Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
533 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Caribou
Caribou has 75 miles of mapped trails, 0.9 for every square mile of land
42% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Caribou’s land is conserved, about 1,005 acres. 85 acres are parks and preserves, 11 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns · #88 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
1,005 acres · of 79.3 sq mi of land
Trails
75 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
85 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
42%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
14 mi
14 mi paths
Highest peak
922 ft
Old Higgns Hill
Lakes & rivers
8
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Caribou?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Caribou have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Caribou is ahead of 51% of U.S. towns, #88 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 Caribou’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (75 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (85 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home42% 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 51%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 39%
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
North Caribou Park
Park
61 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Teague Park Complex
Park
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
North Caribou Park61 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge533 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Teague Park Complex7 acres
Collins Pond Park5 acres
DirectionsCaribou Stream Wildlife Management Area1 acres · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Who protects it
1,005 conserved acres
2% of Caribou’s land. Who manages Caribou’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service1,060 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land303 ac
State parks134 ac
State fish & wildlife25 ac
Town or city7 ac
Not recorded137 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 1,060 acMilitary Land · 303 acState Other or Unknown · 137 acState Recreation Area · 134 acState Conservation Area · 16 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 10 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 1,060 | Restricted |
| Uscg Loran Station Military Land | Other or Unknown Federal Land | 303 | Closed |
| Bangor Aroostook Rail Trail State Recreation Area | State parks | 250 | Closed |
| Aroostook Valley Rail Trail State Recreation Area | State parks | 21 | Closed |
| Sutherland Pit State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 16 | Closed |
| Aroostook River Access Local Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 9 | Restricted |
| Paul Soucie Sports Complex Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Collins Pond Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
7 places to go in Caribou
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Caribou
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Dog parks in Caribou
Sincock Street Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Caribou
Forbes Pit Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Peaks in Caribou
Old Higgns Hill922 ft elevation
DirectionsPrestile Hill636 ft elevation
DirectionsDisc golf in Caribou
Enman Riverside Disc Golf
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.6 mi
Snowmobile ITS 834.4 mi
Snowmobile ITS 901.0 mi
Snowmobile ITS 880.1 mi
Collins Pond Walking/Bicycling Path0.1 mi
Biking & sports
14 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
14 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
10Tennis
6Baseball
2Soccer
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Gray Memorial United Methodist Church and ParsonageBuilding · listed 1995
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Caribou: May, June, August and 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) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 21 | 24 | 34 | 48 | 63 | 72 | 77 | 76 | 67 | 53 | 39 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 4.2 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Caribou →
Next door
Caribou and its neighbors
Caribou has the most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caribou | 2% | 0.9 | 11 | 42% | B− |
| Limestone | 6% | 1.2 | 14 | 41% | B+ |
| Woodland | 7% | 0.4 | under 1 | under 1% | C− |
| Fort Fairfield | 1% | 1.0 | 9 | 28% | C+ |
| Presque Isle | 2% | 0.9 | 143 | 55% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Caribou
Where can I hike in Caribou?
The longest trail networks: North Caribou Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Caribou is conserved land?
2% 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 Caribou’s trails?
Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge and North Caribou Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Caribou?
14 miles of bike routes are on the map: 14 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Caribou?
543 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Caribou or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 85 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Caribou have?
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #88 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 Caribou 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 →