About deni

a novice hiker and South Portland, ME resident. Along with her are her husband and dog with hopes of hiking at Mt. Katahdin. She also blogs about places to explore with your dog at DogWalkSpot.com.

Explore Maine by Bike sponsored by the MDOT

Posted on August 14, 2008 by deni

Ever wonder where you can ride your bike and take in the sights around Maine? Well, look no further. The State of Maine has put 25 suggested bike routes on it’s website. Many of the routes have options for short, medium and long rides. For instance, the Freeport/Brunswick tour has options for a 17 mile, 20 mile and 35 mile loop. They list out sites along the way, road conditions, locations of bike shops along the route, special cautions and offer PDF files of the route for you to print out. The PDF includes all the information listed for the route along with phone numbers and the turn by turn directions. There is a place to also print a map of the route you have chosen. The website is easy to use and has useful information that includes bike events around the state as well as a section for feedback.

For more information: http://www.exploremaine.org/bike/index.html

If you find this site helpful and take one of these tours, please post a comment and tell us how it was.

Back Cove/Back Bay Portland, ME

Posted on July 15, 2008 by deni

Scenic Back Cove trail in Portland is one of the area’s most used shared paths. The 3.5 mile loop around the cove passes Payson Park and connects to the Eastern Prom Trail which leads to the Old Port area. Accessible from many streets in the area, the path is often used by people and families walking, running, biking, training groups who are preparing for races such as the Beach to Beacon and there are weekly 5k races held here all Summer.

$Roses and Tukey\'s Bridge Back Cove$

Open dawn to dusk, no fee, seasonal portable toilets located in the Preble Street parking lot and Payson Park, four seasonal water fountains (two have dog bowls as well), benches, trash cans approx. every mile and informational signs.

Hiking, biking, soccer fields, bird watching, cross country skiing and snow shoeing, handicap accessible, strollers, dogs on leash.

For more information http://www.trails.org/

To Get There:

There are many, many access routes to Back Cove, however, parking is available in the lot off Preble Street Extension (across from the Hannaford store on Forest Ave) and on the north side of Baxter Boulevard at Payson Park.

We visit Back Cove, or Back Bay as is is also known, many times a year. It is one of the most scenic paths in the area, is well maintained and well marked. There have been many improvements to the path this year. They have laid new crushed stone, repaved the short expanse between the parking lot and Baxter Blvd., moved the Start line to edge of the parking lot and put all new signs up. There has also been a group who has begun a yardscaping project on the highway side of the trail just past the soccer fields. The path is even and level with only a slight rise when the path reaches Tukey’s Bridge and crosses the bay with I-295.

Notes: The path is wide and there is plenty of room to walk comfortably in both directions. There is a more narrow part when the path crosses Tukey’s Bridge and follows along I-295. The recent work on the path is a much needed and appreciated improvement. The water run-off grooves have been filled in and the path ruts have been eradicated for now. Just a great walk in general with great views of the bay and skyline.

$Going over Tukey\'s Bridge Back Cove$

Bradbury Mountain Pownal, ME

Posted on July 13, 2008 by deni

Bradbury Mountain has something for everyone of all ages and is one of the most popular parks in the area. Close to Freeport, ME and less than 30 miles from Portland, it is a great way to get a good hike and still be in the thick of things. Each season offers a new and fun hike with different views of the same landmarks. They even have hawk migrations in the Summer and Fall and you can participate in the hawk count.

State Park, nominal fee to enter (I think it was $3 or $5 for everyone in the car). Open 9am-Sunset, rustic restroom, no trash (only one small can for dog waste)

This is the only State park with shared trails for hiking, biking, camping, bird watching, dogs on leash, picnic area and shelters with grills, playground (being installed), ball field, horseback riding, snowmobiling, snow shoe rental available and cross country skiing.

For more information http://bradburymountain.com/

To Get There:

Take I-295 North or South to exit 22. Follow signs to the park located at 528 Hallowell Road.

This is one of our favorite hikes. It’s close to home and we can spend as little or as much time exploring the mountain as we want. The shortest trail is the Summit Trail. It is a direct trail from the parking lot to the summit and is only .3m up the 434 foot climb. The most common trail is the Northern Loop which is a mile, or the longest is the Boundary Trail at 1.5 miles. Many of the trails intersect so you can make it an even longer hike. We have done most of the trails at one time or another on the mountain side of the road and have found new and exciting plants and small wildlife each time we have gone. Even in the Winter, this mountain is a good hike.

$Grillin\'$

Notes: June of 2008 we went with family and friends and had a nice cookout after a great hike. We had kids and our dog with us. We saw a lot of other people around and we ran in to another troop of Brownies (we saw some at Mt. Ag only the week before). This troop helped to patch up the knee of one of the young girls we were hiking with and earned their first-aid badges.

