Tag: hiking

Hiking Maine | The Evergreen Cemetery Trail in Portland

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December is here and if our already chilly, snow-filled days are any indication, our days of hiking without snowshoes are numbered. So, when we hit a stretch of cool but beautiful weather earlier this month, we headed to Evergreen Cemetery to explore a new trail. There are a lot of trail options in and around the cemetery. We choose to do a large loop on the outskirts of the actual cemetery.

We had just come from the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland‘s holiday event so it was fitting that ninety percent of the hikers we encountered on this trail were with their dogs. All the dogs we met were friendly, happy and focused on racing through the trail. It seemed to be the place to take your pup for some exercise.

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Hiking Maine | Looking for something to do besides shop at Clarks Pond?

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Black Friday is coming. The official and frenzied kick-off to the holiday shopping season. While I enjoy shopping, sometimes you just need a break from it all. Nestled amidst the retail stores, and shopping plazas, of the Clark’s Pond area in South Portland, is the Clark’s Pond Trail. An unexpected oasis and peaceful green space where you can unwind.

Until goggling trails in the area one recent Sunday morning,  I never realized it was there even though I had been to this shopping destination many times. The start of the trail is easily accessed by parking in the back of the Home Depot lot, and walking a short distance to the well-marked trail entrance. The trail immediately immerses you in forest quickly leaving the stores behind although the steady buzz of cars never quite goes away and remains as a ready reminder that you’re still in an urban space.

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Hiking Maine | Fall Trek to Clifford Park in Biddeford

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Behind an iron gate lies a large park with a series of looping trails that weave you through trees and lovely green spaces. It’s hard to believe that this pretty piece of nature is in the middle of Biddeford and surrounded by more urban spaces. It’s a decent size park that makes you quickly forget the city at its edges, as you wander through trails or follow the path of a meandering stream that ends with a small waterfall.

Maybe a bridge to the urban can be found in how quickly this trail embraces technology. As soon as you arrive, there is a posted QR code on the trail signage, that allows you to access trail maps on your smart phone. My husband held up his smart phone and snapped a pick of the QR code, and immediately started planning out our route for our morning hike.

Even without trail maps, it’s fairly easy to navigate as we discovered when our cell phone battery died. No need to worry though, the color coded trails are mainly circular loops with a few detours here and there that eventually connect back. The entire park, while substantial, is surrounded by the city of Biddeford, so no fear of getting lost in the woods. You can always find a way out.

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Hiking Maine | Libby River Farm Trail on a Beautiful Autumn Afternoon

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A three-day weekend can only mean one thing – an extra day to go hiking! The weather was beautiful and the fall colors were starting to take hold, so the timing was perfect. We decided to head towards Scarborough and check out one of their trails. There are so many trail networks throughout the state. It’s really wonderful.

After an unsuccessful quest to locate a food truck we were hoping to try out, we decided to hike first and eat later. I had a specific trail in mind, the Libby River Farm trail which brings you to an overlook by the Scarborough marsh. As per usual, I had some difficulty finding the parking area even though this one is extremely well-marked. Fortunately, that was the only getting lost we would experience on this particular hike. The trails themselves are clearly marked and amazingly easy to follow.

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Hiking Maine | Wandering our own trail at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester

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Pineland Farms in  New Gloucester is a lovely sprawling, compound with so many activities, events, and offerings that it’s sometimes hard to keep up, but that’s what makes it such a great destination. There’s always something fun to do. When my brother mentioned that he was playing a disc golf tournament there over the weekend, it triggered a desire to check out some of their hiking trails for ourselves. It’s an amazing destination for outdoor enthusiasts.

We’d been to the Pineland Farms Market before to pick up some of their delicious local offerings, and I diligently read their event newsletter when it arrives in my in-box, but we had never actually explored the hiking trails.

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