Love Atlantic beaches and birdwatching? Here are the best state parks in Maine you can't miss

Yahoo

6 days ago

In a state renowned for outstanding natural beauty and stunning landscapes, Acadia National Park, and Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument often overshadow Maine's state parks, but they shouldn't.
'Maine's state parks have everything: an iconic lighthouse guarding the bold coast at Quoddy Head, amazing beaches, and 4,000-foot mountains, like Old Speck and Katahdin,' says Andy Cutko, director of Maine's Bureau of Parks and Lands.
In addition to that, clear lakes, wild-running rivers, and coastal islands are also reasons why people flock to these selected state parks in Maine. Parkgoers should also check park listings for rules, fees, precautions, accessibility, and facilities.
(Related: This is the most scenic route through Acadia National Park.)
Best for: Families
Grassy dunes back this mile-long beach that is bookended with granite ledges pocketed with tidal pools. Families love the gentle surf, relatively warm waters, summer lifeguards, and an inviting picnic area. A beach wheelchair is available.
Popham Beach State Park, a mid-coast park in Phippsburg, is another family-friendly alternative that provides lifeguards in summer. Surfers love it, and shorebirds flock here.
Best for: Escaping crowds
'Birch Point State Park is a gorgeous white sand cove beach that few people know about. It's out of the way but just as pretty as Popham or Reid State Parks. It attracts local families on hot weekends, but otherwise, it's usually pretty quiet,' Cutko says.
Roque Bluffs State Park is an alternative way to avoid the crowds. This underutilized park on Englishman Bay comprises a handsome sand-and-pebble beach, a swimming pond, and easy hiking trails. Bob Duchesne, creator of the Maine Birding Trail, says its multiple habitats, including ocean, pond, fields, and woods, provide excellent birdwatching.
(Related: The essential guide to visiting Maine.)
Best for: Atlantic Ocean views
This state park is situated where the mountains tumble to the sea, and the views from the tower capping Mount Battie's summit inspired poet Edna St. Vincent Millay's 'Renascence.' While you can drive or pedal to the summit, Carey Kish, author of Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast and the Maine Mountain Guide, suggests: 'Scamper up the east slope of Mount Battie to the historical stone summit tower. Relax and enjoy fabulous views over idyllic Camden harbor to Penobscot Bay.'
Travelers should also consider Penobscot Narrows Observatory in Prospect, Maine, as an alternate state park.The three-floor, glass-walled observatory topping the west tower of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge delivers 360-degree jaw-dropping views, including Mount Desert Island, Penobscot Bay, and inland mountains.
Best for: Island time
For a real 'Maine island feel,' Cutko recommends 70-acre Warren Island, located in Penobscot Bay, accessible only by boat. He suggests bringing sea kayaks aboard the state ferry to Islesboro, then paddling the quarter mile across ocean waters to the park. Daytrip it or reserve a campsite or Adirondack shelters.
Parkgoers can head to Mackworth Island State Park in Falmouth as an alternative to Warren Island State Park. An easy 1.25-mile trail skirts the perimeter of this 100-acre park located on a causeway-linked island in Casco Bay. Watch boats to and fro and keep an eye out for wildlife, a fairy village (tiny houses made by children), and the Baxter pet cemetery of former Maine Governor Percival Baxter.
(Related: Visiting Maine? Here's what locals love about their state.)
Best for: Oceanfront camping
Although only 30 minutes from Acadia National Park, this quiet, 55-acre park edging Frenchman Bay feels a world away, especially when camping. While here, enjoy a picnic area, playground, treehouse, nature center, one-mile loop trail, boat launch, and views across the narrows to Mount Desert Island's rounded peaks. Lamoine Beach is less than a mile away.
For an alternative, head to Cobscook Bay State Park in Dennysville, Maine. Although temporarily closed for upgrading, this 888-acre, oceanfront campground earns kudos for its remote setting, massive tides, spruce-fir maritime forest, and access to Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge Barren Unit's trails. According to Duchesne, more than 200 bird species are found here, including a wide variety of warblers.
Best for: Coastal hiking, sunrise, wildlife, and lighthouse fans
This 541-acre, cliff-hugging state park tipping the country's easternmost peninsula, is the best park to see the sunrise. 'Hike the Coastal Trail at dawn, and watch for humpback, minke, and finback whales,' Carey recommends. And don't miss the Bog Trail's boardwalk over a coastal plateau bog with rare carnivorous plants. This state park is also home to West Quoddy Head Light, Maine's candy-striped lighthouse.
