Bethel Community Forest
Managed by Inland Woods and Trails
968 acres11.3 mi of trail
Summit Ridge TrailFluxPhoenixBoundary Brook Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Bethel
Bethel has 52 miles of mapped trails, 0.8 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Bethel Community Forest (11.3 mi), Valentine Farm (1.4 mi), Bingham Forest (1.1 mi). 22% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 20 acres are parks and preserves, 7.5 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns · #98 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
1,516 acres · of 64.6 sq mi of land
Trails
52 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
20 ac
7.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
22%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.7 mi
1.7 mi paths
Highest peak
1,923 ft
Locke Mountain
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Bethel?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bethel have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bethel is ahead of 44% of U.S. towns, #98 of 143 in Maine. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bethel’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (52 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land7.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (20 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home22% of residents within a half mile of a park · ME 30% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 44%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 32%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C 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 Bethel Community Forest, with 11.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Valentine Farm
Managed by Mahoosuc Land Trust
151 acres1.4 mi of trail
Valentine Farm TrailRiver Loop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bingham Forest
Nature preserve
179 acres1.1 mi of trail
Boundary Brook Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Mount Will
Nature preserve
24 acres0.4 mi of trail
Mount Will Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
McCoy Chapman Forest
Managed by Mahoosuc Land Trust
53 acres0.3 mi of trail
McCoy-Grey Birch Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Intervale Gateway
Managed by Mahoosuc Land Trust
19 acres0.3 mi of trail
Bethel Pathway
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 9 parks & preserves
Bethel Community Forest968 acres · 11.3 mi of trail · Inland Woods and Trails
DirectionsValentine Farm151 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Mahoosuc Land Trust
DirectionsBingham Forest179 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
Mount Will24 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMcCoy Chapman Forest53 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Mahoosuc Land Trust
Intervale Gateway19 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Mahoosuc Land Trust
DirectionsBethel Common2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Bethel
DirectionsBethel Community Forest West410 acres
Davis Park18 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,516 conserved acres
4% of Bethel’s land. Who manages Bethel’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,747 ac
State parks17 ac
Not recorded1 ac
Private Other or Unknown · 1,115 acAgricultural Easement · 448 acPrivate Conservation · 131 acUnknown Easement · 53 acLocal Other or Unknown · 17 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 252 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 8 of 15 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel Community Forest Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 969 | Unknown |
| Valentine Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 146 | Unknown |
| McCoy Farm Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 56 | Unknown |
| Kendall Island Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 33 | Closed |
| Intervale Gateway Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 19 | Closed |
| Gilead Bayroot Local Other or Unknown | State parks | 17 | Unknown |
| Goodnow Island Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 12 | Closed |
| Schools Property Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 7 | Closed |
| Hay Crossing Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 4 | Closed |
| Songo Pond Boat Access-White Pine Forest LLC State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1 | Unknown |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Bethel
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bethel
Crescent Park School Playground
DirectionsDavis ParkIn Davis Park
DirectionsScenic views in Bethel
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Bethel
Locke Mountain1,923 ft elevation
DirectionsFarwell Mountain1,886 ft elevation
DirectionsWilbur Mountain1,883 ft elevation
DirectionsKimball Hill1,804 ft elevation
DirectionsEllingwood Mountain1,565 ft elevation
DirectionsPebley Mountain1,558 ft elevation
DirectionsWalkers Mountain1,526 ft elevation
DirectionsBirds Hill1,447 ft elevation
Directions7 more peaks
Sparrowhawk Mountain1,444 ft elevation
DirectionsSwan Hill1,322 ft elevation
DirectionsChandler Hill1,240 ft elevation
DirectionsCummings Hill1,079 ft elevation
DirectionsParadise Hill978 ft elevation
DirectionsRobinson Hill925 ft elevation
DirectionsPine Hill869 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Bethel
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Bethel
Bethel Outdoor Adventures and Campground
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
22 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 9.5 miUnpaved · 8.6 mi
Race Lp.2.9 mi
Left Side1.6 mi
Kyler's Loop1.6 mi
FlufferNutter1.1 mi
Valentine Farm Trail1.0 mi
Bingham Loop1.0 mi
Summit Ridge Trail0.8 mi
Bethel Village Trail Access Trail0.8 mi
Mount Will Trail0.7 mi
River Loop Trail0.7 mi
12 more trails
Grover's Grind
0.6 miMill Brook Trail
0.6 miBoundary Brook Trail
0.5 miBethel Pathway
0.5 miDH Trail
0.3 miMcCoy-Grey Birch Trail
0.3 miConnector
0.3 miFlux
0.2 miMoose
0.2 miPhoenix
0.2 miHelix
0.1 miLeft Side Connector
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Tennis
6Soccer
5Baseball
4Tracks
2Field hockey
1Basketball
1Pickleball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 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.
Dr. Moses Mason HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itGehring ClinicBuilding · listed 1976
About itBroad Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1977
About itSamuel D. Philbrook HouseBuilding · listed 1995
About itJohn M. Philbrook HouseBuilding · listed 1995
About itCole BlockBuilding · listed 1998
About itMiddle Intervale Meeting House and CommonDistrict · listed 1998
About itHall HouseBuilding · listed 2002
About itLower Meeting House and East Bethel CemeteryBuilding · listed 2013
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Bethel: May and July 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 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 31 | 39 | 53 | 66 | 74 | 79 | 78 | 70 | 57 | 44 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 5.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 5.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Bethel →
Next door
Bethel and its neighbors
Bethel has the second 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel | 4% | 0.8 | 7 | 22% | C+ |
| Hanover | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Rumford | 8% | 0.5 | 16 | 60% | B+ |
| Newry | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Greenwood | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Woodstock | 11% | 0.4 | 10 | 7% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bethel
Where can I hike in Bethel?
The longest trail networks: Bethel Community Forest, 11.3 miles; Valentine Farm, 1.4 miles; Bingham Forest, 1.1 miles; Mount Will, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bethel 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 Bethel’s trails?
Bethel Community Forest and Valentine Farm don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bethel?
1.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Bethel?
40,135 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bethel or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 20 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bethel have?
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #98 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 Bethel 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 →