Wherever you live, it’s important to find your local hikes. Living in Maine, the definition of local tends to stretch more than it might in other areas. For me, local is anything that I can access within an hour’s drive, because some days you don’t have much time but the mountains are calling and your soul needs to answer. This provides me with a handful of decent hikes in the Midcoast region. I wanted to share with you a great hike I recently discovered – Beech Hill Preserve. It’s a great hike for beginners as well.
Beech Hill Preserve is located in Rockport, just outside of Camden. This short hike offers excellent views of Penobscot Bay and her many islands. This is a great hike for any ability level and I’m eager to bring my son there for a picnic soon. I had never been before so I picked up my friend Katie on a Sunday afternoon and headed to the trail. From Bangor, it’s a nice drive.
Maine Trail Finder will provide you with a Google Map to get to the trail head. You can access that here!
More from Maine Trail Finder:
Beech Hill Summit Road Trailhead: From US Route 1 in Rockport heading south, take a right onto Beech Hill Road across from Hoboken Gardens. Go approximately 1.6 miles. The parking lot is on the left just past the old gate to Beech Hill and a stone wall.
Woods Loop Trailhead: From US Route 1 in Rockport heading south, take the first right immediately after ‘Fresh Off the Farm’ onto Rockville Street. Take first immediate right and continue along Rockville Street. The parking lot is about 0.7 miles on the right-hand side of the road.
The trail to the summit is surrounded by blueberry fields and features open forests and a sod-roofed hut circa the early 1900s. The midcoast is notorious for its deer tick population so be sure to stay on the trail and check yourself and your pets before you get in the car.
This hike gives you all of the rewards without a whole lot of work, which is what makes it a great hike for beginners. What’s your go-to local hike? Share with us in the comment below!
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Happy hiking!
Willow
