Local Natural Wonders - Day 30

Local Natural Wonders - Day 30 - Reid State Park

Reid State Park in Georgetown, Maine is a huge and beautiful park. It has a lagoon for swimming, a sandy beach, rocky cliffs and even a river. This is a great place to spend a summer day with the family or take a long hike. It is even a great place for cross country skiing in the winter.

From Maine.gov:

Reid State Park bears the distinct honor as being Maine's first State-owned Saltwater Beach. In 1946, prosperous businessman and Georgetown resident Walter E. Reid donated land to the State of Maine to be preserved forever, and a few years later Reid State Park became a reality. 

Today, thousands of visitors enjoy the park's long, wide sand beaches like Mile and Half Mile, which are rare in Maine. Enjoyed as a recreational resource, the beaches are also essential nesting areas for endangered least terns and piping plovers and resting and feeding areas for other shorebirds. Rarer than beaches along Maine's coast are large sand dunes, like those at Reid. For a geologic tour of the beaches visit The Geology of Mile and Half Mile Beaches. Learn about the geology of the area on the interactive Maine Geologic Facts and Localities map.

From Maine Trail Finder:

The park offers two trails popular with hikers and bicyclists. The 2.14 mile Ski Loop Trail is best accessed from the Todd's Point Road. It makes a loop through the northern area of Reid State Park, primarily a mixed growth forest, with one section abutting a sizeable pond and bog area.  Across the road from the pond is a historic one-room school house which is rich in history. As conditions allow, this trail is groomed in the winter for cross country skiing.

The Little River Trail, a 1.4 mile trail, can be accessed from Todd's Point. It follows the meandering Little River, which is home to a wide array of birds that feed on the small fish and plants of this area. Both trails have some moderate sections to hike with some exposed roots and rocks. The trails are relatively flat with a few small hills to climb.