I feel the need to preface all of my nature reviews with this: being 90% forested and having around…read more3,500 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? Yes. Well marked signs? NO*. Element of surprise? Yes. WOW (say it like Owen Wilson a dozen times, please). What an absolutely incredible trail! Burnt Meadow Trail/North Peak Trail, 1.25 miles and blue blaze, "leaves a parking area along ME Route 160 and ascend the shoulders and south facing ledges of the broad eastern spur of the North Peak weaving in and out of forests and ledges onto the summit after a short scramble up the uppermost ledges to the summit (elevation 1,575 ft)." Read: this has strenuous uphill hiking, rock scrambling, aggressive climbing, and absolutely breathtaking views. From here DO NOT DOUBLE BACK, instead carry on to... Twin Brook Trail, 2 miles and yellow blaze, "leaves from North Peak Trail, mostly following the main brook and ravine..." (the kiosk goes on and on to talk about the various peaks this travels through). Read: this barely has any blazes, so there's A LOT of guesswork about where you're going (which I was annoyed at in the moment because I didn't realize it was twice as long and sooooooooo very full of switchbacks, but retrospectively added to the charm of this overall experience). We had to cross streams, pass by a wall of giant boulders where a me-sized porcupine was eating, and goes windy, windy, windy through the forest until we were dumped back onto the Burnt Meadow Trail. DO NOT go up this trail and "down" North Peak because... that'd be just dangerous. The views here are some of the best in this part of Maine. Honestly, this might become an annual autumnal pilgrimage for me. Despite it being a complete workout, the summit is just such a rewarding treat. It should be noted that during the summer (at least the past two) there's an overwhelming amount of hornets right at the most difficult part of the climb, so you may want to come in spring or fall.

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.

Holy green guacamole, folks -- what an adorable hike for some recreational activity. Eight thumbs…read moreup from me. (SAYS THE OCTOPUS!!!) If you must know, Eugene: this loop's difficulty was easy-to-moderate. Moderate; only because there are a few steep inclines/declines & lots of exposed roots throughout. Otherwise, super charming trail -- at time of this post (8.24.25), there was a story book; 'The Wicked Big Toddlah' displayed along the trail 4 people 2 read. That was a fun touch that must have been added by someone who likes fun things. Saco River = the midway point -- and guess what?! -- there's a rope swing there!!! Splish-splash -- take a swing, miss thing! Cool lil' waterfall to observe, as well. FYI: it's in the distance & it comes up towards the end of the loop. You can access it, however, by moving your bod down a fairly steep woodland surface. (Be careful, Uncle Todd!) Lots of pine needles around, too -- but also, hello, it's the woods! Call me Ranger Rick -- but I really enjoyed this hiking loop. Fam said 'bravo ' too!

Great time walking the preserve with my husband and dog. Don't be scared off by the "no…read moretrespassing" sign at the end of the road, like us. We saw that sign, despite Google maps telling us we arrived, and continued driving. We pulled off and decided to try again and sure enough, the parking lot and trail is JUST down the road slightly. Just past the no trespassing sign. The trail is extremely steep in 2 spots so I can't imagine visiting after it's freezing/icy/snow covered, unless you use snowshoes. Pretty view of the Saco River. Lots of parking.

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? No. When I think about hikes in Maine I need to do again, want to do again, would suggest others do... Douglas Mountain is unfortunately not one of them. For a few reasons: 1. There's no real view at the summit; there's a large stone observation tower that's pretty cool that you can climb up to see maybe a 160° view of the Maine Lakes Region (mountains, bodies of water, etc.). However, unless you're at the top of the tower (which always has a large number of wasps, by the way), you can't see anything at all because of the tree coverage. 2. If you take Eagle Scout (orange) from the parking lot, the first part is a really lovely walk in the woods. It then becomes a much more strenuous uphill hike. You need to stick on this trail to reach the top of the mountain, but it becomes confusing near Nature Loop Trail --- there's a misleading path, that's not part of the trail system, that it seems people have made overtime in search of a shortcut. We watched about ten people follow each other into the woods on one of these, then doubleback when they realized they weren't on Eagle Scout anymore. After you get to the top you can go down Woods or Ledges trail... but they both end on a dead end road with private homes. It's underwhelming. 3. We didn't see anyone pay the $3 suggested donation (to help maintain the trails). So that's a bummer; on the flipside, people were very respectful and patient about taking turns going up the stone tower so there wasn't overcrowding there. 4. If I wanted something similar, honestly I think Bradbury or Mt. Agamenticus are much better choices. Here's what I can say about Douglas Mountain: have you ever seen a man take his chickens hiking before? Because I have.

it's a pretty view but not the best i've ever seen. you can see mount washington from the top of…read morethe stone tower. the stone tower had a lot of wasps/hornets. it said the hike was a mile up and a mile down but my apple watch said the total (up AND down) was only 0.8 miles. nice hike though.

Good campground, clean and fairly priced. Would definitely recommend to anyone that wants a nice…read moregetaway spot

First time camping there. Couldn't say enough positive about it. The owners are very knowledgeable…read moreand friendly. Hubby liked that it's easy to get into. I love that the sites are not on top of one another. Bathrooms are clean. They are handicap accessible also. We will definitely go back.

