Hinckley Park and the Armory Trail, South Portland

This is a special little city park, with two ponds pretty enough to draw a watercolorist the day I went. The artist set up her canvas to paint all afternoon while her dog lay at her feet. My dogs loved swimming in the two ponds. The park is about 40 acres, and offers several trails, including one that goes around both ponds, about a 3/4-mile jaunt. The trails are pretty well worn, so they’re easy enough to follow even though there aren’t trail blazes. Many of them lead out to neighborhoods around the park.

The 0.3-mile Armory Trail connects the park to Rusty Lantern Market on Broadway. It was a bit overgrown and grassy when I walked it.

Directions: According to the South Portland Land Trust, there are two parking areas for accessing Hinckley Park. By far the more popular, and the bigger of the two, is the lot located off of Highland Avenue, which has room for several cars. There is also room for a few cars in a small turnout located next to Stillman Street.