Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge: Bering Unit
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
4,645 acres6.7 mi of trail
Barn Medou ExtendedCharlotte TrailRaven TrailGreenway Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Calais
23% of Calais’ land is conserved: 5,009 acres
The biggest trail networks: Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge: Bering Unit (6.7 mi). 22 miles of mapped trail cross Calais, 0.7 per square mile of land. 69% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #23 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
23%
5,009 acres · of 34.3 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
43 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
69%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.8 mi
1.8 mi paths
Highest peak
482 ft
Mount Seeall
Lakes & rivers
15
4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Calais?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Calais have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Calais is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #23 of 143 in Maine. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Calais’ overall grade.
Conserved land23% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (22 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (43 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home69% 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 78%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 85%
Water is 14% of Calais’ area (6 of 40 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 20%.
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 Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge: Bering Unit, with 6.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Saint Croix Island International Historic Site
Managed by National Park Service
20 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dogs usually limited
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
5,009 conserved acres
23% of Calais’ land. Water is left out: Calais has 34.3 square miles of land and 5.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Calais’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service9,388 ac
Regional agency317 ac
State parks312 ac
State conservation284 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits32 ac
Town or city12 ac
National Park Service7 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 9,181 acLocal Recreation Area · 606 acConservation Easement · 519 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 32 acHistoric or Cultural Area · 7 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 42 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 18 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 9,181 | Restricted |
| Devil's Head Local Recreation Area | State conservation | 595 | Open |
| McClasky Place Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 32 | Closed |
| Thomas Dicenzo Athletic Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Saint Croix Island International Historic Site Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 7 | Restricted |
| Calais Waterfront Walkway Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 5 | Restricted |
| Peace Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Pike's Park Local Park | Regional agency | 1 | Open |
Things to do
16 places to go in Calais
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Calais
Fox Memorial Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Calais
WCCC Playground
DirectionsPlus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Calais
Boat LaunchIn Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge: Bering Unit
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Calais
Mount Seeall482 ft elevation
DirectionsHoward Lake Mountain443 ft elevation
DirectionsMagurrewock Mountain381 ft elevation
DirectionsDevils Head344 ft elevation
DirectionsElliott Mountain302 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Calais
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
9 named trails and 15 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.4 mi
Devil's Head Trail1.2 mi
Barn Medou Extended1.0 mi
Charlotte Trail0.8 mi
Shoreline Bluffs Trail0.8 mi
Raven Trail0.5 mi
Greenway Trail0.4 mi
Greg's Pond Trail0.3 mi
Greg's Pond Trail Extension0.2 mi
Barn Medou Cross Dike0.1 mi
Biking & sports
1.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.8 mi
off-road bike paths
East Coast Greenway (ME)Bike route
0.9 miCourts & fields
6Basketball
3Tennis
2Baseball
1Skate park
1Softball
1Beach volleyball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →18 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
St. Croix Island International Historic SiteDistrict · listed 1966
About itCalais Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1978
About itGilmore HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itThomas Hamilton HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itGeorge Washburn HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itSt. Anne's Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1982
About itTheodore Jellison HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itWhitlocks Mill Light StationDistrict · listed 1988
About itHolmes CottageBuilding · listed 1988
About itDr. Job Holmes HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itMcGlashan-Nickerson HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itJoshua Pettegrove HouseDistrict · listed 1994
About it6 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Calais: 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 31 | 39 | 51 | 62 | 71 | 77 | 76 | 68 | 56 | 45 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 4.1 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 4.9 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 5.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Calais →
Next door
Calais and its neighbors
Calais has the second most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calais | 23% | 0.7 | 14 | 69% | A− |
| Baring plantation | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Robbinston | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Calais
Where can I hike in Calais?
The longest trail networks: Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge: Bering Unit, 6.7 miles; Saint Croix Island International Historic Site, 0.1 miles; Meridian Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Calais is conserved land?
23% 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 Calais’ trails?
Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge: Bering Unit and Saint Croix Island International Historic Site don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Calais?
1.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.8 of off-road paths. Named routes: East Coast Greenway (ME).
Is there public land near Calais?
1,646 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Calais or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 43 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Calais have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #23 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 Calais 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 →