The lush pine trees and rocky coast contribute to the beauty of the midcoast Maine. While the small downtowns of the Maine coast are walkable and charming, it’s the prominence of forest and water that draws me again and again to the area. 

Open May-October, the 300 acre Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is the largest botanical garden in New England. The gardens are divided into a dozen different landscaped scenes from the sweet smelling flowers off the Learner Garden of the Five Senses to the cascading waterfall set among the forest of the Giles Rhododendron & Perennial Garden. 

Wide and well worn paths invite people to wander through the property, encountering their collection of over 100,000 plants – all hardy enough to withstand this northern climate – and site specific art sculptures. Interactive exhibits like the water and music features in the Alfond Children’s Garden, the fairy house construction invitation at the Fairy House Village, and Arise White’s multi sensory poetry installation bring out the child within. 

Hidden among the sprawling gardens, Danish “recycle art activist” Thomas Dambo added to the whimsy and educational experience with his trolls series. In 2021, Dambo constructed the five Guardians of the Seeds ; each has its own story and connection to the environment. It was easy to spend a few hours hunting for trolls and exploring the gardens on a warm fall day.  

While the botanical gardens were the main draw for my visit, I wanted to take some time to enjoy the more rugged environment of the area. Boothbay Region Land Trust (you’ll see BRLT on signs) offers over 30 miles of public access trails in the area. I had the time to check out some of them. My first trail was the Gregory Trail. The easy 1 mile trail loops through the forest and along the Back River. Across the bank of the river is the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, though they just look like more woods. The autumn light and foliage glimmery along the river made this a peaceful and pretty walk. 

My host had suggested two walks for me, so I started the next morning with a visit to the first: Linekin & Burley Preserves. After the easy walk at Gregory Trail, I was expecting the same here. However, as the wooded trail started its descent to the coast, I knew that I was in for a hike instead of a walk. The trail wasn’t long – only two miles in total – but the steep descent, with the slippery pine needles, and then the steep ascent, where I had to bushwack when I lost the trail, definitely woke me up for the day. Still once I got to the coast, wide open vistas where I got to watch lobstermen retrieve their traps made the journey worth it. 

The next morning I checked out the other preserve my host had recommended: Ovens Mouth. Made up of two mitten shaped peninsulas, Ovens Mouth is BRLT’s most extensive trail network. Ovens Mouth offers options for lengths & difficulty: the Eastern Shore Loop is an easy 1 mile trail that provides views of the Cross River, and the Western Shore Loop is 1.75 miles and has much steeper terrain. A bridge connecting the two gives the option for people to combine both and using the multiple trails on the Western Shore build up to five miles

When I’m driving around beautiful places like the coast of Maine, I always wish I could stop and take pictures; however, the narrow windy roads don’t provide any place to do so. Thus, when I come across small public parks, I like to take the opportunity to park, get out, and walk around the park to spend time with the views. 

Driving to Gregory Trail from Coastal Maine Botanical Garden, I saw Knickercane Island Park on my left. I decided that I would stop by here after my hike. The small island is situated between Boothbay and Hodgdon’s Island and is connected to the parking area by a pedestrian bridge. Picnic tables and grills are spread throughout the island, so I can tell this is a place where people gather with their friends during the summer.  On a lovely autumn day, I walked around, looked out on the Back River, and checked out the dam connecting the island to the old Wilson Francis lobster pound.

Before hiking Linekin & Burley Preserve, I drove to the end of Spruce Shores peninsula to visit the popular Ocean Point Walk. While I originally thought this would be a longer walk around the head of the peninsula, I found that Ocean Point is more about exploring the rocky coast than walking. The official trail squeezes itself along the edge of the rocky outcropping.  Since I thought it extended farther, I found myself trespassing through someone’s yard (figured it out on the way back) on what I thought was a continuation of the path. In reality, the walk is only about 0.2 miles long. On a lovely autumn morning people were sitting on the flat rocks sipping coffee, taking in views of the Ram Island Lighthouse, and exploring the tidepools for sea life. If I was to visit here again, I would continue my walk along Ocean Point and Shore Road to see the beautiful ocean views that I enjoyed on my drive out.

As the sun was setting on my final day, I wanted to find a place to take in the last light of the day, and I came across Barrett’s Park. The round park offers a walking path along the shore with benches to take in the views of Linekin Bay.  The gazebo in the center of the park serves as a gathering spot for locals, and the small rocky inlet beach offers a chance for people to cool off in the warmer weather. People use it to picnic, walk their dogs, and glimpse some water views.

Based on my October 2026 visit.