Hobb’s Brook Trail, Hadlock Community Forest, Falmouth, Maine
The Hadlock Community Forest in Falmouth, Maine, is accessible primarily from a small parking area near the end of Hadlock Road with a map and kiosk. Information regarding the almost 300 acre property, with a loop trail of about 2.9 miles, can be found on the Town of Falmouth’s website for the forest. Many activities are allowed in the Hadlock Community Forest, including hunting in-season, so wear blaze orange during those times. I visited on a mid-March day, needing microspikes for the entire trail. For me, this was part of a longer 6.7 mile loop through a connector to the Rines Forest.
Highland Trail, Hadlock Community Forest, Falmouth, MaineContinue reading →
View of West Penobscot Bay from Mount Battie summit, Camden Hills State Park.
We first visited Camden Hills State Park in the spring of 2017, an unintentional winter hike of the Megunticook Loop. Better prepared, equipped, and with a full windy, cold March day to burn, I chose a longer, meandering route through the park. This ambitious path up Mount Battie (780 feet), over to the Maiden Cliff (800 feet), and up to the summit of Mount Megunticook (1385 feet) was close to 11 miles, and a little under five hours. You can find detailed descriptions of the trails in the AMC Maine Mountain Guide. As I arrived before the road to Mount Battie opened, I used the parking lot to the left of the main entrance, paid the $4 Maine resident fee, and walked the quarter mile or so from the gate to the parking lot for the trails (toilets are available in both places).
The blue-blazed trail Megunticook Trail headed up to the left, turning into the Nature Trail towards Mount Battie to begin the loop. I started to gain elevation at approximately a half-mile in, with views of the West Penobscot Bay through the bare winter trees. The Nature Trail parallels the road to Mount Battie before turning inland over ice-covered rocks. At a little over a mile, I turned left onto the Tablelands Trail, crossing the road towards Mount Battie. Near the summit, I saw a solo mourning dove and another small, puffy sparrow. The parking loop and area by the World War I memorial stone tower feature expansive views of the bay and Camden below.
Megunticook from the road to Mount Battie, Camden Hills State ParkContinue reading →
North Falmouth Community Forest at Blackstrap Road trailhead, Falmouth, ME
The North Falmouth Community Forest is over 400 acres of woodland reclaimed from pasture, with multi-purpose trails accessible from a small roadside parking area on Blackstrap Road (just south of the Happy Cats sign). Close to five miles of lightly-trafficked trails connect (across Blackstrap Road) with the Blackstrap Hill Preserve to the east and with Lowell Preserve in Windham to the west. This being Falmouth, the trails are well-marked, with map kiosks and QR codes (open your camera on your smartphone and scan the barcode to get maps/info). Downloadable or printable maps are harder to come by – try Maine by Foot’s post or the All Trails app. For true map nerds, you can explore using Falmouth’s ARCGIS map site.
Hurricane Valley Overlook, Poplar Ridge Trail, North Falmouth Community ForestContinue reading →
Mud flats of Back Cove from Red Trail, Hamilton Audobon Sanctuary, West Bath, Maine
The Hamilton Audobon Sanctuary, located near Foster Point in West Bath, Maine, contains about 93 acres of forest, marshes, and mud flats, with miles of looping trails surrounded by wide views of the New Meadows River and its Back Cove. Parking is located at 681 Fosters Point Road in West Bath, where there is a lot, map kiosk and composting toilet, open each day from dawn to dusk. Check out the map and guide at Audobon’s website (Note: dogs are not allowed at Hamilton Audobon). These trails are level, well-marked, and easy.
Light through the forest, Hamilton Audobon Sanctuary, West Bath, MaineContinue reading →
Gun Point Cove from Devil’s Back Area trails, Harpswell, ME
The Devil’s Back Trail area in Harpswell, Maine, is another jewel managed by the Town of Harpswell. This rugged but narrow area straddles Route 24 on the way to Orr’s Island, with the east side overlooking Gun Point Cove, and the west on Long Cove. The Town of Harpswell has descriptions and a trail map here, and there is an excellent treatment of this hike in Maine Hikes off the Beaten Path.
