Beautiful scenic trail to hike on. Very level flat pathway through woodland area and side paths…read morealong the waterfront. Smaller beach area full of rocks and shells. Amazing views and lots of birds to watch. Bring binoculars! A few benches to sit and enjoy....

EXTREMELY LIMITED PARKING!…read more But when you can find parking, this is it! 1.4 mile trail. Has views of the water with a few spots to look out, sit on some rocks, and even a really cute bench. We were there on a day where waves were rough and got to watch the surfers. Trail is accessible for able bodied individuals. Most of it is flat and easy to navigate. Some spots have roots or rocks, but overall do able.

This is one of Maine's iconic lighthouses that is easy to access by car if you're visiting York, ME…read moreor driving through the area. First, it's pretty for taking a photo or two. You cannot access the island directly, but can view the lighthouse from the parking lot. Second, you can walk down the rocks on the left side and watch the crashing waves. In the summer (we visited on July 4, 2026), it can get quite crowded (the parking lot has perhaps 40 spaces in total). But most people do not stay for a long time. If you are driving to Maine on the coastal route, I would strongly recommend visiting here for a photo after you cross the state line at Kittery!

Beautiful lighthouse. Easy to navigate to the location and easy to park. It was so peaceful to…read morewatch the waves crash against the rocks. As a tourist, this checked all my boxes, especially that there was no cost to enter the parking lot.

It's seems like Mainers crave "secret beaches" more than ever before. With so many tourists in the…read moresummer time, the usual haunts can be overcrowded and offer limited parking and costly fees (because tourists are actually willing to wait in lines and fork over cash for an authentic coastal exeprience). Because going to the beach is sacred for me (I'm a mermaid, afterall) I am one of those locals looking for a spot where I can sun in splash in peace. I had heard of Laudholm Beach in passing, and decided one hot Friday to seek it out. Just a fortyish minute drive from Portland brought me to the Wells Reserve where you can access this beach after walking the Barrier Beach Trail (stay on it until it brings you out of the woods and over a wooden staircase). It's a dream come true: impressive and expansive views of sparkling Atlantic Ocean, piping plovers, waves, (comparatively) warm water, lobster boats, and limited people (and most of that small number are just here to walk the length of the beach before returning whence they came). There are quite a few rocks to navigate past at first, but that's what keeps most people at bay. You can pull up a patch of sand and spend hours uninterrupted here, or you can explore a bit and find mud flats and salt marshes that help protect various beach life (birds, fish, plants). Just be warned... at high tide there is little to no beach . Not an exaggeration. My walk back to the trail was partially in water (and back over those aforementioned rocks making it a bit dangerous...what's life without adventure though?!). Happy to know this place exists for when my other "secret" spots are overtaken by the loud, rude, non-mermaid believers.

We visited the Wells Reserve at Laudholm and decided to hike to this beach which lacks the crowds…read moregenerally found at Maine beaches. Unless your are private landowner near the beach, this is the only way to access the beach.

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!

... Traveling to Maine yearly for decades- we often stop to "take a breath" at Josias River Park…read more Much enjoyed, we will continue to do so. A favorite Stop for our Siberian Husky Symon.

Penguin came to Josiahs Park to walk down the trails in the forest…read more Lots of Greenery ,.trees, shrubs. Grass. Birds chirping. Beautiful day out for a nice walk

This may be one of my favorite areas in Wells next to the Estuarine. But def my fav beach. Plenty…read moreof space and tho popular not over crowded. There is town parking 1/3 mi from the beach at $5/hr or just ride your bike. We actually had a whale pod sighting today!

If you want a quieter beach than the madness of Ogunquit, then come to Drake's Island beach,…read morequieter, more locals and very laid back, I spent a whole day here by myself. Kennebunkport, Wells, Ogunquit and York are all side-by-side seaside communities along the Maine coast and they all have their own beaches as well. It really depends on what you're looking for but if you want a locals-only beach then this would be it. Also if you plan on swimming and not just dipping in quickly, try to find a spot on the estuary side as opposed to the ocean side, the water is easily 20 degrees warmer on the estuary side. Parking here is at about $5 /30 minutes and paid by machine and credit card only.

Ogunquit Beach is a wide stretch of soft white sand. The…read morehistoric downtown area is filled with charming local shops, great spots to eat, and classic New England buildings. Walking along the scenic Marginal Way cliff path gives you breathtaking views of the crashing waves below. It is a wonderful, lively destination for a relaxing getaway by the sea. The welcoming coastal vibe makes it a place you will want to visit over and over again.

One of my favorite beaches in the world! Love walking the entire stretch of the beach from Ogunquit…read moreto Wells, about 3.5 miles in each direction. Ogunquit beach has a very gradual slope which makes it perfect for long walks - you don't get the feeling that you are walking on a slant. It's absolutely gorgeous, with large sandy expanses, especially at low tide. There are often flocks of sandpipers, which I love to watch as they run so quickly over the sand and search for food. Ogunquit Beach is especially nice in the off season - the crowd spreads out over the area so you never feel as if people are on top of you like you might in the peak season. There is a parking lot that is free from November-March, and you can also easily walk to the beach from in town. Next to the parking lot there is a covered area with chairs and benches which are perfect for just relaxing by the ocean. There are also a couple of restaurants, a snack bar, a beach store, and an ice cream shop very close by.

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?