We finally visited this spot and feel fortunate we were able to find one of the few parking spaces…read moreopen (parallel street parking only). It was so beautiful, it was very easy to walk, and truly enjoy nature, the birds, the ocean, butterflies, our wonderful rocky coast. There was wonderful sun exposure, there were some shady spots further into the walk, the ocean breeze was amazing and refreshing. There were a few places where you could walk down on the rocks to the ocean. Fun to explore, but be careful, you can easily slip if you're not paying attention. A few people we observed were more interested in their conversation and each other, seemingly not paying attention to their footing... and we watched some lose their footing. Luckily they recovered. If I'm in the area and am looking to stretch my legs and enjoy nature, I will definitely stop here. Kudos to all that donate time and money making this a beautiful spot. To those future visitors - enjoy, and remember, leave nothing behind and take nothing with you. Let's keep this place beautiful! Highly recommend.

This was the perfect spot to enjoy the weather we had today. When you get a day in February that…read morereaches the 50s you take advantage and enjoy the outdoors in Maine. We were not alone in this thought as many others were here too. Lots of easy to walk trails (mud or snow may be present depending on the season) with beautiful coastal views with lots of rocks and beach-like spots to explore. If you are a fan of nature and the Maine coast this is a must check-out spot. In the distance you can also get great views of Wood Island Lighthouse.

We hadn't been here since before the pandemic, so we thought we'd come and take a late afternoon…read morestroll here recently... it's just as special as we remember! Some of my former review holds up: "It's a 1/2 mile boardwalk (a beautifully maintained structure with planks the color of the seaside) that winds through a coalesced bog (essentially what this means is that, a long time ago, two dying ponds filled with decaying matter so much so that they became one and turned into a peatland) - the southernmost example of its type - and ends with a small loop in the forest making it about 2 miles roundtrip. It's absolutely one of the most unique and stunning landscapes in Maine I've ever seen: it seems to include a variety of different flora from different climates (even though I know that can't be true). If I was plunked in the middle of here without knowing where I was, I wouldn't be able to tell you if I was in Iceland, Arizona, Mars, New England, or Scotland. It's so stunningly varied. From what I've heard, this is absolutely the kind of place you return to every few months because of how different it looks from season to season. Winter features sparkling whites and chocolatey brown colors, offering sweeping views of wide open spaces; during spring, the heath becomes incredible with pink and purples of the blooming plants and regrowth; in summer, the heath seems smaller because of the fullness of the rich green plants; and, autumn is ablaze with various warm colors from the range of plants all getting ready to rest. This is a very special place." A couple things of note now that it's become more popular though: 1. Some people use this as their running/power walking/exercise route, and that can be a little overwhelming when they're coming at you fast on such a small space, segue... 2. A stroller takes up almost the entire width of the three foot wide boardwalk. In both instances, be prepared to very carefully balance on the edge as these folks pass by. DO NOT STEP INTO THE BOG EVER.

This trail is gorgeous! There are a couple of points that you don't feel like you're in Maine…read moreanymore. For the main path, there's a cute rainbow-like boardwalk. This would make it easy for those with strollers. There's not as much mud to deal with like other trails. If you choose to, there is a more natural wooded loop that you can do when the boardwalks end. This part is more traditional, where you'll need some muddin' boots or sneakers you don't mind getting dirty. We've hit up multiple preserves and this is by far the best maintained location. Definitely give it a try!

Good reward at the top for a short hike. You can see pretty far with the views but nothing…read moreextraordinary, since the mountain is not very tall. The trail is very well marked, with trail markers every twenty feet or so. The walk is mostly wooded, so just take some time and enjoy the rustling of the trees. This would be a good trail to bring your dog on. Parking lot probably fits 10 to 15 cars. There were no bathrooms on site.

After a long day of hiking various trails in the area, we decided to squeeze in one more right…read morebefore dusk and we're so glad we did because it ended up being our favorite. Just the drive to find the entrance to Bauneg Beg (which we did from Fox Farm Hill Rd) was stunning - sweeping views of wide open fields and meadows. Lovely. If you're coming to the mountain this way, there's a inconspicuous brown wooden plank sign before the small off-street gravel parking lot (we blew past it initially, and probably would again if we came bag so just go slow!). This conservation area is comprised of close to 90 acres of logging trails (a two mile network) through thick woodlands and rock formations, one such called Devil's Den made up of impressive and daunting looking boulders - hiking up the relatively steep rocky "path" constructed through here, though, brings you directly to the top of Middle Peak. Apparently Banueg Beg has three distinct peaks which can actually be seen from the ocean (and in the past they were used to help navigation to ME's coast, kinda cool right?). Unfortunately, the views from the top (apparently you can see Mt Washington and the Atlantic on a clear day) where we specifically were didn't quite offer what we were expecting as much of it is obstructed by the overgrowth of trees and vegetation. A bit of a bummer, but still worth the work-out! Instead of backtracking, we went down the mountain via the more accessible, gentle, all-levels trail through a pine grove (Ginny's Way). Bauneg Beg was just such an unexpected, beautiful network of trails through such a thick, tall deciduous forest that we were impressed. The signage on the paths themselves could be improved (some trees have multiple boards with arrows pointing in literally every direction making it VERY confusing; guess that's part of the adventure, though!), but this particular spot just had that untouched-by-man, trekking-through-the-raw-beauty-of-Maine-without-a-single-person-knowing-where-I-am-and-can't-bother-me-via-text feeling really reconnects a gal to nature and makes her want to create or write something beautiful, y'know?