(Check the website of the Prouts Neck Association for updates, as the Cliff Walk is currently closed. January 2024 storm damage resulting in pending repairs of up to $4 million, which won’t be complete until possibly 2025, according to a May 2024 Portland Press Herald article.)
If you like dramatic cliffs, ocean views, rocky beaches and stunning homes, this may be your walk! The residents at Prouts Neck in Scarborough, Maine harbor a secret gem in their gated community – but fret not – while the entrances are hidden and parking is complicated, it is still possible (and legal) to walk variations of the same 1-mile route that Winslow Homer did, even if you are not an “insider.”
This is definitely categorized as a Sunday stroll-type of walk, a walk with a good friend that you haven’t seen in a while or a lone walk with a camera or sketch book. The uneven terrain and sometimes narrow path demand a leisurely pace. The smell of rugosa roses, the salty ocean breeze and the lobster boats are center stage and require frequent pauses. The views are unbeatable. The only problem is logistics. Below we will describe how to safely and lawfully enjoy a hike in summer, or even winter, from the Black Point Inn (45 minutes to an hour) or a longer “lollipop” loop from Ferry Beach (3.7 miles, about an hour and a half).
Western Cove from Black Point Road, Prouts Neck, Scarborough, MaineContinue reading →
Halfway Rock and Great Diamond Island from Mackworth Island, Falmouth, ME
Mackworth Island, connected to the Falmouth mainland by a causeway off Andrews Avenue, is a State Park donated to the State of Maine in 1946 by Governor Percival Baxter for state public purposes and “as a sanctuary for wild beasts and birds.” The island, which also contains the Baxter School for the Deaf, is open daily 9 am to sunset. Parking is limited, so have a backup plan (the nearby Gilsland Farm Audobon is nice), or be prepared to wait. The visitor fee is currently $3 for Maine residents, $4 for non-Maine residents, and $1 for non-resident seniors and children 5-11 (Maine residents over 65 and children under 5 are free). An outhouse is available by the parking lot.
Icicles on the Nature Trail section of Mt. Will Trail, Bethel, ME
Mount Will (1,726 ft), which spans across the town lines of Newry and Bethel, Maine is a lesser-traveled peak, accessed through a loop trail, with a small parking area across the road from the Town of Bethel transfer station. This trail, marked with bright blue blazes, was developed by the Bethel Conservation Commission, and is maintained by the Town of Bethel. Detailed description can be found in Maine Hikes Off The Beaten Path or the AMC Maine Mountain Guide.
Androscoggin River Valley from North Ledges, Mt. Will TrailContinue reading →
Eleanor’s Trail, Pleasant Hill Preserve, Scarborough, ME
Tucked between the Pleasant Hill neighborhood and the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Scarborough’s Pleasant Hill Preserve is 135 acres of land, with over 1.5 miles of trails, held and maintained by the Scarborough Land Trust (SLT). No hunting or bicycles are allowed on the trails, dogs must be leashed, and the .25 mile Eleanor’s Trail is ADA accessible. The trailhead, at 270 Pleasant Hill Road in Scarborough, has year-round parking and a map kiosk.
Swallow Barn, and intersection with Monty’s Trail, Pleasant Hill Preserve, Scarborough, MEContinue reading →
Access road to the summit of Black Cat Mountain, Poland, Maine.
This easy mountain hike, actually more of a road walk to a hilltop where is a cell tower, made for a simple First Day 2021 winter stroll. Black Cat Mountain (820 ft) in Poland, Maine (not to be confused with the larger Black Cat Mountain in Baxter State Park), is accessible from North Raymond Road, where a small gated road marked with yellow cell tower signs and the number 72 has limited parking (with overflow on the road’s shoulder).
Afternoon light through the trees, road to Black Cat Mountain, Poland, ME.Continue reading →
Hiking in Maine 