Neptune Woods, Brunswick

Calling all mountain bikers! This gorgeous 64-acre parcel includes up to 4 miles of beginner-friendly trails winding through mixed forest filled with ferns, boardwalks and sunlight filtering through the pines. You can also hike, run, snowshoe, and cross-country ski here.

Located at Brunswick Landing (formerly Brunswick Naval Air Station), Neptune Woods was the first parcel here to be actively conserved and developed for recreation. A number of community partners were involved in this 2018 project, including Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, who donated the property to the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust (BTLT), and the Six Rivers Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA), who brought these trails to life. Midcoast Hospital’s Access Health group funded the trail’s bridges and volunteers from the community showed up in dozens to help.

Neptune Woods is a hop, skip, and jump from my new place of work, Teens to Trails, on Neptune Drive in Brunswick. I’m only in the office twice a week, but I was overjoyed to discover these trails during week one, since I’d made the solid decision to take a walking lunch break each work day. On the days I'm working from home, you'll find me walking in Portland's Baxter Woods.

Here’s the thing - most people I know don’t take a lunch break. It’s easy to skip right through it, working away on our little laptops, shoveling food in our faces, and pushing right on through until that much anticipated post-work walk, bike ride, or couch time.

When I took this job, I made the conscious decision to grant myself a walking lunch break each and every day, because moving my body and breathing in fresh air is just something I need…and I don’t think I’m alone in this. Trail time improves not only our mental health, but also our productivity and focus. I strongly believe that we can’t work away for 8 hours straight. At some point, your eyes will start to cross and nothing makes sense anymore.

Here’s my suggestion, find some woods near your work. If you don’t have woods, maybe there’s a trail or sidewalk along the water, or a city garden or park you can meander through. We live in Maine, and there are natural spaces near every work place, I’m sure of it.

If you live, work, or bike in Brunswick, here’s a map of Neptune Woods. It’s a truly gorgeous plot of woods and I hope you can explore it.