Ferry Beach State Park; Copyright © Eric Holsinger
Ferry Beach State Park is a recreational gem in the Saco area. It is a well maintained state park with wide, flat, groomed trails through oak and pine forest and a tupelo swamp, around a pond and with access to the beach.
Continue reading
Maine Scenic Byways. Copyright © Eric Holsinger. Image used with permission.
Evans Notch is a mountainous area in Western Maine between Fryeburg and Gilead. The north side of the notch flows into the Androscoggin River drainage and the south side flows into the Saco River drainage. All around it is mountains and forests.
The Pequawket Trail Scenic Byway follows RT 113 north from Fryeburg and weaves in and out of Maine and New Hampshire as it passes through the White Mountain National Forest and the Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness.
The area around Fryeburg is agricultural; corn fields and farms. The Saco River flows wide and slow in this area. The road winds in and out farms and forest and slowly climbs toward the notch.
The area near the notch opens up with scenic vistas overlooking the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The cliffs above the notch provide nesting for a recovering population of Peregrine Falcons.
North of the notch, the road follows the Cold River as it descends toward Gilead and the Androscoggin River.
In the winter, a section of this road is impassible. There are gates for closing the road, but you’ll probably just find the plow trucks have blocked any passage with hard packed snow.
Evans Notch Scenic Byway at EveryTrail
More information:
Image used with permission, Copyright Eric Holsinger.
The Sylvan Trail is a 1.6 mile loop hike in Saco, ME. The trail passes through deciduous and evergreen forest – there are lots of oak trees – and skirts the edge of a farm field.
Continue reading
Maine Autum Maple Foliage. Copyright © 2003 Eric Holsinger
Foliage in Maine is difficult to predict, but usually reaches peak sometime around the last week of September through the first weeks of October. The difference between peak foliage in northern Maine and southern Maine can be weeks. And once the leaves turn, it may last only a few days before they’ve passed.
So how does a visiter to Maine plan a fall foliage tour?
Continue reading
Mackworth Island perimeter hiking trail is highly accessible and offers excellent views of Casco Bay’s islands and Portland’s Eastern Promenade. This is an easy hiking trail suitable for children, strollers and leashed dogs. Access to the shore is steep and difficult in most places, but fishing, beach combing and bird watching for pipers and other shore birds is also popular.
The trail is 1.25 mi long and circles the perimeter of this 100 acre island, connected to Falmouth by the Andrew’s Avenue causeway, near Martin’s Point in Falmouth. There is a small parking lot and the area is maintained by the Maine Department of Conservation. There is no waiting on the island for a parking space to open.
A popular activity is fairy house building. There is a designated place on the island, called Fairy Village, where visitors are allowed to build structures with materials found on the island. Please respect the island and only build in the designated area, with natural materials – nothing alive, of course. There is plenty of material to use from fallen pines, seashells and stones. Even if you don’t build, walking through Fairy Village is worth a stop.
If you have a Maine State Parks passport, be sure to bring it – there is a passport stamp box near the parking lot.
If you have EveryTrail (affiliate link) on your iPhone or Android, here is a link to my Mackworth Island track.
Plan your trips with EveryTrail iPhone Travel Guides
