Head of Tide Preserve
Managed by Coastal Mountains Land Trust
91 acres1.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Belfast
Belfast has 17 miles of mapped trails, 0.5 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Head of Tide Preserve (1.7 mi), Stover Preserve (0.7 mi). 125 acres are parks and preserves, 18 per 1,000 residents. 4% of Belfast’s land is conserved, about 913 acres.
Ahead of 60% of U.S. towns · #60 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
913 acres · of 34.1 sq mi of land
Trails
17 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
125 ac
18 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
56%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.0 mi
3.4 mi lanes
Highest peak
745 ft
Patterson Hill
Lakes & rivers
9
2 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Belfast?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Belfast have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Belfast is ahead of 60% of U.S. towns, #60 of 143 in Maine. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Belfast’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (17 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4BPark land18 acres of park per 1,000 residents (125 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home56% 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 60%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 58%
Water is 11% of Belfast’s area (4 of 38 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to B+. 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 Head of Tide Preserve, with 1.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Stover Preserve
Managed by Coastal Mountains Land Trust
45 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Stephenson Preserve
Managed by Coastal Mountains Land Trust
8 acres0.3 mi of trail
Passagassawakeag Greenway
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Littlefield Preserve
Managed by Coastal Mountains Land Trust
31 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 14 parks & preserves
Head of Tide Preserve91 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · Coastal Mountains Land Trust
Stover Preserve45 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Coastal Mountains Land Trust
Stephenson Preserve8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Coastal Mountains Land Trust
DirectionsBelfast City Park19 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWalsh Field23 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBelfast Common4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLittlefield Preserve31 acres · Coastal Mountains Land Trust
Sportsman's Park21 acres
Pendleton Park20 acres
Steamboat Landing Park3 acres
DirectionsKirby Lake2 acres
Hurd's Pond Wildlife Management Area1 acres · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
Heritage Park1 acres
DirectionsWales Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
913 conserved acres
4% of Belfast’s land. Water is left out: Belfast has 34.1 square miles of land and 4.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Belfast’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits294 ac
Regional agency270 ac
Regional Water Districts263 ac
Town or city2 ac
Not recorded625 ac
Watershed Protection Area · 635 acLocal Other or Unknown · 488 acPrivate Conservation · 139 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 138 acUnknown Easement · 16 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 16 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 15 of 32 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 478 | Unknown |
| Water Supply Lands Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 372 | Unknown |
| Miscellaneous Municipal Lands Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 171 | Unknown |
| Belfast Moosehead Lake Rail Line Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 91 | Restricted |
| North Forest Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 69 | Restricted |
| Stover Preserve Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 47 | Closed |
| Grove Cemetery Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 44 | Unknown |
| Littlefield Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 31 | Restricted |
| Belfast (Passy) Rail Trail Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 25 | Closed |
| Littlefield-Littlefield B Private Conservation | Not recorded | 21 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Belfast
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Belfast
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Belfast
Belfast Dog ParkIn Walsh Field
DirectionsBoat launches in Belfast
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Belfast
Patterson Hill745 ft elevation
DirectionsPark Hill495 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Belfast
1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
7 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.2 miUnpaved · 2.7 mi
Belfast Cross Country Course2.5 mi
Belfast Rail Trail2.1 mi
Little River Trail2.0 mi
Hills to Sea Trail1.3 mi
Passagassawakeag Greenway0.3 mi
Jefferson Trail0.2 mi
Harbor Walk0.1 mi
Biking & sports
4.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
5Baseball
5Tracks
4Pickleball
3Tennis
3Soccer
2Basketball
2Field hockey
2Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →10 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Belfast National BankBuilding · listed 1973
About itJames P. White HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itMasonic TempleBuilding · listed 1973
About itPrimrose Hill Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1973
About itFirst Church of BelfastBuilding · listed 1976
About itHayford BlockBuilding · listed 1977
About itChurch Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1978
About itBelfast Commercial Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1980
About itBlack Horse TavernBuilding · listed 1982
About itBelfast Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1986
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Belfast: 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 | 31 | 39 | 51 | 62 | 70 | 76 | 75 | 68 | 56 | 45 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 4.0 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
August is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 5.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Belfast →
Next door
Belfast and its neighbors
Belfast has the most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Belfast
Where can I hike in Belfast?
The longest trail networks: Head of Tide Preserve, 1.7 miles; Stover Preserve, 0.7 miles; Stephenson Preserve, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Belfast is conserved land?
4% 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 Belfast’s trails?
Head of Tide Preserve and Stover Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Belfast?
4.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.4 of painted or protected lanes and 0.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Belfast?
7,342 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Belfast or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 125 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Belfast have?
Ahead of 60% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #60 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 Belfast 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 →