Plan your trips with EveryTrail Mobile Travel Guides

Falmouth Nature Preserve Falmouth, ME

Posted on July 6, 2008 by deni

The second of our Portland Trails hikes, The Falmouth Nature Preserve is a little difficult to find, but once you get there, you will be surprised at what a treasure it is. Located on the Mill Creek flood plain, the paths lead you through many kinds of terrain.

2.5 miles; Open dawn to dusk; no trash; no restrooms; last visited June 2008

Hiking, mountain biking, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, dogs on leash, bird watching

For more Information http://www.trails.org/

To Get There:

The76-acre preserve is located on Route 88 ( Foreside Road ) about 0.7 miles south of Town Landing Market. The entrance to the parking lot is marked by a small white sign with the letter “FNP” and is 0.3 miles north of the bridge over Mill Creek, just past 176 Foreside Road.

There are five trails that wind and criss-cross through the preserve. All of the trails are well maintained and well marked with blazes in each color of the trails. They are generally packed earth with exposed roots and a few wooden bridges over some of the wetter areas. Most of the way is fairly level, we only experienced a few hills on our “border” hike. The sign at the entrance is a great guide, although we mis-read it and ended up on a longer journey than we expected, but worth every minute.

Notes: We only saw one other person who happened to be walking a dog. We did see a lot of deer tracks and heard many birds. I was excited by all the flowers in bloom, especially the Lady Slippers. We also saw a few random ladder type structures that seemed to be out of place and had no purpose.

Mount Agamenticus York, ME

Posted on July 5, 2008 by deni

Mt. Agamenticus located in York, Maine is a great hike without the long drive and still being close to many amenities. Mt. Ag is located very close to the tourist areas of York and Ogunquit, ME. It would be easy to spend time at the mountain and then hit the beach and have a great dinner in the area. At the top of the mountain the lookout towers offer amazing views of the Presidential Mountain Range as well as views to the Atlantic Ocean. There is active conservation going on all over the mountain as well.

Last visited June 2008

Activities: hiking, mountain biking, snowmobilling, horseback riding, atv riding, bird watching, dogs on leash as well as off leash with voice control, snow shoeing, picnicing

Open Dawn to dusk, no trash, portable restroom, private residence on site

To Get There:

Directions to Mount Agamenticus from the North:
Take I-95 South to Wells (exit 19)
Turn left from exit onto route 109. Go 1 ½ to 2 miles to route 1.
Turn right (south) onto route 1.
Follow route 1 into Ogunquit and through “downtown”.
At the flashing yellow light hanging over the road, turn right onto Clay Hill Road (also called Mountain Road and Agamenticus Road).
Follow this road 2 ½- 3 miles to a stop sign.
Turn right onto Mountain Road and follow it for about 1 mile.

Directions to Mount A from the South (using Route 1):
Take I-95 North into Maine. Take Exit 7, York (the last exit before the tollbooth for the Maine Turnpike).
Follow signs to Route 1 North (keeping right after the exit ramp). Turn left onto Route 1 North.
Approximately 3.5 miles after turning onto Route 1, turn left on Mountain Road. (Across from Flo’s Hotdog Stand)
Follow Mountain Road for approximately 4 miles to a stop sign after crossing the interstate. Turn right and continue on Mountain Road for approximately two and a half miles from the interstate overpass.

There is a parking area located at the base, or you can follow the road up to the top where there is another parking area. There is a large sign showing the trail system and welcoming you to the area. There is a lookout tower, picnic tables, a private residence that has a large deck lookout for the public and rental hall. You will also see the first of many ski lift parts along the trail. The mountain has a history of having been a ski resort for a few years in the 60′s.

There is active conservation in this area. According to the website:

Community Conservation
The Mount Agamenticus Conservation Region contains 10,000 acres of land and is one of the largest remaining expanses of undeveloped forests in coastal New England. The region is known for its abundance of vernal pools, rich biodiversity, and unique trail system and is home to many of Maine’s rare plants and animals. State, local and non-profit landowners are working together to protect Mount A’s water, wildlife, and land. These landowners make up the Mount Agamenticus Steering Committee and include: the towns of York and South Berwick, The York Water District, Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Great Works Regional Land Trust, York Land Trust, and The Nature Conservancy.

You can choose the length of hike you want from a short jaunt to a longer two peak hike. The trails are easy to follow and are marked well. One thing we found different was that the blaze colors are referenced for the use of the trail, not for the particular trail you may be walking on. At the head of each trail, you can find a box with maps and sometimes other helpful information.

Notes: We saw many families hiking and having picnics. We even saw a brownie troop helping to re-establish various plants in the area. We choose the Ring Trail and had a nice easy hike. The hardest part was the trail from the top to the Ring Trail; we went down Sweet Fern, and it was a little steep and had loose rock. There were many frogs, and one family was looking at a sunning snake.