I am a West Bath resident creating Maine by Foot as a guide to finding and celebrating as many of Maine’s wonderful trails as I can. Many of these are open to the public thanks to generous land owners, and to the work and dedication of land trusts and other conservation organizations. A special thank you to all the trail builders and maintainers out there. They contribute much to the common good!
I hope those who have the resources consider supporting their local land trust—through volunteering or donating—to ensure these organizations continue providing the essential services of protecting habitats and wildlife, ensuring access to the outdoors, educating people about nature, and helping to care for our imperiled environment. Support your local land trust!
On each trail post, I have added a link when I can to the organization responsible for protecting the land. These websites are often very informative and provide maps, as well as a bit of the history, ecology, and geology of the land. (Plus, they offer ways to donate and get involved.) In addition, maps are often available at trailhead kiosks.
Maine by Foot believes that Maine is a better place for humans and other wildlife when, as much as possible and without harming people, its remaining undeveloped land remains open and wild.
Many people have helped with this site over the years! I am indebted to Sam Shirley, who knows Maine, especially Western Maine, so well; David Francis, genius developer; David Israel, WordPress wizard; Michaela Goldfine, who is always up for a mountain assignment and always sends back fabulous photos; Olivia Goldfine, who steers her clients to the site to encourage them to walk more; Pam Morgan and her family for their incredible Downeast generosity; Tom Ancona, who writes precise, descriptive mountain posts; Abby McBride, for her abundant nature knowledge; and to my partner, Brian, who is is always game for a hike and doesn’t complain too much during long slogs.
Please reach out if you have a question or comment!
- Pets: Please check whether dogs are allowed on preserves and whether they should be on leash. Most preserves and parks accept dogs on a leash or under voice control; others, like The Nature Conservancy and Audubon sanctuaries, do not. Be especially careful with dogs during bird nesting season, April-June, when some species may be nesting in tall grasses.
- Swimming: For those who like to combine their walk with a swim, I maintain a list of preserves that offer great trails and swimming holes. Additionally, if you do a search on my site for ‘swimming,’ you’ll see more sites I have tagged as potentially good swimming spots (but ones I haven’t tried myself). Finally, SeeSwim.com is a very helpful site if you want to find a new place to dunk!
- Accessible Trails: To find a list of trails that have been constructed to accommodate wheels or people less steady on their feet, see my list of accessible trails. Beyond these, I have tagged other trails that are not specifically designed for wheelchairs but seem as if they could be passable. You can find these by searching for “wheelchair” in my search bar.
- Maps: Because I value the experience of self discovery, I keep my trail descriptions relatively simple, adding a self-made map when I can of the trail to help locate the trailhead and to get a sense of the path’s route. My maps are not always up to date. AllTrails and Strava are useful for finding your way digitally. Additionally, I sometimes find my GPS trail distances are different than the official distances.
- Blue Dot with Google Maps: If you ever want to see where you are on a trail, you can see your location using the Google maps I embed on Maine by Foot posts. Just bring up the Maine by Foot site on your phone (assuming you have reception) and expand the Google map at the top. This will transport you into the Google map app, and the blue dot will show you where you are on my trail map! For this to work, you need to have the Google map app downloaded on your device, and your location services on.
- Downloading maps: If you want to download my trail map onto your phone before you go, here are some helpful suggestions (submitted by a site user).
- Trail difficulty: I include a quick description of a trail’s level with either easy, moderate, or difficult. Mainly, I’m referring to how much uphill walking is involved and the trail distance. When I write easy to moderate, it’s mostly flat but has uneven forested trails gnarled with roots and such. If you search for wheelchair or wheelchair accessible in the search bar, a number of trails will pop up that are very gentle.
—Rebecca Goldfine
Venturing outside and using trails can result in accidents and injury. Be cautious always. The trail information noted on this site is as up to date as I can keep it, but trail conditions are apt to change. Please look up current conditions on sites like AllTrails before heading out if you have questions or concerns, or contact the trail’s organization. Maine by Foot disclaims any and all liability for damages or injuries to people and property should they occur.
