A HUGE thank you to Deni for writing a review on this place. We had no idea it existed and…read moreseriously this place made our Memorial Day Weekend. It's super cool how a tiny path enters into an amazing park and offers placards of its' historical past. Our dog loved it and we loved the dog bag stations, trashcans, and super nice benches, picnic tables and look out spots. The bridge was AWESOME too. We found a great little cafe off the path called Forest Falls Cafe, which next time we will definitely eat at. There was enough shade for our dog and a nice breeze off the river. We'll be able to come back through the summer with him even on hotter days. There were a few families that passed us on bikes, a few others eating lunch at the picnic tables, and couples walking the paths. This place should be on Boston's Chronicle as a hidden gem or tank of gas episode. Wow, we LOVED it.

We entered the park by the William Rowe School on the aptly named School Street. Some of you may…read moreknow this area of ball field and tennis courts as the space used to set up the rides for the Yarmouth Clam Festivals and have eaten your fried dough here and then had a turn on the Zipper. There are signs that caution you to leash your pet and there are rules posted for your canine companion. Please be a good dog companion ambassador and follow the rules. This is a great park for the whole family. The paths are paved so they are accessible to all (there is a hill so you may want to help anyone in a wheelchair along that section). Be aware that the river has a really fast current and rapids so children, pets and anyone else not being safe can be swept away! If you are a dog owner and want to let your pal romp free of leash, there is a designated spot at picnic point where you can "unleash the beast" and let them play. There is also a sandy spot with access to the water for your pup to jump in and cool off which one of ours gladly took advantage of. The trail winds along the rapids and falls and there are signs of old industry and left over parts of buildings. There are informational signs along the way to read. There is a bike rack and picnic area (not in an off leash section) on the side of the park near the Yarmouth History Center as well as another trail head. There are open fields where your kids can play and you can play too! without being cramped in with too many other people. I wish there were maps of the area showing the intersecting trails as this park meanders through and between many neighborhoods. We met many other people walking these trails and everyone was friendly. While dogs are supposed to be leashed, we did encounter a few off leash, however, the owners did have voice control and we had no issues. The views are amazing, the history lessons insightful and this is a great space to spend time and hang out. *as a side note... we did find an "alligator" strategically placed which made me laugh out loud. If you walk this trail and see that red eyed monster too, let me know!*

I remember going here as a kid and I took my youngest son almost a decade ago. We wanted to do the…read moresummit trail and climb Bradbury Mountain. Definitely not a big challenge but it was fun. I grew up in Lewiston so this park is close by. I will have to take John next time we're in Maine. Lots of other trails to explore.

From my original review: "'You know what I love about this place? It's low risk, high reward.'" We…read moreoverheard an older woman tell her husband this as they approached the summit. And as we stretched out on the rocks enjoying our picnic in the the warm sun, taking in the view of what seemed to be endless forests, bodies of water, and islands, we couldn't have agreed more." A decade later this is still true. If you're looking for an easygoing, very accessible way to go hiking and get some fresh air while wandering Maine's woods, take in the changing leaves of autumn or the abundance of blossoms and wildflowers in the spring, Bradbury - located just thirty minutes from Portland - is hard to beat. According to their website, Bradbury Mountain State Park was one of the original five state parks in the state of Maine, acquired by the Federal government in 1939. The mountain is open year round from 9am until sunset and offers a variety of hiking trails that range from very, very easy ("wide gradual ascents", "well packed and fairly flat") to slightly more challenging ("steepest ascent, but not difficult to hike", "areas with sharp turns"), from .2 miles to 1.5 miles (or more if you want to build your own adventure here - which is very easy to do because this state park's trails are now abundantly well marked; expect lots of maps throughout to let you know where you are AND lots of wooden signs pointing you in the right direction). You could easily do it all in one half day or break up your walk and come back another time, especially considering it's an easy, convenient mountain with an elevation of just 485 feet. Dogs are allowed on leashes, horses are allowed on certain trails. There are bathrooms. You can check out an old cattle pound. Explore for geocaches. It's a cute little mountain, and I'm so happy it's right in (proverbial) our backyard.

