bountifulme

[bountifulme]

Mackworth Island State Park:  

Mackworth Island sits at the mouth of the Presumpscot River in Falmouth. The state park is the easy 1.25 mile loop around the perimeter of The Governor Baxter School for the Deaf. We visited late in the morning on the chilly but sunny Tuesday. Half expecting to be the only visitors, we were surprised by the amount of folks out. Because there is a sign restricting park visitors to those whose vehicles fit in the designated area, we waited a couple of minutes for a spot.

As we crossed the causeway to the island we opened the car windows for our puppies, Oakley and Glock. They became excited by the salty scent and started to whine in their happy way. Once we parked and dropped some cash in the fee box we headed down to the shore to let them become acquainted with the wonderful new smells. It was fun to watch them dart around happily and pull at the end of their leashes. After a few minutes we returned to the main trail and moseyed on.

The trail was busy but not crowded and we randomly encountered folks also enjoying the mild spring weather. We passed and were passed by joggers, older couples walking and families being led by their young children and pets.  As we made our way around the island we wandered through a fun little Fairy Village made from sticks, stones and shells. The puppies didn't find any fairies, but met a gnome who overwinters on the island. We walked the remains of a granite pier built for soldiers stationed there during the civil war and enjoyed soaking up the views and ambiance at different benches peppering the path.

Overall Mackworth Island is a great spot for an easy walk in a traditional coastal Maine setting. It was nice during the off-season but I look forward to making the trip late in the day during the hottest part of summer to enjoy the beauty of Casco Bay and breathe in that refreshingly cool ocean breeze!

[bountifulme]

Dog Paths outside of Lew/Aub

When we have a spare couple hours in the morning or chunk of the afternoon free for a quick trip we like to head further into the surrounding country.

We have a couple spots nearby on the coast:

         *Mackworth Island State Park in Falmouth          *Wolf’s Neck State Part in Freeport

Further down the Androscoggin in Brunswick:

         *Androscoggin River Bicycle and Pedestrian Path          *Brunswick Landing Perimeter Trail. (Old BNAS)

Out in Bowdoin/Sabattus:

         *Purinton HomesteadNorth in Turner:          *Androscoggin Riverlands State Park

To the west in Poland:         

          *Range Pond; known for the beach and recreational areas but has a good mess of trails to explore.

[bountifulme]

Dog Friendly Trails/Paths/Parks

Spring is coming! For hibernators like us the warming weather means stretching the legs and reacquainting ourselves with the outdoors. The activity is good for the body and the fresh air is good for the soul! These are some of our favorite local spots.

In Lewiston *Strawberry Ave Dog Park

In Auburn *Mt. Apatite

Lew/Aub *Lewiston/Auburn Greenway Trails

These places will tie us over until we are well into the warm season and things are dry enough to venture further to some of our other favorite spots. :)