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Located off of Shore Road in Cape Elizabeth, Robinson Woods Preserve contains 197 acres of woodlands, fields, ponds, streams, waterfalls and massive white pine, red oak and hemlock - some as many as 300 years old! It offers over four miles of public trails on varied terrain, open year round for hiking, mountain biking and snow shoeing. Dogs are allowed, but must be kept on leash. Read about Enock Glidden's experience using a wheelchair on these trails through Maine Trail Find

This sunrise adventure includes easy parking, a dog-friendly beach, and a long walk to a Ferris wheel. I first experienced this sunrise walk a couple of years ago with my friend Becca, who loves beach walks and is also an early (and I mean, early ) riser like me. The beauty of walking Pine Point Beach in the wee hours of the morning is this: - You will mostly have the beach all to yourself. - Parking in the municipal lot is only $5 before 9:00am. - Dogs are allowed off-leash

Peak's Island is one of my favorite local summer adventures. It includes a boat ride, a 3.9 mile loop with stellar views, historic forts to explore, and just enough food/coffee/ice cream stops to keep the crew happy. The perimeter road is paved and mostly flat, with benches along the way. This is a dog-friendly island and these trails are maintained by the Peaks Island Preserve . Served by the Casco Bay Lines, the 20 minute ferry ride from downtown Portland to Peak's is a jou

This trail leads to a massive pond hidden in the woods off of Route 77 in Cape Elizabeth. It's dog-friendly and is conveniently located near a dairy bar. Now you can have your hike, your dog and your ice cream. And eat it too. The 1.5 mile one way (out and back) includes views of Great Pond along the walk through fields, woodland, and wetland marsh. It also includes the longest elevated boardwalk I have ever seen at 700 feet! Great Pond is a 40-acre freshwater pond, used in t

If the word "blueberry" transports you to sunshiny mountain trails in the summer months, I'm with you - and we will get there. But for now, we'll focus on this wintry hike and all that it has to offer us: a skating pond, two summits over 400 feet, babbling brooks, tucked-away ponds, and a deserted (shall we say creepy?) Boy Scout camp in the woods. There are many trailheads for Knight's Pond Preserve, including: 1. Bruce Hill - located off of route 115 in North Yarmouth via H

Here are some of the feelings I'm left with after a day of hiking: clarity, grounding, inspiration, energy, renewed excitement for life. But the drive to the mountains is long and I'd recently started wondering if that same post-hike high could be achieved through a longer local hike. My friend Anna and I were discussing this during a neighborhood dog walk and decided to plan a day to hike the 10 + mile West Side Trail in Yarmouth. The first time I walked this trail was in Ja

Owned by the Town of Cumberland and permanently protected by a Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust conservation easement, Greely Woods is mostly forested with a stream meandering through it. This 40-acre parcel of woods is tucked among several neighborhoods in Cumberland with three different trailheads. Romy and I explored the 1.3 mile lollipop loop, starting at the Greely Road Extension trailhead. Here you will find a few dirt parking spaces along the shoulder of the road. Fo

The path leading me to new trails is not always calculated or well planned. There's no master list or method to the madness. Still, I continue to find new trails every week because they are quite literally everywhere. Sometimes the best way to find them, is to just open your eyes. Last week, Finn and his friends asked if I'd bring them to the new skatepark in Gorham. My dog also (desperately) needed a walk, so I brought her with us in hopes of finding a trail nearby. The ska

This quiet, 1.4 mile loop follows a stream through thick forest with one expansive opening near the power lines. Hunting, mountain bikes and motorized vehicles are prohibited here, so when I say it's quiet, I mean it. This 39-acre property, owned by the Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust (CCLT), protects wetlands, streams and diverse wildlife habitat. For more details and maps of the property, visit CCLT's website here . A trailhead and small parking lot are located on Rock Ri

With all the rain we've had this past week, it's a great time to explore the Waterfall Trail at Rine's Forest. I've hidden another Seek'em for you on this trail, so now you have three reasons to visit: flowing falls, two hidden treasures, and the vivid colors that appear after a rainstorm. Why does nature appear more colorful after the rain? I've often pondered this question and found one explanation on a blog called " A Life Spent Wondering ". The answer is long and involves

