Bradbury Mountain State Park

Bradbury State Park in orange, reserved lands in green, corridor trail in blue.

This is a wonderful state park, extremely popular, that offers a lot for walkers, dogs, mountain bikers, people who love old stone walls and those who want to see a view in this flat coastal plain!

Some of the trails are wide and made of packed stone, others are a bit rougher, but expect hills, roots and rocks throughout the trail system. This is a mountain, even if it happens to be on the small side. The summit is 485 feet.

There are two sides of the park — you have to pay a fee to use either side. The western side is more popular because, while it is smaller, it contains Bradbury Mountain and its wide open ledge that takes just 10 minutes or so to hike up. The prettiest way to summit, I think, is via the South Ridge Trail. The shortest way is the Summit Trail.

To get away from the crowds (relatively speaking, of course!), you can head off on the other trails around the summit—like the 2.3-mile Boundary Trail, which includes some hills. Or, you can visit the other side of the park. You won’t find any mountains or vistas here, but you will find a 5.5-mile perimeter hike and lots of single track for bikers and walkers.

Also, the park connects with the long-distance Bradbury Corridor trail which connects the park to Pineland Public Reserved Land.

Directions: From Rt.295, take exit 22 to Freeport/Durham. Take a left off the ramp and then another quick left onto Pownal Road. Continue a few miles to the t-junction with Route 9. Take a right on Hallowell Road, and look for the park entrance about a 1/2 mile down on the left.

Photos by Michaela Goldfine