Let’s be honest, coastal southern Maine does not have the variety of mountainous hikes to choose from that central NH does. There are plenty of excellent trails, and a few scattered small mountains, but the southern coast simply has less elevation overall than further inland. So we knew we weren’t doing anything too intense within a reasonable driving distance from the Portland area. But of course you know I’m perfectly fine with that.
Hawk and I definitely wanted to take advantage of the decent weather on Saturday and get outside. We considered biking along the ocean, but nixed that idea due to wind chills. However, a relatively low elevation hiking trail with tree cover would be perfectly fine. Basic layers, topped with a windbreaker, kept us quite comfortable. The sun was beautifully warm, and it would have been amazing conditions if the winds were calmer!
We decided on hiking Bradbury Mountain in Pownal, which Hawk had done some years prior, but couldn’t remember much about it. I looked up reviews, and there were several mentions about mud and muck, but we figured we’d check it out anyway, and if it was really bad, we’d continue on down the road to an alternate hike.
I’m glad we chose this park. There was indeed some mud where we ventured, but nothing atrocious, and the trail system is quite extensive. Despite the very busy parking lot, we did not feel crowded on trail at all. It was actually quite private for the most part, only occasionally passing other hikers.
There are two sides to the park, divided by a road. We chose to explore the north side this time, where Bradbury Mt. is, but the south side looks to have even more trails and distance to choose from. We hope to return some time to explore more of the park.
The trip to the summit of Bradbury is very short; even easier than our Pine Mt. back at home. That said, it’s certainly not flat either, but is a nice little easy-moderate climb (emphasis on "little", haha), with the rest of the route just gently rolling. I will bet this is a popular destination for trail runners. The open rocky mountaintop is also well known for birdwatching opportunities, and offers a nice panoramic overlook that includes a peek at the ocean, complete with island. Pretty neat!
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| I spotted a Hawk on Bradbury Mountain! hehehe |
We of course did not end at the summit, as we wanted to extend our time there, and literally get our money’s worth. Being a state park, there is an entrance fee, so that’s definitely something to be aware of before you go.
Hawk selected the Tote Road loop to continue on, which looked like a good next step. Somewhere in the middle of that loop, we also hopped on another very serpentine trail that wound around the woods for quite some distance, before popping us back out on our original path just a few feet from where we got off. All of the trails were quite pleasant, and had interesting sights such as rock features scattered throughout. At some point in the hike I ran over and hugged a particularly appealing boulder in the trail. Hawk called me the “weirdest girlfriend ever.” Can you believe him?!? 😉😂
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| Historic "Cattle Pound" |
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| A peek inside the paddock. |
We only got in a little over three miles before needing to leave for lunch (because "somebody" burns through calories ridiculously fast, LOL), but it was great to be out. We stopped in neighboring Freeport to walk around a bit more. The wind was chillier without tree cover, but there were plenty of shops to duck into, and Hawk grabbed a great sandwich at a famous deli. Which of course I can’t remember the name of now. But all in all it was a good day, and still left plenty of time for other activities. I look forward to our next adventure there. Or wherever the next one happens to be!
Hike 16. 4/2 Bradbury Mt. north trails (Summit, Tote Road, and Krista's Loop), 3.2 mi, 1:34 hrs, 328 ft.
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