We made a short stop to view this garden finding it quiet, tranquil and less than impressive though…read moreobviously your mileage may and very likely will vary.

Really pretty, I love coming here. It's nice all year round and even has a Geocache in it.read more

You can find the Beech Hill Preserve at 316 Beech Hill Rd, Rockport, ME 04856 with easy access to…read moreUS1. There are parking lots on either end of the trails leading up to the top and plenty of parking. Beech Hill was very close to where we were staying (at the border of Rockport and Rockland) and this fairly easy hike was about 5 minutes away. We climbed up one foggy day and returned another day from the opposite end to catch the view, obscured on the first day. Of course the prize of this hike is the really fantastic stacked-stone Tea House at the summit. Along the way you'll find blueberries that at one time were harvested and processed at the house (there's still an active processing building at one of the parking areas so it continues to this day). I took many photos of the Beech Nut Hut (as it's colloquially called) and added them to the Yelp listing dedicated to it). The trail itself is pleasant and fairly easy - I longer trail is slightly more aggressive than the short one that provides easy access to the summit. In all a good hike with plenty of native species to view as you ascend and descend, especially for those that have issues with more aggressive hikes.

Multiple access points bring you to the top of beech hill, great views, minimal effort, provide…read morerewards!

Beautiful and easy hike to go on alone or with friends/family. The scenery is nice and the trail is…read moreeasy.

As a family this was our first time at Vaughan woods and we will be back many times. It's a short…read morewalk/ hike through the woods and the waterfalls and bridges as well as the different kinds of trees make this a beautiful walk in any season. The trails are not marked well and to which trail your on but the path is easy to see. Come and check this out if your in the Augusta area.

You can find the Rockport Marine Park in Rockport, ME 04856 - this is the local harbor that…read moreRockport is named after, I believe. There's parking at the park itself of you can park along many of the streets and walk down to the park. We had a short visit to the park to check things out - it's interesting as there are limesone furnaces made of stack granite that still exist behind the park. Seems in the past raw limestone was delivered to the furnaces to "cook" so it would break down into lime (which has various uses, especially for the creation of powdered concrete). The park is fairly small but has some nice views if you're into the water and nautical vessels. There's also a carving of "Andre the Seal" for those interested - supposed to be a children's book but I'm not familiar with it. Not much hiking to be done in the park itself but a nice, fairly quiet place to stop and perhaps eat a bagged lunch.

Once again our vacation travels included a visit to this beautifully situated park. Once again we…read morevisited with Andre, the puffins, the kilns and the working harbor. We will be back of this you can be assured.

DO NOT GO ON THE WOODLAND TRAIL! My husband and I are outside people. We hike, camp, take our dog…read moreto the woods every day. The sculpture path was lovely, but the woodland trail was the most miserable walk either of us has ever taken. We are not stupid. Bugs live in the woods. But this was horrible. We put on deep woods bug spray before we left and still spent the entire time desperately swatting away mosquitoes. At one point we both had to run after being bitten by bees. I now have a swollen bleeding bite on my calf. It was disgusting. Definitely go. The sculpture park was lovely. Just stay out of the woods.

We visited this preserve on our way back from Rockland, and it was worth the detour. What seems to…read morebe another trail in the middle of nowhere is actually filled with over a dozen large-scale wooden sculptures by Maine-born artist Bernard Langlais. The pieces are beautiful and all found around the preserve's entrance, so you don't have to walk much to see them all. There's a cute visitor center with postcards and other things for sale, exhibits, and even a short film to learn more about the artist's life. The young woman working the exhibit was so kind and welcoming--she gave us a quick history lesson about the space and the art. We learned that many of the sculptures will eventually become one with the Earth due to the elements and Langlais's wish not to repair them. The art preserve is free, but there is a $10 suggested donation.

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? Yes. Element of surprise? Yes. I think if you lived in this area, you might come here for a nice walk - it offers a network of 4-ish miles of mostly easy trails (blue trail is 1.8 miles, white blaze is 0.4 miles, orange trail is 1.75 miles - I did blue to orange back to blue which allowed me to hike essentially the entire perimeter of the peninsula)! You can also come swimming here; take either the white or orange trails for shoreline access to Megunticook Lake. Balance Rock is one of the highlights of this preserve, it's a gigantic precariously-balanced glacial erratic. Don't worry, you can't miss it. A) There's loads of signs pointing in its direction, B) it really is an enormous boulder just standing erect, C) Lots of people visit here just to come see this, then turn around again (I didn't see another person on the entire trail beyond this). Beyond the swimming and Balance Rock what you'll find here is a long, winding walk through thick Maine forest (mostly pine and hemlock). It's really well marked, and could be great for families and birdwatching. Please note the gates close daily at 7:30pm, there's no dogs, no hunting, no camping, and no bicycles!

Gorgeous view along the ocean got to see an osprey coming in and out of the nest and catch some…read moregorgeous views. Great walk but definitely very rocky. You need suitable shoes and not be impaired in anyway..

Beautiful short walk to the rocky shoreline. It does feel like you're walking through people's…read morebackyards, but it was raining that day so we weren't going to slip and slide on the rocks. This was a short drive from Booth Bay where our planned activities were, I'm glad we stopped by!

I loved this lighthouse!…read more The road directly to it is very narrow and definitely can get backed up with cars looking to park during crowded times. Luckily - we drove past the first parking lot right up and found a spot directly in front. Friendly volunteer staff took photos for me and you are able to go up and into the lighthouse for free and walk around in the gift shop which has some nice items and jewelry and collectible pins and magnets. The grounds of this lighthouse are lovely and you can easily walk out onto the rocks to get pictures from below and on the sides. There is a small memorial off to the left for all the keepers of the light who have been lost at sea. Excellent visit and very beautiful and photogenic lighthouse.

Excellent museum with history of the area and lighthouse. This is the lighthouse Forrest Gump ran…read moreto in the movie! The volunteers were really helpful and friendly.