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.

Fountains fields and…read moreskates Memorial Park is a sprawling park located right behind the municipal building in the center of Scarborough. It certainly is a lovely place that has a whole lot of things to do. The park has a nice pond with two fountains, some athletic fields, benches, a gazebo, some walking trails, and a very well designed and pretty elaborate skate board park. Lots of weddings and other ceremonies take place here and they even hold musical events in the warm months. A nice park to do a whole bunch of different things or just relax on a bench and do a whole lot of nothing,

This park is located in an area behind the Chicago Dogs on Route 1 in Scarborough, the Municipal…read moreBuilding and the High School. It is also across the side street from the new Mercy Complex on route 1. There is a small parking lot that has a concession stand (I assume open when events are taking place) and restrooms. The park itself is nice and open with paved walkways skirting around the edge of the grounds. There is small pond with many bullfrogs and even a family of ducks. Two fountains, a small amphitheater and a gazebo along with well manicured grounds make this very picturesque. Trees and benches dot the area and almost all have a plaque dedicated to a loved one. ( we saw people laying flowers for a former cheer leading coach) There are also dedication stones honoring the men and women who lost lives in war. There are playing fields and a skate park as well. I am excited to spend time sitting or laying out in the sun on the beautiful grass and reading this summer. We have begun taking our dogs here to walk. This is an on leash area for dogs, however, we have seen some dogs walking off leash but people seem to be respectful and have dogs under voice control. There are plenty of garbage cans and two dog bag stations. This has to be one of the cleanest parks I have ever been to.

Wow, Town of Scarborough, what has happened to this beach?! The entire length from the parking lot…read moreto the jetty is a mess! You used to rake the beach every morning now its covered in seaweed and debris. I get protecting the plovers (which you have by roping off ten feet before the dunes) but this is ridiculous!

This is my favorite beach around. Lots of parking and even some free parking. So much space to get…read morea spot, with amazing views and the water is typically clean. Once in a while you will get the red seaweed but other than that is always clear. You can find sand dollars most days and the stretch of beach is massive if you just want to take a walk. This beach is where I frequent most!

Wide open spaces…read more Memorial Park is a cool park nestled in between the ocean and the Libby Library. Definitely not a bad location for a park, this one just seems small at first but just keeps going. All kinds of things in the park, tennis courts, basketball courts, a nice gazebo, a memorial for veterans and even a nice little lighthouse model at the main entrance. Gentle, rolling hills makes Memorial Park a great place for a gentle walk in your bare feet. During the summer there is a Summer Concert Series of music as well as other events and activities. This is a very popular park and you see all kinds of people during all kinds of things. Some playing sports, other strumming on musical instruments and some just laying on the grass catching the sea breezes. In the winter people even use the park for cross country skiing, snow shoeing and some sledding for the little kids on the small hills. A very nice park in an extremely nice location.

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!!!

Duck poop all over lol watch where walk on the pathways. Free parking by the entrance by ranger…read morestation.

gorgeous park in Portland, not far from downtown and close to Holy Donut if that's your speed. Well…read moremaintained walking trails. Excellent views of fall foliage!

$10 dollars a person, and an amazing beach! Great waves, plenty of space, and nice staff. Only con…read moreis unless you're here really early, expect to park far away.

I've only ever been to Scarborough Beach during the "off season" - which to them is around November…read more16th to March 31st - because it's not a part of the Maine State Parks Pass. A note on that: - A Maine State Parks Pass is $55 for an Individual Season Pass, $105 for a Vehicle Season Pass. It gets you into dozens and dozens and dozens of parks across Maine, and most of those parks only really check passes from maybe the beginning of May to the end of September. - For Scarborough Beach State Park, which is operated in a public/private partnership with Black Point Resource Management LLC, from April 1st to October 1st it costs $7 per person per visit for residents/$9 for non-residents; from October 1st to November 15th it costs $6 per person per visit for residents/$8 for non-residents; it's $105 for an Individual Season Pass, $140 for a Vehicle Season Pass, $155 for a 24-hour Season Pass. So... it's *not* one of the cheaper options for beach access in the state. Is it glorious in the summer? I don't know. But according to the folks who own this beach: "Scarborough Beach offers some of the best swimming in New England with water temperatures in the high 60's throughout July and August." Is it glorious in the off season? Yes, but... The "yes": it's a long, sandy beach with uninterrupted views of the ocean. It makes for exceptional strolling and thinking and taking in blue space! Know that you have to park on the street, and it's a little bit of a walk to the beach itself, but it's so worth it. The "but": this is one of the most dog-walked beaches I've ever been to (and I rarely see them leashed). Every time I visit there is *a lot* of dog waste bags; one time I found 16 bags of dog poop and 2 used diapers. Yikes.

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.

Great place to catch a portland sunset and look at some gorgeous, old houses. Get there early.read more

The West End is a promenade that's located on the edge of an area called Brahmall Hill and is…read morecurrently listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It's got beautiful and historical architecture with it's Victorian homes (and, apparently, former sea captain homes as well), stunning views of NH's White Mountains on clear days, spacious green areas and walking paths, a tree swing, the Western Cemetery fraught with our cities deceased wealthier ancestors, great walking areas, and it even once won an award from the Portland Phoenix for having one of the best secret spots to make-out in a tree (I kid you not). To me, the Western Prom is the established, composed, unruffled older sister (who's probably quite proper and likes garden parties) to the Eastern Prom. I'd like to think I've got a little West End in me, and it's fun to pretend I belong there when I'm picnicking and watching the planes come in and out of PWM from a distance. I've seen kiddos practicing lacrosse here with their dad, people relaxed under trees reading, friends playing a pick-up game of bocce while drinking something out of red solo cups. There used to be more events held here (... the legendary Halloween parade is not to be missed); so hopefully those concerts and outings begin to happen again!

I love the views! It's great for a picnic and a little bit…read moreof history. There's plenty of open space for you to hang out with family or friends and enjoy the ocean views and breeze. While it may be controversial, I'm glad they moved the food trucks to the lower lot. It's less crowded when you arrive and less crowded near the food trucks - meaning only people getting food are in the area, vs people walking/running through with animals and kids that aren't going to the food trucks. It's also less noisy not being next to the generators. We love the food trucks there and will continue to enjoy them while also enjoying the peaceful hill. The kids in the family really enjoy the canons and the playgrounds. The times we have gone the playgrounds have been clean - thankfully no needles or trash anywhere to be seen.

Nice views. Mostly you should come to the Eastern Promenade if you love the overwhelming smell of…read moremarijuana everywhere you go and want your kids breathing in that drug as they play on the playground equipment. Can't say I fall into that category.