I do not recommend any "Moose Tours" with Lucie. We drove 3 hours to meet her and she was an hour…read morelate to the meeting point(no cell service to contact her), completely unprepared for us as she "pulled the wrong file" "what did I tell you we were doing" We basically drove up and down route 26 for 6 hours looking for moose on the side of the highway. She stopped to asked the locals where to find moose and spoke endlessly about the types of trees in NH. No moose were spotted at all even after a desperate mosquito infested walk through the woods (yes, we had bug spray but it didn't make a difference). We were told "plan B" was to drive up and down the same highway at midnight to see if the moose were out. This was a surprise for my husbands birthday, It was a surprise for both of us! This was a complete waste of time and money.

What a great experience we had and most of all a beautiful day with a great guide! I booked a one…read moreday trip kayaking for Lisa and I and it couldn't have went any better. Lucy met us in the morning and we went straight to the river. It was such a gorgeous and enjoyable ride and she was so pleasant and relaxed the whole way through. She gave us some simple tips on kayaking and also some nice information on some of the wildlife and history of the area. When we reached Lake Ossipee the wind was very strong which made the lake very choppy and her lead was so assuring in the challenge that lay ahead of us - she was awesome and we made it to the other side of the lake without any issues whatsoever. I would highly recommend Lucy if you want to experience a great day outdoors in the White Mountains

I feel the need to preface all of my nature reviews with this: being 90% forested and having around…read more3,500 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? No. Well marked signs? No. Element of surprise? Kind of. Peary Mountain (929 to 958 feet [varying websites say varying things]) - named after Arctic explorer Admiral Robert E Peary - is a 3ish mile out and back trail that's maybe a bit moderate, especially towards the top as it gets a little steeper; the first part is on an ATV or snowmobile trail. I didn't visit in the summer specifically because I had seen across all sorts of hiking websites that the grass grows so tall here that a) it's nearly impossible to find the trail, and b) the ticks, mosquitos, and brown tail moths are overwhelming. I came in early autumn, and the trail was relatively easy to follow, though almost entirely unmarked. (If they're still there) look for the small cairns near the top to direct yourself to the summit. There's a stone bench at the top where you can look out; we were able to watch planes take off from the nearby airfield. A short spur allows you to see the Presidential and Whites from a distance. Overall, the views aren't as impressive as other nearby trails, but if you're short on time and want something just a little bit challenging... this might be for you! Finally, this is clearly a popular spot for the locals. As we made our way to the top, a family of about twenty adults and kids were coming down. We explored the summit alone for maybe five minutes before four sixty-somethings came up, took over the stone bench area, and had a party (literally: there was a speaker, drinks, smoking, and extremely ill-behaved dogs off leash that tried to attack us [and again, I mean that literally]). We left and passed maybe a dozen more folks bringing up chairs and coolers. I don't know if it's always like that on a Saturday mid-morning/early-afternoon (side note: it wasn't even a particularly nice day out), but it's not the vibe we're looking for when hiking. Again - maybe it's yours!

Went to Five Fields for the Cross Country skiing. The staff is friendly, helpful and…read moreknowledgeable. They have rentals for skiing and snowshoeing. The trails are extensive and well groomed. There are a few miles of flat skiing, and some nice challenging skiing.

Fun place with TONS of apples! Picked with grandkids. Brought home cider and squash too. There were…read moresome fresh pies there that looked and smelled really nice!(We went home and made some scrumptious apple crisp). They're open in the winter for x-country ski and snow shoeing with equipment available to rent. Nice hillside setting

A beautiful lazy river to put on your vacation itinerary. Did the 2hr float which was plenty of…read moretime to soak up the sun while relaxing on the water. Bring water shoes ahead of time! A bus will bring you to the drop off point. The river is very slow and had to apply some effort at points to keep moving. There are various sections along the river to stop at. There are two rope swings available downstream of the river. Definitely enjoyable with two hours being more than enough time.

We've gone down the river a few different times with this tube rental group. Each time has been a…read moresuccess. The first few times we had large groups of people with us, all meeting up to go down the river together. They accommodated us the best they could and we did the rest. You can rent tubes, cooler tubes, dog tubes, kayaks, canoes and more. They provide you with a life jacket and ticket time to be ready for your shuttle. They then shuttle you to a drop off location along the mighty Saco River. They transport you, your tube, and all your belongings right to the drop off. You can choose the length of your trip upon purchase. There is a one mile, three mile, and five mile trip down river. You can choose to repeat the trip, as long as there is time before they close for you to do so. They open early, like 8 am and close at 5 pm. The river is beautiful, and varies in depth throughout the trip. There's plenty of beaches to stop and enjoy a packed lunch or a snack. Please stay off of any beach that says "private" as they are not part of the rental companies lands. There's a couple of rope swings to stop at, but remember, you're stopping with no liability on the rental company. They are not liable for much on these trips. You sign paperwork ahead of time, stating such. Their booth has some items you may need for the trip down river, such as waterproof bags, dry bags, phone bags, goggles, paddles, sunblock, sunglasses and more, of course all priced slightly up. I really enjoy renting and tubing with this company, they've got it down after all these years. Definitely a really fun thing to do during a hot summer day.