This tranquil forest with cascading waterfalls is an ideal spot for soul filling walks, running your dog, or providing kids with a magical play space. Last weekend, I came here with two friends, our kids and our dogs. The kids created an imaginative game near the waterfall and we tired the dogs out with a long walk. The 15 minute drive to this free adventure sent our entire crew home tired and happy. Our mama mission had been accomplished. Photo Credit: Becca Wertheimer If yo

At 212 acres in size, this is the largest undeveloped property in Cumberland (163 acres) and part of North Yarmouth (50 acres). It includes a 46-acre great pond with two smaller ponds, forested uplands, a network of connecting trails, wetlands, streams and views of Casco Bay and Mount Washington. This is a critical wildlife habitat and a great place to kayak, canoe, hike, bike, snowshoe, cross-country ski, and ice skate. This spot includes ample parking and is less than 12 mi

There are so many reasons I'm excited about this trail, but the most thrilling discovery for me is that it connects to Knight's Pond Preserve on one end and Rine's Forest on the other. It's the cream filling in the Oreo cookie, and we're going to tackle it first, just like we did in childhood. All three of these gorgeous properties have been protected by the Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust (CCLT). Farwell Forest is privately owned with a CCLT easement. It's 45-acres in s

Before today, it had been several months since Romy and I had ventured out, just the two of us, to explore a new trail. Our family had the best intentions for a slow, easy summer, planning just three vacations over some long weekends. But by August, I'd been officially swept up in the whirlwind of all the fun being offered in the summer. Overnight, I'd become a full-time fun juggler, saying "yes" to all of the invitations and "no" to any down time. It happens to the best of u

I heard about this place three different times before deciding to explore it. The first time was from a camp counselor who was in WFA training with me. The second, from a postcard that arrived at my house. The third, from google when I searched "mini golf near me". When something keeps showing up in your life, just take the bait. In my experience, it usually leads to something good, as was the case with this curious desert located in the woods of Freeport. The 20 acres of rol

We just found another spectacular swimming hole and it includes a short hike. Thanks to my friend Sarah M. for sharing the details of this secret beach with me. It was our very last day of OMP Camp today and this was the perfect place to celebrate two years of outdoor adventuring with some incredible kids. The path to this beach is part of the Sebago to Sea Trail, which is a continuous shared-use trail connecting Sebago Lake to Casco Bay. Managed by the Presumpscot Regional L

Chebeague Island (also known as "Great Chebeague") is located in Casco Bay, 10 miles northeast of Portland. It was originally used as fishing grounds for the Abenaki and is the largest island in Casco Bay that's not connected to the mainland by a bridge. The year-round population was 396 in a 2020 census report and this number is said to triple in the summer months. In 2007, Chebeague succeeded from Cumberland, becoming its own town. This town is made up of 17 islands and th

It's August, it's hot, and we have another hidden swimming hole for you to check out! We learned about this one from two women paddle boarding near Babb's Bridge last week, one of whom had grown up in Gorham. I really love learning about new trails from locals. It happens ALL the time and never gets old. Locals know the very best places. The 1-mile lollipop loop at this preserve runs along the Presumpscot River, just south of the Dundee Dam in north Gorham. It follows a hist

Before our visit here last week, it had been over two years since we'd walked the trails at Gilsland Farm. That's because we got a dog and dogs are not allowed at most wildlife sanctuaries, including this one. For a solid year when Romy was a puppy, we walked/hiked her for hours a day and looked only for dog friendly trails. Now she's two and our "mountain dog" has become a full grown "couch potato". Now it's hard to motivate the ol' gal to do a short loop through Baxter Wood

The jetty has always been a crowd-pleaser, but today, we got to climb a ladder into the lighthouse. Located on the breakwater at Southern Maine Community College, Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse is the only caisson-style light station in the United States that visitors can walk to. Not only can you walk to it - you can also go inside! There are so many thrills to be had in this life. If you were wondering, a caisson lighthouse (also referred to as a sparkplug lighthouse, or bu