Went for a walk because it was a beautiful day, and wanted to find a place that wasn't a hike, just…read morea walk. Lots of people there - all masked and distanced. It was a bit icy, but beautiful, and a lovely walk.

Welcome to Karenville. Population: Certainly not you!…read more I should have known how this was going to go when I went to check in with 2 friends and the ranger told me he had cancelled our 3-night reservations because of a storm coming in two days. I told him we just planned to stay the night so we would be gone long before any clouds rolled in, and that I had spoken with a very pleasant woman there the day before who suggested that very thing. He didn't want to hear it. When I asked why we weren't told about the cancellations, he said "we don't have to tell you." When I asked about a refund he snapped "we don't do refunds". He got livid when I said we weren't going to turn around and drive 3 hours home and said "we'll see" as he stormed out of the gate house. The guy at the gate house (not the ranger) was very pleasant and honestly tried to come up with a solution for everyone. He explained that we couldn't stay in the 3 sites we reserved because the ranger closed them, but he could put the 3 of us on a site near the water. It would be tight and not typically allowed, but at least we'd have a place to camp for the night. Right off the bat it was clear that this isn't the day-camper area. We were surrounded by RVs that had obviously been there all summer and people didn't smile or respond to our greetings as they walked by. They made no bones about not being happy with our presence. Before I get into our experience, let me say that we are all professionals in our 40s/50s with families. We set up tents, play a few camping games, grill up some burgers & steaks, have a few beers and call it a night. We've been camping together for 20 years and never once had management speak to us or a neighbor complain. It's about 3:30 by the time we have everything set up, so we decide to play bocce. Since we were sharing one site, space was very limited and we had to play in the walkway between the sites and the water, making sure not to interfere with anyone walking by. About a 1/2 hour in, a woman comes up and tells us we're "ruining her experience" and we need to stop playing. We tell her we're going to keep playing but we'll be aware of our volume, to which she storms off in a huff. Around 6:30 the ranger shows up with the woman and another man who complained about us cooking dinner. The ranger said that we were too loud and "being offensive". When I asked him what we did that was offensive, he kept repeating that we're "just offensive". Ironically, we were silently sitting around the fire when he came to yell at us - something he admitted. We asked what rules we were violating since it was more than 3 hours until Quiet Hours and he replied we weren't being "considerate". He said the next time he came by he'd have the police escort us out. We found out the next morning that he had already called the police before ever saying a word to us. Knowing the ranger and our neighbors were just waiting for Quiet Hours to drop the hammer, we went to bed at 9:45. Not exactly what we had planned, but we also didn't want to pack up & drive home in the middle of the night. The next day a woman came up to us near the bathrooms and stuck her finger in our faces screaming at us that we're "f*cking morons" and that we had "tortured that poor old lady". This was in front of a ranger, who evidently didn't consider that offensive.

My first time exploring the Spear Farm Estuary Preserve was immediately after The Great Maine Wind…read moreStorm - and the damage it caused to the trails and trees was both devastating and breathtaking at the same time. To be walking alone through such a scene of natural wreckage on a beautiful sunny day in the fall felt haunting and peaceful - was this scene from some apocalypse film? Admittedly, I probably shouldn't have been walking through here when so much of the walking path was obstructed by downed enormous trees, but it was like an adventure crawling under and climbing over them! Despite the unique circumstances of my first visit, this is a spot that I would absolutely come back to again and again (I bet it's amazingly serene in December before the first snowfall!). There's off street parking, and the preserve itself is a 55+ acre area with a big freshwater pond and benches overlooking it, woodlands and a high-canopy forest, and open salt marshes as it abuts the Royal River. With over a mile and a half of accessible, extremely well manicured, well marked trails that loop and plenty of places to sit and enjoy a picnic, it's one of those hiking spots that I'm genuinely glad to know about (it was fun meandering around here without fear of getting lost since all the trails connect and the ocean acts as a natural border. You know you've found a good trail when you feel sad after you've "reached the end" of your first walkthrough of it! Before you go: hunting is allowed - though it has to be 300+ feet away from the trails - so be sure to rock your orange in October and November; beware of ticks; and, don't stomp around off trails too much (that way we can actually preserve this amazing, diverse habitat).

