Douglas Mountain, Sebago

This is a popular hike, probably because you really can take your four year old up this one without carrying her the whole way. And it’s close to Portland. 

The mountain, which was protected by The Nature Conservancy and donated to the town of Sebago, has a stone observatory tower on top, built in the late 1800s, which boosts you high enough for lovely views of Sebago Lake and the distant mountains to the west. 

Once you check out the views from the tower, can add to your walk by making a swing around the 0.8-mile Nature Loop Trail, which brings you through forest.

There are two ways up the short, 1,416-foot mountain. You can start at the main parking lot and take the 1.5-mile Eagle Scout Trail to the intersection with the Nature Loop, and over to the summit. This is mostly easy, except for the final steep push. Or you can hike up the shorter and steeper 0.3-mile Ledges or 0.4-mile Woods Trails, which both start from the second, higher parking lot. Ledges Trail is a particularly steep scramble, but it gets you to the tower quickly!

Hikers are asked to park at the closer of the two lots, but if you continue 0.2 miles or so up Douglas Mountain Road, past some houses, you’ll reach the second, smaller lot, which is for pick-up and drop off only.

Check out more info and photos from Douglas Mountain at Carefree Creative, a Maine-based web company that has helped us with our website!

Directions: Follow ME 107 north 5.6 miles from East Baldwin or 10 miles south from Bridgton. Turn onto Dyke Mountain Road. After 0.8 miles, turn left onto Douglas Mountain Road and follow signs for the parking area and trailheads. The main parking area is quite large.