Range Pond State Park, Poland

Range Pond State Park has a beautiful, popular sandy beach and wheelchair-accessible nature trails on the pond side of the park. Because it’s a state park, you have to pay a fee. The best places to swim, in my opinion, are not at the main beach, but the quieter, more secluded beaches slightly past the wetland area. You can also walk out on a long peninsula, near the Poland Spring facility, but there is no swimming at the end. I couldn’t find any good maps of this place, unfortunately! But check out the maps at the main beach before you start out on the trails.

The longish trail that runs behind the beach, from Old Plains Road to beyond the middle beach, is the easiest and most accessible. The 1,000-foot section of it directly behind the main beach is a smooth-surfaced promenade. The other trails that wind around the park are mostly wide and level, like old carriage roads, but they have an occasional root or rock. (Note: I haven’t yet hiked the Old Fields Trail.)

On the other side of Empire Road are miles of trails popular with mountain bikers, although walkers and skiers are welcome, too. There is one short trail for just walkers along a sylvan creek. Dogs are allowed. This system connects to a snowmobile trail system, which I didn’t complete. There is a self-pay stand here.

Leashed dogs are allowed on the beaches between Oct. 1 and March 31. The main parking area by the big beach is huge! This is a very popular place on hot summer days.

Directions: The park’s address is 26 State Park Road, off the Empire Road in Poland.