"ORDER 73. ORRRRRRRRRDER 73."…read more "ORDER 74. 74, YOUR ORDER IS UP." This is how our walk through Scarborough River Wildlife Sanctuary started. With the sweet, sweet sounds of Ken's teenage girls calling out orders through their insanely loud speaker system and is the overwhelming scent of deep-fried seafood permeated our noses. Not sure about you, but that's everything I want when spending time in nature. Who cares about listening to bird calls or smelling leaves, right? In all seriousness, this 1.5 mile loop was pleasant enough - full of marshes, wetlands, forests, and fields. We did actually listen to many birdsongs, got to hear bullfrogs at the pond (which comes up unexpectedly from a tiny hill you walk up towards the end of the trail - it was actually very cool), watched chipmunks chase each other (amazing how noisy those little things are when crashing through the brush), enjoyed the hues of pink and white from the tremendous amount of apple trees along the path, walked along beautiful wooden bridges, and even found a tremendously random chair overlooking the ocean (seriously, see the photo). It was a very flat trail, and to be honest there were several places where the path had eroded, leaving giant blue tubes exposed forcing us to literally jump over them to the other side. Many of the signs marking trees and other interesting historical points (like - did you know? - the area used to have a golf green in it) were also cracked or missing entirely. Oh, and our walk ended the way it started. We were still a good half mile in the woods when the smell of fried seafood hit us and "ORDER 109. 109. ORRRRRDER 109. YOUR ORDER IS UP" blasted our ears. Now that I've seen this place once, I probably wouldn't come back for any reason. But it is a GREAT trail (once it gets fixed up) for kids, walking your dog, for those who are less mobile, or if you're trying to escape the OOB-madness.

A whole lot of…read morehistory The Scarborough River Sanctuary is a 52 acre parcel of land that has a couple of easy miles of hiking trails. Nothing strenuous or difficult, this is more a quiet stroll than a hike. A few small hills but nothing extreme in the least. Most of the trails are soft grass and I even think someone comes by and mows it from time to time. Much of the sanctuary is rolling fields and flood plain and one eventually leads down to the river. Unfortunately because of all the recent rain we couldn't quite get that far. It was getting just too soggy and wet. The area has lots of cool history and was a popular spot for the native Americans who fished the river and hunted and lived in the woods. It later became farmland and even a golf course at one time before it was finally declared a wildlife sanctuary. Not a place for hard workout. Just a very quiet, peaceful and lovely place for a walk. A piece of land that people have walked, used and appreciated for a long, long time.

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.

This place is a spectacular Nature hike taking you through some amazing trails to the Estuarine and…read moresalt marshes. Great trails and wood plank walks make this a easy and enjoyable experience for all

Came on a Tuesday afternoon. There's barns…read more Some museums which were closed. A visitor center which was closed. It's free because it's off season. Plenty of paths. One leads to the beach Ok to pass the time

Ogunquit is a charming town. It's well maintained. It has a lot of cute, touristy venues. It is the…read morehome of the marginal way, which is an amazing 1.5 mile walk along the Atlantic coast. There's a variety of restaurants. There is a large number of hotels, motels and inns to cater a variety of tastes and budgets. It's within striking distance of Kittery, Kennebunkport, Portland and Freeport. It's a very LGBTQ friendly town. The only negative is that it gets quite crowded over the summer. As long as you adjust your expectations accordingly, it's a great place to vacation.

This is our first vacation to Maine, so I asked a friend who's spent years vacationing here for…read moresome of her favorite spots. High on her list was Ogunquit and the Marginal Way and now I know why. We're staying in Portland, so Ogunquit is a short drive south, past Kennebunk. We took the more scenic route down (Hwy 1), driving through Wells, and are glad we did. We arrived in Ogunquit just at lunchtime, as we wanted to eat at Brix + Brine...unfortunately they weren't yet open for the season (Hubs, being a foodie, was crushed). We walked around a bit, enjoying the quaintness of the town. They clearly are a seasonal town, and we're here at the very beginning of the season so some shops weren't yet open. Parking is a challenge, but Google can help you find the public parking (we only found pay lots...not sure if there are free lots available). This is a VERY pedestrian oriented area, so as you drive through, take it slow and keep a sharp eye out. We've found most people will use the crosswalks but did have one experience where a couple crossed mid-block without even a glance left or right . There are some beautiful beaches here, with public access, so it makes sense that it's a big draw for visitors. One of the reasons we came to Ogunquit was to experience the Marginal Way, a walking path along the coastline that stretches a little more than a mile, from Ogunquit to Perkins Cove. We decided to drive down to Perkins Cove, park, grab a bite and walk the path. Perkins Cove sits on a finger of land, so there are docks with boats (and cruise options, I think), several shops and places to eat and a LOT of residences/rental houses. Right in the center is a medium sized parking lot where you pay by the hour ($4 per hour) - however, just as you enter the area theres a pay lot for $10. Choose your parking location based on how long you intend to stay. We ate lunch then walked the Marginal Way. The path is mostly well above the high tide mark and the rocks, but with a couple of stairways to allow you to get to the beach. Being low tide, we walked out to the water, took off our shoes and enjoyed a short walk in the cold water, while watching surfers and kayakers. The path is wide enough for two people to walk side by side and is paved. Those with mobility issues should be able to walk at least part of it, although some areas will be a little steep for anyone using a wheelchair. There are plenty of benches along the way, so you can take it at your own pace. This southern gal now wants to retire and move to Maine. I can learn to deal with snow...

Clean grassy area near the beach with plenty of space to walk dogs, have picnics, and have…read moregatherings with friends and family. Definitely gets busy during summer.

I love, love, love this spot! This is an odd year with…read moreCOVID-19 procedures and mandates ... and I'm not sure concerts were actually held here at all this summer or not! I come to York regularly, but haven't specifically looked for concerts this year. This park is always so neat and clean. Some days, it's so great to be near the ocean, but NOT on sand or rocks!