Bond Brook Recreation Area
Nature preserve
240 acres5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Augusta
15% of Augusta’s land is conserved: 5,240 acres
55 miles of mapped trail cross Augusta, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Bond Brook Recreation Area (5 mi), Augusta Nature Education Center (4.1 mi), Howard Hill Conservation Area (2.7 mi). 261 acres are parks and preserves, 14 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #19 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
5,240 acres · of 55.1 sq mi of land
Trails
55 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
261 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
68%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
1.6 mi lanes · 9.7 mi paths
Highest peak
482 ft
Howard Hill
Lakes & rivers
15
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Augusta?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Augusta have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Augusta is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #19 of 143 in Maine. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Augusta’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (55 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (261 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home68% of residents within a half mile of a park · ME 30% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 79%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 87%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Bond Brook Recreation Area, with 5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Augusta Nature Education Center
Nature preserve
93 acres4.1 mi of trail
Jordan Farm TrailBruce's Woods TrailJordan Farm Alternate TrailWitchhazel Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Howard Hill Conservation Area
Managed by Kennebec Land Trust
159 acres2.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Alonzo H. Garcelon Wildlife Management Area North
Managed by Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
1,729 acres1.4 mi of trail
Snowmobile ITS 85
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bicentennial Nature Park
Park
28 acres0.7 mi of trail
Squirrel Alley
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Tyler Pond Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
26 acres0.5 mi of trail
Tyler’s Pond Access Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 26 parks & preserves
Bond Brook Recreation Area240 acres · 5 mi of trail
DirectionsAugusta Nature Education Center93 acres · 4.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHoward Hill Conservation Area159 acres · 2.7 mi of trail · Kennebec Land Trust
DirectionsAlonzo H. Garcelon Wildlife Management Area North1,729 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
DirectionsCapitol Park26 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBicentennial Nature Park28 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Mill Park22 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsTyler Pond Wildlife Management Area26 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
Coburn Park18 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · AMHI
DirectionsHodgkin's Field6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWilliams Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCalumet Park30 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGage Street Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBlaine Memorial Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCunningham Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Alonzo H. Garcelon Wildlife Management Area South916 acres · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
DirectionsJudy Kane Preserve26 acres · Kennebec Land Trust
Youth Memorial Park21 acres
Directions"Pete" Gagne Memorial Sports Fields12 acres
Savage Park10 acres
East Side Boatlanding Park3 acres
DirectionsMcCall's Park2 acres
DirectionsAugusta Waterfront Park2 acres
DirectionsMonument Park1 acres
DirectionsKennebec River Rail Trail Park1 acres
DirectionsWater Street Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
5,240 conserved acres
15% of Augusta’s land. Who manages Augusta’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife2,972 ac
Regional agency1,743 ac
State parks411 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits221 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land84 ac
Town or city82 ac
Other state land6 ac
State Conservation Area · 3,645 acLocal Other or Unknown · 3,533 acState Other or Unknown · 556 acConservation Easement · 186 acLocal Conservation Area · 159 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 35 of 79 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alonzo H. Garcelon Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,694 | Restricted |
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 1,555 | Unknown |
| Miscellaneous Municipal Lands Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1,319 | Unknown |
| Alonzo H Garcelon Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 843 | Unknown |
| Augusta Surplus Local Other or Unknown | State parks | 535 | Closed |
| Viles Arboretum State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 236 | Unknown |
| Pleasant Hill Rd Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 214 | Unknown |
| Governor's Hill Hatchery and Range State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 170 | Closed |
| Howard Hill Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 159 | Closed |
| US NATL. CEMETERY (Togus Med. C.) Federal Other or Unknown | Other or Unknown Federal Land | 84 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
47 places to go in Augusta
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Augusta
Calumet Park Public PoolIn Calumet Park
DirectionsMcCall's Park PoolIn McCall's Park
DirectionsPlus 1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Augusta
Calumet Park PlaygroundIn Calumet Park
DirectionsEast Side Boatlanding PlaygroundIn East Side Boatlanding Park
DirectionsJohn Jack Cunningham PlaygroundIn Cunningham Park
DirectionsKiwanis Playground
DirectionsMcCall's Playground 1In McCall's Park
DirectionsMcCall's Playground 2In McCall's Park
DirectionsYMCA PlaygroundIn Capitol Park
Directions32 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Augusta
Augusta Dog ParkIn Mill Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Augusta
East Side Boat Landing
DirectionsLower Togus Pond
DirectionsScenic views in Augusta
Luc's OverlookIn Augusta Nature Education Center
DirectionsPeaks in Augusta
Howard Hill482 ft elevation · In Howard Hill Conservation Area
DirectionsBolton Hill463 ft elevation
DirectionsPorcupine Hill443 ft elevation
DirectionsBurnt Hill381 ft elevation
DirectionsPleasant Hill374 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Augusta
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 15 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.7 miUnpaved · 3.5 mi
Snowmobile ITS 859.9 mi
Snowmobile3.9 mi
Outerloop Trail1.3 mi
Deer Trail1.2 mi
Bear Trail1.1 mi
Bobolink Trail0.6 mi
Moose Trail0.6 mi
Meadow Trail0.5 mi
Power Line Trail0.5 mi
Jordan Farm Trail0.5 mi
15 more trails
Bruce's Woods Trail
0.5 miBog Trail
0.3 miHawthorn Trail
0.3 miSquirrel Alley
0.3 miJordan Farm Alternate Trail
0.3 miWitchhazel Trail
0.3 miCrab Apple Trail
0.3 miBeaver Dam Trail
0.3 miLady's Slipper Trail
0.2 miQuarry Road Trail
0.2 miTyler’s Pond Access Trail
0.2 miWhite Oak Trail
0.2 miSouth Brookside Trail
0.2 miPine Grove Trail
0.2 miUpper Hemlock Trail
0.1 miBiking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
9.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
16Basketball
12Baseball
11Tennis
9Tracks
7Softball
6Soccer
3Football
2Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →41 places on the National Register, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 22 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Maine State HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itLot Morrill HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itOld Post OfficeBuilding · listed 1974
About itLithgow LibraryBuilding · listed 1974
About itKennebec County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itGov. John F. Hill MansionBuilding · listed 1977
About itAlls Souls ChurchBuilding · listed 1978
About itDr. J. W. Ellis HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itSouth Parish Congregational Church and Parish HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About it29 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Augusta: May to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 41 | 53 | 66 | 74 | 80 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Augusta →
Next door
Augusta and its neighbors
Augusta has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augusta | 15% | 1.0 | 14 | 68% | A− |
| Manchester | 16% | 1.1 | 28 | 6% | B+ |
| Hallowell | 12% | 1.2 | 12 | 70% | A− |
| Chelsea | 3% | 0.4 | 1 | 11% | C |
| Sidney | 2% | 0.7 | 9 | 2% | C |
| Vassalboro | 4% | 0.8 | 13 | 8% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Augusta
Where can I hike in Augusta?
The longest trail networks: Bond Brook Recreation Area, 5 miles; Augusta Nature Education Center, 4.1 miles; Howard Hill Conservation Area, 2.7 miles; Alonzo H. Garcelon Wildlife Management Area North, 1.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Augusta is conserved land?
15% of its land, against a typical 6% for a Maine town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Augusta’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Mill Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Augusta?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of painted or protected lanes and 9.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Augusta?
1,105 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Augusta or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 261 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Augusta have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #19 of 143 in Maine. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Augusta neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →