#atozchallenge | H is for Hiking Mackworth Island, Falmouth

According to Newton’s first law of motion, a body at rest stays at rest, and a body in motion stays in motion. This law tells me I need to get moving. Actually, I’m not sure what it really tells me as physics was my worst subject in High School. But, the way I choose to interpret it is that if I want to keep on doing the things I love as I age, I have to keep moving my body. I’m good with that.

I love to walk and living in Maine gives me lots of beautiful opportunities. For awhile, I was walking almost every day, but unfortunately an injury slowed me down, and then inevitably winter makes it more difficult with the snow and ice although the cold is not a problem. It’s actually pretty exhilarating to walk in the winter as long as the roads aren’t icy.

Either way, it has been a while and I’m a little out of practice. I knew I needed to ease back into my hikes so after reviewing a few of the nearby trails, and finding an article on Maine Today for “10 Easy Maine Hikes Anyone Can Do: Great Views for the Casual Hiker”, I decided to give Mackworth Island in Falmouth a try.

It seemed like the perfect “getting back into action” hike. It’s a 1.5 mile loop that is rated easy. After my snowshoeing outing this winter, I know 1.5 miles is the perfect distance for me right now. Plus, according to Maine Trail Finder, there are some interesting things to see along the hiking path.

It did not disappoint. Even though it was early spring, so most of the vistas were still marked by more brown than green, it was still gorgeous. It is certainly an easier trail, although it is wooded with occasional debris and rocks so you have to keep an eye on where you’re walking.

There are also a lot of steeper paths and areas that you can use to walk down to the ocean. Nothing too strenuous. Again, you just need to be aware of where you’re stepping. Not that I’ve ever injured myself while hiking. My one and only sprained ankle came from stepping awkwardly on my welcome mat. But, it hurt (a lot) so I try to be careful about where I step now.

Here are a few of the fun things we saw and did while hiking Mackworth Island in Falmouth, Maine. It was an overcast day when we were there, and while we got our walk in before the rain came, I’m not sure my pictures do this trail justice.

Amazing Views. As advertised, it’s beautiful, and they have set up a variety of benches and swings along the trail where you can stop and watch the ocean. They are perfect little spots for taking a break.

Mackworth Island Falmouth

Stone Pier. There are the remains of a granite pier that you can walk out onto for better ocean views. There are also stairs on either side if you want to walk down to the beach area. I didn’t want to go down as the beach was so perfect and windswept with no footprints, but in the summer I bet it’s a busy spot.

Percival Baxter Pet Cemetery. Need I say more? Apparently, the former Maine Governor buried his dogs and one horse at this location. I expected it to stand out on the trail, but we almost missed it. There were no signs, just a path off the main trail where you could see a stone wall. When we walked up we realized the circular, stone enclosure was the cemetery.

Fairy Village. There is an area where children create little fairy houses out of forest treasures. Fortunately, there was no age limit on this activity so my husband and I created a fairy house. That’s our personally designed and built fairy house in the picture below on the right.

I was amazed by the amount of fairy houses that had been created in this wooded area. I thought it would be tiny, but it was pretty expansive. I would love to come back here with younger children and have them explore, and build their own fairy houses.

The Maine Bureau of Parks and Land manages the trail and more information can be found on their website. The cost was $3.00 per person for adults via the honor system. They have a receptacle with a slot for you to pay your admission fee at the entrance to the trail. You can also buy an annual park pass which would give you access to Mackworth Island and many more Maine parks and trails. The cost for the pass is currently $35 for individuals and $70 for a vehicle pass. I think it might be time for us to invest in an annual pass so that I can achieve my goal of keeping by body in motion.

Mackworth Island was the perfect hike to motivate me to get back into action. It was beautiful and peaceful. I can’t wait to check out one of the other local trails.

Mackworth Island | Falmouth, Maine

Mackworth Island, Falmouth, Maine

For Other Great Trails in the Portland Area
Portland Trails 305 Commercial Street, Portland, ME 04101
Phone 207-775-2411
Trail Map Portland Trails Map
Favorite ♥ Nature

I’m participating in a Blogging A-Z Challenge for April 2016. I will be posting new content every day except Sundays. Each post is associated with a letter of the alphabet, starting with A and ending with Z. My theme for the challenge is Life in Maine, and each post will in some way relate to Maine. There are over 1500 other bloggers participating in the challenge. Click HERE to learn more.

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30 thoughts on “#atozchallenge | H is for Hiking Mackworth Island, Falmouth”

  6. valj2750 says:
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    I stopped by with a return visit. The only place in Maine I’ve spent any time is Ogunquit and Kenneybunkport. It’s been a family destination since before I was born. My great-uncle performed at the Ogunquit playhouse in the 1940’s. It is truly a “Beautiful Place by the Sea.”

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    • Weekends in Maine says:
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      Thanks for stopping back by. Kennebunkport and Ogunquit are both beautiful Maine destinations. That is so cool that your great-uncle performed at the Ogunquit Playhouse. My Aunt use to get a season pass for all their shows.

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      • valj2750 says:

        I saw the buddy holly story and miss Saigon there I the last several years. And A funny thing happened on the way to the forum in my teen years

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  7. stuart127 says:
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    Wow. You live in a beautiful part of the world. I am going to get my hiking boots on too this month. Its so easy to overlook the riches on our doorstep sometimes.

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  10. freya3377 says:
    Reply

    Building Fairy Houses is such a cool idea. And I love yours, would have been such a fun activity.
    As I’m getting older I’m also realising it and agree with your view on keeping the body moving. Take care of that ankle Karen, those little injuries take even longer to heal as we get older. 🙂
    BTW I’m currently binge watching the ‘Once Upon A Time’ TV series and that’s set in Maine. Such a lovely coincidence 😉
    @freya3377 from Life as Freya

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  13. XmasDolly says:
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    I recently started a Fairy garden myself. I thought how unique and my granddaughters would love helping me too. I started mine in this great big vase I have out in front where a plant of mine recently died, and I thought what am I going to do with this vase now and it was the perfect idea. Thanks for the pics I’m always searching for ideas.

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