Owls Head State Park makes a fun alternative for lighthouse fans. Bluff-top Owls Head Light, dating from 1852, overlooks Penobscot Bay, and the American Lighthouse Foundation opens the lighthouse tower for tours. Visitors can enjoy the panoramic views taking in Rockland Harbor, Vinalhaven and North Haven islands, and lobster boats and windjammers sailing the waters and admire its fourth-order Fresnel lens. The foundation also operates the adjacent Keeper's House Museum & Gift shop. The park lacks hiking trails, but it has a small pebble beach and picnic area.
(Related: Feel the call of the wild on a moose safari in Maine's Great North Woods.)
Best for: Autumn day trip
Bisected by the Grafton Notch Scenic Byway and the Appalachian Trail, this sprawling park offers something for everyone. Easy roadside stops include fun-to-explore Bear River Valley's waterfalls and gorges, Moose Cave, and a picnic area overlooking a marsh and Old Speck Mountain. Wildlife is plentiful, including moose, but remember to view at a safe distance. Trails range from leisurely jaunts to challenging hikes. For views, Cutko recommends Old Speck, a challenging 7.6-mile, round-trip hike rising to a 4,180-foot summit observation tower delivering outstanding panoramic views. Autumn foliage colors the peaks in fiery reds, oranges, and golds.
For an alternative state park that's great for an autumn day trip, visit Mount Blue State Park in Weld. This park comprises two sections framing Lake Webb. It's a strenuous but rewarding 3.2-mile hike up 3,187-foot Mt. Blue. Shorter and easier trails are available both in the park and in the adjoining Tumbledown Mountain Public Land. Two multi-use trails—one 20 miles and the other four miles—are open to mountain bikers as well as hikers. Afterward, enjoy a swim or a paddle on the lake. A picnic area, playground, and campground are available at this state park.
Best for: Canoeing
Maine's Allagash Wilderness Waterway flows 92 miles northward through lakes, ponds, and streams linking Telos Lake with East Twin Brook. 'The Allagash flows through the history of Maine's Indigenous Wabanaki, who paddled here millennia before Thoreau documented it and still do today,' says Master Maine Guide Polly Mahoney, co-owner of Mahoosuc Guide Service. She appreciates the variety this quiet National Wild and Scenic River offers.
In southern Maine, Androscoggin Riverlands State Park offers 12 miles of riverfrontage in two sections, Turner and Leeds, all part of the 65-mile Androscoggin Greenway waterway. Put in at the Center Bridge Boat Launch in Center Turner and paddle gentle waters upriver along the Leed's section on the eastern edge or downriver along the Turner section's western edge.
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Best for: Hiking and birdwatching
This state park is home to Katahdin, Maine's tallest peak and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Baxter's nearly 210,000 acres are independently managed. Its mission and rules keep its 51 peaks, 225-plus trail miles, and more than 60 named ponds forever wild. 'Hike South Turner Mountain for an outstanding look at the Katahdin massif, Knife Edge, and the Great Basin. Look for moose at Sandy Stream Pond en route,' Kish suggests. As for birding: 'It's so big, it's got everything,' Duchesne enthuses. Highlights include the threatened Bicknell's Thrush and northern warblers.
Bradford Mountain State Park in Pownal is an excellent alternative, especially for young families. A 21.5-mile network of mostly easy-to-moderate trails ranging from 0.2 to 2.6 miles in length lace this 485-foot-high peak, and most trails also allow mountain biking. Two annual programs attract birders: Hawk Watch takes place from March 15 to May 15, and Feathers Over Freeport occurs in mid-to-late May. The park's facilities include a campground, playground, and picnic area.
Best for: Lake camping
Maine has numerous parks edging or encompassing lakes. However, Cutko singles out 893-acre Peaks-Kenney, with more than a mile of shoreline edging 10-mile-long Sebec Lake and dreamy views over the water to Borestone Mountain. 'It's a quieter park with a lovely beach on a lake that doesn't see a lot of boat traffic,' he says. A 56-site campground, picnic area, playground, canoe rentals, and 10 miles of easy-to-moderate trails make it easy to spend a weekend here.
Rangeley Lake State Park is an alternative to Peaks-Kenney State Park. Located in Rangeley, this 869-acre park, with 50 lakeshore-access campsites, is usually less crowded than Lily Bay State Park on Moosehead Lake. Other reasons for visiting include its beach, picnic area, playground, and boat launch.
Hilary Nangle is a Maine-based travel writer who loves getting off the beaten path and is the founder of Maine Travel Maven.