HIKE ALONG THE Ocean’s Edge

Trails That Explore The Dramatic Beauty Of The Maine Coast

STORY & PHOTOS BY AISLINN SARNACKI

THE SCENT OF SALT, seaweed, and mud reaches your nose, carried by a cool breeze. The trail must be getting close to shore. Through tree trunks, you catch a glimmer of the ocean, the sparkle of sunlight bouncing off water. The sight beckons you forward and puts a pep in your step.

Something about the ocean soothes the soul. Or perhaps it’s everything about the ocean: Its fresh yet briny aroma. Its waves lapping against the shore, tumbling stones, and shifting sand. The way it offers you space to breathe as it stretches to the horizon.

Tossing up seashells and sea glass, the ocean seems to call to you. You walk to its very edge, where you watch seagulls bob in the dancing water. Every once in a while, you spy the shiny, dark head of a seal. But it only stays at the surface for a few seconds before disappearing under the waves.

After consulting a trail map, you decide to walk along the water’s edge for a while. Up the shore, there’s a spot where the trail re-enters the forest. The tide is low, allowing you plenty of room to navigate the rocky beach and granite ledges. Perhaps you’ll find a patch of sand along the way or a mudflat filled with clams or a cove filled with unbelievably smooth cobblestones.

This experience can be had at many of Maine’s coastal parks and preserves. With numerous coves and peninsulas, the state has nearly 3,500 miles of coastline. And thanks to conservation efforts, much of that beautiful coast is open to the public in many places. Here are just a few places where you can hike on established trails and walk along the ocean’s edge.

Boot Head Preserve In Lubec

EASY TO MODERATELY CHALLENGING

Featuring dramatic ocean cliffs, mossy forestland, and a peat bog filled with interesting plants, this 700-acre preserve is a spectacular place to bask in the beauty of nature. The Maine Coast Heritage Trust owns the property, as well as several other beautiful preserves that are scattered along the Maine coast.

The property features about 2 miles of hiking trails, which start out easy and become more challenging and hilly along the cliffs. Expect short, steep slopes and scenic staircases built of wood and stone. Exercise caution near the cliffs.

Dogs are permitted. Access is free. For information, visit mcht. org or call the land trust’s Down East office at (207) 259-5043.

Great Wass Preserve In Beals

EASY TO MODERATELY CHALLENGING

This 1,576-acre preserve features a 4.5-mile loop trail that travels right by the water, over exposed granite bedrock and patches of sand, for about half of the loop. If you want to spend some time walking by the ocean, this is the place.

Owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, the property is home to a number of rare plants, including the beach head iris, marsh felwort and bird’s-eye primrose. It also supports one of the state’s largest stands of coastal jack pine trees.

Dogs are not permitted. Access is free. For information, visit nature.org or call (207) 729-5182.

La Verna Preserve In Bristol

EASY TO MODERATE

A popular place to visit the ocean, this 120-acre preserve is owned and managed by the Coastal Rivers Land Trust. It features 2.7 miles of intersecting trails, plus a shoreline that’s walkable, even during high tide.

The preserve is forested aside from the sedge meadows and shrub swamps along Meadow Brook. A vernal pool, full of life in the spring, can be seen from the Tibbetts Trail. And the shoreline provides panoramic views of outer Muscongus Bay and nearby islands.

Access is free. Dogs are permitted but must be leashed. For information, visit www.coastalrivers.org or call (207) 563-1393.

Great Head On Mount Desert Island

MODERATELY CHALLENGING

One of the many trails in Acadia National Park, Great Head Trail forms a 1.5-mile loop that traces the rocky coast and leads to the highest point of Great Head at 145 feet above sea level. The spot, marked with a cedar post sign, also features the ruins of a 1900s tea house. The trail is located right by the park’s famous Sand Beach, which is a large, heavily visited beach of sand formed by waves breaking down shells.

Dogs are permitted on the Great Head Trail if they are kept on leash, and that leash cannot exceed 6 feet in length. Dogs are only permitted on Sand Beach during the off-season, from Sept. 9 to June 14.

All park visitors are required to pay an entrance fee, which can be purchased online or at fee stations and visitor centers. For information, visit nps.gov/acad or call (207) 288-3338.

Sears Island In Searsport

EASY TO CHALLENGING

At 936 acres, Sears Island is one of the largest undeveloped islands on the Eastern Seaboard. Accessible by causeway, it features about 6 miles of hiking trails, plus a gravel and paved road. At low tide, visitors often walk along the shore of the island, traversing about 5 miles of beaches made up of a mixture of sand, mudflats, rock, and shells.

Friends of Sears Island serves as stewards of the property, in partnership with Maine Coast Heritage Trust and help from the Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition.

Access is free. Dogs are permitted. For information, visit friendsofsearsisland.org or call (855) 430-2882.