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.

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).

This was such a cool park to explore. Gorgeous trail along the water and we saw a pair of bald…read moreeagles! The pet cemetery was really sweet and such a fun surprise towards the end.

I can practically see Mackworth Island from my livingroom window, and it's a quick drive--and also…read moreone of my favorite walks in Portland. It's no secret, of course, and as other reviewers have noted there isn't much parking. For some reason I've always been lucky that way and have always found a spot (to be sure, sometimes the only open one). What I recommend--giving away secrets here!--is to aim for just before or after prime times like first thing in the morning or lunchtime. Once you're there, this wonderful little island right smack in a city makes you feel like you're miles away. The trail is less than a mile and a half but you can easily linger in the many path detours to lookout points, several of which have benches with the most marvelous views out into the Casco Bay that you can find anywhere. I have a favorite spot to take a breather with a book and a good coffee, but I'm not letting on exactly where that is : ) I also highly recommend the side paths to the pet cemetery (not Pet Sematary!) where the original owner of the island, Governor Baxter, buried his many Irish Setters and one very special horse. Check out the tombstones; it's quite moving. Also be on the lookout for the famous fairy houses (hint: there's one main area and you'll likely find random little setups hidden throughout). I don't want to ruin the sense of discovery on Mackworth--that's part of the fun!

This hike is a nice place to take a short stroll for the locals but not a place I would recommend…read moretourist to come. First off, it is only about half mile from parking to the waterfall. So total hike was only 1 mile. it is a WALK, not hike. Good for families with young ones. Be very aware that the mosquitoes here are super HUNGRY! I have never gotten so many bites within such a short time inside a hike! I got 6-7 bites all over my legs just from hiking here for 30 mins. My husband got 8+ bites all over his body! Luckily my little one only got 1 bite. We were all over Maine in the last 2 weeks including kayaking and out at Acadia national park. All outdoor activities and barely got any bites until now! There are other trails here too but after getting so many bites, we wanted to run away as fast as we could! I wish I didn't come here. View and waterfall are not worth it for trade off of these hungry hungry mosquitoes!! *sooo itchy* :-/ Bring bug spray if you wanna come!

Jewell falls is a waterfall of water flowing from the Fore River and is named for Tom Jewell who…read morewas one of the founders Portland Trails and very much alive today. Did you know that Portland Trails started in 1991? He donated the land around the falls and the rest of the land the trail walls through is a mix of public and private land. You see evidence of this with many marked signs that designate private property -- good to respect these so we can continue to walk these trails. Somehow I got lost off my usual path I take and ended up going on the greater fore river sanctuary trail loop around and across the railroad tracks, but the boardwalks were great! Back to the falls, if you start at the trailhead near Brighton ave, it's less than 0.25 miles of a walk. The falls are made of horsetails of rushing water over large slabs of rock. The trails are really well maintained and there's not too many people. You can definitely still hear traffic from some parts but there are a few quiet enclaves.

Free parking and a nice short trail to a cascade. It was dry when we went so the cascade was a…read moreletdown tbh but still a fun time

I have noticed this trailhead many times on our trips to Old Orchard, but never had time to stop in…read moreand check it out. Today, we did! I'm so glad! The trail is beautiful, and easy for anyone (except a wheelchair, sorry) I have a bad knee with limited mobility, and this was doable for me! I'm so glad we made it out there today. The waterfall was at full force, and was so gorgeous. The little landing area at the bottom was full of downed trees, but the kids were having so much fun climbing and navigating. There were people flitting about in every which way, miniaturized by the big waterfall. The bridge was washed out, looking to be repaired, so I think one access from the loop was cut off. But people were navigating over the downed trees and on rocks. Nobody seemed to care. It was a blast! HIGHLY recommend this trail.

Very underrated from the information we found online but we were in the area so decided to go. I'm…read moreso glad we did !! Beautiful walkway along the ocean, cliff top area. It's not a very long walk but we had kids with us and very easy for little legs.

If you are on Bailey Island I recommend a stop at Giant's Stairs Trail. There are directional…read moresigns to get you there once you are fairly close. I parked by the McIntosh Lot Preserve where there is a small parking area on the side of the road. Stay on the path and be respectful most of the area is private property. The rock formations are magnificent, i was in awe of what I saw. Pictures cannot do it justice.

There's something alluring when a place boasts of only allowing x-amount of visitors at a time…read more Like - what's so special and magical about this place that they need to keep it so unoccupied? And why are we as people drawn to that sort of exclusivity? I don't know. But it's one of the reasons why we decided to check out the Littlejohn Island Preserve. It was a Sunday afternoon, about an hour from dusk, and we really didn't think we were going to get a spot... but apparently nobody nature walks in December in blustery weather, so we had the place to ourselves. PLEASE NOTE: there really are ONLY four parking spaces with many, MANY signs warning of being towed should you foolishly choose to park anywhere else. The four spaces are about a quarter mile from the actual preserve which is down a private lane. The 23-acre preserve is open during daylight hours only and is about a 1.3 mile loop trail; it's very, very flat and has plenty of manmade wooden plank bridges (and a layer of wood chips where there aren't any) making it pretty accessible to walkers of all ages and ability levels. The ocean views are wonderful, and there are even a few areas where you can walk right down to exposed beach during low tide. However... if you can't get here for whatever reason (like say because there's only four parking spaces), the trails on both Mackworth Island in Falmouth and Wolfe's Neck State Park in Freeport are incredibly similar in both walkability and views (the former also having restricted parking [just not quite as severe]; the latter charging for entry).

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.