To me, a perfect trail is one that: not a lot of people know about, is hidden in plain sight, has…read moresome challenging parts (it's good to feel the heart pumping! ... but my legs don't need to quiver in fatigue with every step; does that make sense?), and offers an impressive reward by way of view at the top. Jockey Cap Trail is all of that. A former ski hill in the 30's (it boasts of having had the first rope tow in Maine), Jockey Cap is now a trail system (unfortunately, many of the off-branches of the two main routes up lead to dead-ends). Tucked right behind a country store off Route 302 in Fryeburg, you'll find a dirt trail that first leads into the woods to Molly Locket's cave. Here's your Robert Frost moment: from here, the trail splits to the left and right. The former offers a gradual climb, the latter is much more steep. Regardless of which you choose, both are only about a quarter mile long. At the top are breathtaking views of forest, lakes, valleys, and mountain ranges. There's also a bronze silhouette allowing climbers to line up which mountain is which. It's a short climb, but if you're in the area, it's worth it - especially in spring and autumn when the colors are on opposite ends of the spectrum of impressive and the tourists are at a minimum. I would say it's kid-friendly if your kids are active and love the outdoors; as a side note, while brief in length, I would still say this leads more towards "hike" then "nature walk".

Fun short hike with nice views at the top. Not enough parking. Trail not well marked but you can…read morefigure it out. Use all trails.

Very well maintained trails through a 400 acre preserve with lookouts to the Muddy River and Holt…read morePond. 4 mile loop on level ground makes for easy walking in a peaceful setting. Note that hunting is allowed so make sure to wear your blaze orange during hunting season!

Easy parking area with a bathroom and an information board made the trip easy. The trail was well…read moremaintained and the views of the pond were beautiful. We enjoyed the boardwalks that were throughout the trail.

The elevation gain is less than 600 feet, but if feels like a nice, steady workout. I'm not in…read morethe greatest shape and I thought it was pretty easy and quick. I was to the top in about 35-40 min. The trail is actually pleasant even without the views. At the top, the reward is huge, really nice views in an alpine area. Plenty of space to spread out up top, so you can space out. Lots of kids and dogs, but people that day were all respectful and pleasant. There is still cell phone coverage at the top (I use AT&T.)

Black Cap Trail is a relatively easy hike with a huge reward at the end. The views from the top…read moreare just spectacular. Take Hurricane Mountain Road off of Route 16 near the Intervale Scenic Vista. The Parking lot will be on the right near the summit of the road. Warning - this road is steep and winding! The trail is well marked and is approximately one mile in each direction. It is a slow, gradual climb with a lot of tree roots in the beginning that eventually give way to scattered rocks and then to all rock on the summit. If you are not an experienced hiker or do not have the proper gear (I fall into both of these categories) I would not attempt this when the ground is wet as it can be slippery on a good day. It's a good hike Spring through Fall, but hiking it in the Fall is by far my favorite. The view of the changing colors from the top is amazing.

This was a great trail, plenty of parking . Beautiful views of the lakes and surrounding area. A…read morefairly easy hike . We did encounter an angry bird on the trail we must grave gotten too close to a nest or something. Not crowded at all when we were there.

Short sections can be combined in different combinations for a short or longer hike. A nice mixture…read moreof flat wide trails and rocky, forest trails. Lovely views from the summit, not to be confused with the 'Lookout' (a different view area of a different lake! As is usual, a bit windy a chilly at the top, but very calm and comfortable on the way up and down.

There are two trailheads to Sawyer Mountain Highlands: the Limington side which is a 3.6 mile round…read moretrip hike to the summit and back, or the Limerick side which is 2.4 miles. We opted for the latter; I'm not sure we really missed anything by not exploring the Limington side of things, truth be told, so don't worry too much about which you go with. Smith Trail picks up right in the parking lot on the Limerick side; the entire trail is extremely well marked with wooden plaques painted red and stamped with a yellow turtle, and brightly painted arrows when you need to take sharp turns. The combo of those two colors really pop regardless of season, so you should have no problem staying the course (there's also plenty of directional signs at intersections pointing which way is what and the distance to it). The first bit of Smith Trail is relatively steep so be sure to have good shoes, a walking stick, and knowledge that it's a serious work-out. We saw plenty of people turn back because they wanted a flat, easy walk in nature and not a hike. You don't need gear, but if you come in flip-flops and expect to not sweat then you've done yourself a disservice. That being said - it's always nice to be rewarded after putting in the effort... and Sawyer Mountain Highlands does NOT offer that. The view at the summit is underwhelming as its primarily obstructed by evergreens. Sure there are some spots through the trees you can see glimpses of across the valley below and mountains beyond, but mostly you're just really high up looking at nearby trees. We thought comparable hikes with far better summit views included Douglas Mountain in Sebago or Pleasant Mountain in Bridgton. The coolest bit of this particular summit is the sign marking where a whale oil light was used to navigate ships in Portland harbor ('cause you can see Sawyer from the ocean apparently). Leaving the summit, you can go back the way you came (Smith Trail) or you can opt to take the old Sawyer Mountain Road - personally, while I don't like doubling back and seeing the same things on my hikes, I regret taking Sawyer Mountain Road back to the parking lot - not sure if it was a former riverbed, but the entire thing was rocky and pebbly (goodbye articular cartilage around my patella, I'm sure I didn't need you). It also came out near someone's house at the end of Sawyer Mountain Road where large, growling, bark-screaming German shepherds at the edge of their chain were snapping at us (and hung on trees and fences there were loads of "stay out"/"private property" signs hung everywhere). Just a heads-up. All in all? I'd prefer to go to Libby & Son's nearby, eat a truckload of donuts, and walk their beautiful grounds which actually offers far more expansive, impressive views.