Beautiful area, kids loved it. However, came across two women who didn't control their dog and who…read morewasn't on a leash. Kids were fearful, women didn't use any voice command to control the dog - only stated that the dog was friendly. That didn't help the small children hearing these words. The children were scared plain and simple!! After passing us the woman replied that this specific park doesn't require dogs to be leashed. This isn't true! According to Maine law "if dogs aren't on a leash they should be under voice control ( which this dog was not). You should also assume that it's also noted in This law that it's safest to assume your dog be on a leash at all times". People - dogs must be leashed!!

No dogs allowed ?! This is another not user friendly trail on the Freeport Trail Challenge. These…read moretrails on challenge should be user friendly for the whole family! Dogs are family!

This review is for the trail that creates a loop with the Royal River Park…read more Access is along Melissa Drive and there is no street parking. The other end of the trail is in the business park off Forest Drive where Pet Scripts, Forest Falls Cafe and many other businesses are. This is business park is also parking during the Yarmouth Clam Festival each year. We came across this lovely little section of trail while walking around Royal River Park and wanted to make a loop instead of turning back and the way we had come. There are lovely views of the falls and you can look across the water to the Park. The houses along this section are amazing and they certainly struck it rich with the view! The path is short and is dirt but mostly even. There is a section of wall built to give the homeowners some privacy. Please stay on the trail and dogs are to be leashed and picked up after. Be aware that this land is almost all privately owned and there is a just a path that is a public way. You must carry in and carry out.

I feel the need to preface all of my nature reviews with this: being 90% forested and having around…read more3500 miles of coastline, Maine has a tremendous amount of spaces, walkways, paths, and trails of all kinds and of all levels. There's something for everyone. What I'm reviewing is how a spot compares to similar outdoor spots in my personal opinion. Being in nature - and remembering to carry in, carry out - is always five stars! :) Parking? Yes. Loop trail? Kind of. Well marked signs? Kind of. Element of surprise? Kind of. To start, "mountain" is a loose term here (although it is the highest point in all of Freeport); the elevation is just a little over 300'. Hedgehog Mountain is a 196 acre property offering around 5 miles of trails. It's on the same road as the town transfer station (Pownal Road), so expect big trucks going fast up and down here. There's a dedicated parking lot for four or five cars, as well as some safe shoulder parking for a few more vehicles. To me, this place seems like it's mostly locals walking their dogs (on and off leash). While we didn't check it all out, the trail system is extensive offering options on both sides of the road. Lots of opportunities to walk through pine and hemlock forest on flat ground, many old stone walls, and a "summit" offering ***on clear days*** mildly obstructed views including the Presidential Range in New Hampshire. We appreciated the steel (?) sign at the top pointing out where Pleasant Mountain, Shawnee Peak, Mt Washington, Mt Jefferson, Mt Adams, Mt Madison, and Bradbury Mountain was. Not that I think you could get lost here, but it's important to note that some trail junctions are not well marked (the blue blazes on the trees are spaced too far apart or are faded). Sure, there are newer wooden signs staked into the ground here and there at intersections pointing out where trails go and where the parking is, but it could be easy to get turned around here especially with so few landmarks. So, if you're looking for a pretty generic walk in the woods - with the opportunity to maybe see a snow-capped Mt Washington - this quick-to-walk, quick-to-access spot. PLEASE NOTE: The black flies (and hornets) here are out of control in spring and summer.

I have been coming to Grist Mill Park for years. Located on East Main Street (Rt. 88) in Yarmouth,…read moreMaine. Below the Lower First Falls, there is a parking lot, a shaded lawn area with a few picnic tables often used for lunch. It is so peaceful and tranquil, just to sit and have a bite to eat, while listening to the water roll on by. This historic location looks downstream to the old mill and former shipyard sites. An oasis to be enjoyed, just steps outside of the concrete jungle we inhabit.

Nice little park. It has a little parking area, with stone benches and picnic tables. It also has…read morean area to sit by the falls. It has a port-a-potty . And you can park and walk around Yarmouth if you want. Check it out, if you're in the area.