Tag: hiking

Hiking Maine | Belfast Rail Trail on the Passagassawaukeag

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Fall is one of my favorite times to hike. It’s not too hot and not too cold. Goldilocks would approve. There are some other advantages too including stunning views not impaired by mosquitoes. The conditions are ideal. Unfortunately, since we’ve had a busy few months, we haven’t been hiking as much this season as we would like. So, when we recently went to Belfast for an overnight visit, our first stop was to the Belfast Rail Trail for a quick hike.

After a sad mishap where one of our iPhones went swimming in the lake, we had to make an emergency visit to the wireless store for a temporary replacement. The unplanned stop meant a delayed start to Belfast and by the time we arrived, darkness was only an hour or so away.  This meant we had to do an abridged hike since we were racing the coming darkness.

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Hiking Maine | Finally made it to the not so secret Seawall Beach in Phippsburg.

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Ever since our visit to Popham Beach in Phippsburg, I have been wanting to head back to the area for a hike at nearby Seawall Beach. Most articles that I have read refer to this spot as a hidden beach since the only access point is by hiking in and then back out. However, after my recent visit, it’s clear that it’s a fairly well-known destination based on the number of other hikers that we encountered on our way to this beautiful beach.

I had romanticized the idea of traveling through the forest on a rarely used, slightly overgrown trail before emerging suddenly from the wilds onto the beach. The treasure at the end of the hike. That is not this hike other than the treasure at the end. The trail is actually a wide road covered in a mixture of asphalt patches and packed dirt. It was easy to follow and not strenuous.

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Four hikes during our weekend at Northern Outdoors in The Forks, Maine

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Moxie Falls was on my bucket list this year. We had visited some waterfalls throughout western Maine last summer, which I blogged about in my post Hiking Maine | Following in the path of the Ultimate Maine Waterfalls Road Trip. There’s something extra fun about hiking when there’s a waterfall at the end of your efforts.

Moxie Falls is one of the highest falls in Maine. It’s located in West Forks which was an area that I wanted to explore.  Since it’s a fair distance from our home, we made a weekend of it and headed to Northern Outdoors, a wonderful, knotty pine covered, rustic camp in The Forks. While they run adventure tours for white water rafting and other excursions, we were focused on hiking for this trip as well as checking another box off our Maine Beer Trail. Kennebec Brewing is located at Northern Outdoors.

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Hiking Maine | Amazing Ocean Views at East Point Sanctuary Trail in Biddeford Pool

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It’s nice to reach the summit after an especially challenging hike. There is a sense of accomplishment. But, it can also be fun to stumble upon something spectacular without having to work too hard. The trail at East Point Sanctuary in Biddeford Pool is the later. It’s a casual stroll with stunning ocean views at every turn.

The simple metal gate at the trail entrance is not  a good preview of what lies beyond. The trail is far more beautiful than the gate implies. We even walked by the gate on our initial attempt to find the trail head.

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Hiking Maine | Great Salt Bay Preserve Heritage Trail in Newcastle

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With summer winding down, we were looking to take advantage of some of the last of the warm weather so we headed up the coast for a hike on the Great Salt Bay Preserve Heritage Trail in Newcastle. It was an interesting hike with varied trails and some fun vistas.

Key Points

Vistas. While the initial path was on the edge of the marsh and marked by planks to keep you above any mud and water, the trail quickly turned into a more wooded area without direct views of the bay. Fortunately, there were plenty of side trails leading to viewing areas throughout the hike. These side paths bring you to the water’s edge and open up views from all angles. Some of the vistas included Grandfather Point, Picnic Point, and Lookout Point.

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