Birding and wildflowers.
Mary's Woods at Cutting Creek short walk leads to the north end of the marsh.
Noble Hill Preserve 13.2 acre preserve features mixed woodlands, open fields, a quarter mile of Kennebec River shoreline and vernal pools.
Perkins Farm Trail begins on the left at the end of Perkins Farm Lane and winds through quiet woods for about one mile and ends at Fort Baldwin. Hunting, in season, is allowed. Park at the Popham Beach State Park.
Ridgewell Preserve 46 acres with a trail (orange) beginning at Pride Rock Way, off Rte. 209, passes through a marsh and woodlands to a ridge where a trail (white) leads to "Dinosaur Rocks” and then to the Seguin Island overlook. The white trail continues south through the Phippsburg Town Forest to Rte. 209.
Spirit Pond Preserve lies along the north and west shores of Spirit Pond, a tidal pond near Popham Beach. Includes an old mill dam, stone walls and beautiful views of Morse River, salt marshes. Excellent birding.
Sprague Pond Preserve 114 acres off Rte. 209 includes woods and a 10 acre spring-fed pond. Trail winds past a beaver pond and dam via wooden footbridge and ascends through woods to Sprague Point, then follows the shore on the west side of the pond and continues through a wooded section north of the pond.
Veterans' Trail 1/10 mile along the shore of Center Pond with picnic tables behind Phippsburg Town Hall.
Richmond:
Swan Island/Steve Powell Wildlife Management Area 1,755 acre island in the Kennebec River, between Richmond and Dresden. Island tours and access by Dept. of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife staff, picnic area and camping by reservation only.
Topsham:
Androscoggin Brunswick Topsham Riverwalk
Bradley Pond Farm Recreation Area 2.5 mile trail system in a 162-acre preserve. Views of hay fields, white pines, spruce, fir and hemlock and pond. Cross country skiing and snowshoeing.
Cathance River Nature Preserve 230 acres for hiking and cross-country skiing, includes heath sanctuary. Five interconnected loop trails.
Muddy River Wildlife Management Area Hunting, fishing and saltwater fishing. Boating and canoeing. View eagles, osprey.
Topsham Trails, 23 miles of trails for all-terrain vehicles, bicycles, and hikers.
Topsham Public Library Eagles' Path. Wooded Trail overlooking Androscoggin River.
West Bath:
Green Point Preserve Mixed forest on Winnegance Bay.
Hamilton Sanctuary 1.5 mile trail on 76 acres. The New Meadows River (tidal) surrounds the sanctuary on three sides. This is a clam harvesting site, has excellent bird watching (including great blue herons and osprey), meadows and apple trees.
Lower Kennebec River Estuary is the largest tidal estuary on the eastern seaboard north of Chesapeake Bay. Valuable foraging, nesting and wintering habitat for thousands of wading birds, shore birds and migrating waterfowl. Hunting, fishing, hiking, claming and wildlife viewing.
Westport Island:
Bonyun Preseve has the highest concentration of nesting Ospreys in New England.
Woolwich:
Merrymeeting Fields Preserve Walking, hiking and cross country skiing.
Montsweag Preserve off of Montsweag Rd. are woods and ledges, following a tidal creek emptying into Montsweag Bay. Watch for migrating waterfowl. A loop trail goes through the woods, past tidal marsh and overlooks the shore. Reached by land or canoe along the estuary.
Robert P.T. Coffin Wildflower Preserve (named for Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet) 180 acres of mixed-growth forest with views of the river and Merrymeeting Bay. More than 200 species of flowers, grasses, trees and shrubs common to Maine and a variety of animals. Trails along Merrymeeting Bay are marked and well maintained, allowing easy access to the sanctuary.