I'm consistently impressed by the seemingly endless number of hiking trails in Maine. On a recent…read moreday off, and after some quick googling, we came across this trail and decided to try it out. There's a small parking area on 117 in Limington and you can hike up from the Limerick side of the mountain as well. The hike is pretty rocky, and steep in some parts, but evens out in spots for a very pleasant experience overall. I think it was 1.8 miles to the summit. There are a few small cemeteries and foundations of buildings that used to stand on the mountain. On a Sunday in November our trip was a pretty quiet one. We ran into one other couple and a geocacher on his way down who was nice enough to give us the basics of geocaching and point us in the right direction to find the box hidden on the hill, which made for some extra excitement when we reached the summit. The one downside to this hike was that whoever owns the neighboring property seemed to be really unhappy that the trails were open to the public. There were several unfriendly signs that indicated the neighbors were not fans of the Francis Small Heritage Trust that owns the trail. We didn't actually see anyone, and I'm pretty happy about that. This would be a great spot in nicer weather; it was too foggy for us to have much of a view but I bet it's a good one. Would be a great spot for a picnic.

Nice walking trail in Windham to bring the dog and get some fresh air. There's a good sized parking…read morelot and a solid trail system to explore. The trail was somewhat overgrown in fall and had a lot of leaf cover but walking around roots and rocks was not bad.

On a midweek, midday exploration of Maine's trails in the summer I came across Black Brook…read morePreserve. I'm *SO* glad I did. I didn't know what to expect, and ended up having a really pleasant - albeit quick - walkabout in the woods (and sat for a while on a bench overlooking a little stream to just listen to the plethora of birdsong)! I began on Diamond Trail (which is where you start from the parking lot), then went to Pine Grove Trail (a whole 410 feet long), to Hawkes Trail (2740 feet long), and once again to Diamond Trail which brought me back to my car (it says it's 1.9 miles long, but because I skipped the part where Beaver Trail is, I think maybe I only did a mile of it). I found Black Brook Preserve to be excellently groomed and marked; nearly every single fork in the road had a giant wooden information sign letting you know which way was what and how long it was. Again, it's easily walkable and very quickly too because most of the trails are measured in just feet! Also, lots of great plaques with tree types. Finally, it seems as if some new construction has taken place at the beginning of the trail with an "observation deck" into a pond-like area (couldn't see much because of the thick flora, but I bet it's much different in the fall/winter). Cute prints of human feet AND different kinds of animal tracks you might see in this area.

What a wonderful spot to talk a walk. Couple different trails or one loop that is super quick. They…read morehave garbages along the way. Lots of dogs and so many beautiful views!

It was beautiful but not well marked. We got lost and ended up on private property (oops!). It was…read morenice once we got back on track. Thank you!

With so many amazing places to hike and walk nature trails and wooded paths in Maine, I'm not sure…read morethis is a spot I'd personally need to come back to (or even recommend you come out of your way to find). It seems this is more of a gem for hyperlocals (i.e. those that live within walking distance): plenty of folks here when I came midday, midweek walking their off-leash dogs with open containers, and loads of people on inflatable tubes in the Presumpscot River (note: the sound carries clear as day, so I could hear every single thing everyone in the river was saying... some of it pretty R-rated stuff, so maybe just be thoughtful if you're out there tubing). This is a one mile loop that goes up through the hemlock forest (note: many of the boarded planks to cross streams or muck were broken up here; see photos for proof), behind Great Falls Elementary School, then follows along the river (along the historic Cumberland/Oxford Canal Towpath). I came because I saw it was recommended as a shady hike good for summer, but it seems like a better spot to jump into the river (and there's Paddle Access to do so).

Any trail that has a nice water view is great in my book. I've been to most of the local trails in…read morePortland so I've been trying some others in the nearby towns. My goal is a trail that's light and easy for my grandpa pup and has some interesting sights. This preserve was nicely maintained and is short, only about a mile, but goes by two ponds and a section goes along the presumpscot river. There's a good portage for kayaking or tubing and the water is gentle. We found some frogs, which is always exciting. A little leaf peeping too! Wouldn't go out of the way for this, but if you're in the area, it's nice.