Witherle Woods
Managed by Maine Coast Heritage Trust
178 acres4.1 mi of trail
Indian Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Masonbarge assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY 2.5AOutdoors
Outdoors in Castine
Castine has 14 miles of mapped trails, 1.8 for every square mile of land
18% of Castine’s land is conserved, about 915 acres. 66 acres are parks and preserves, 48 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Witherle Woods (4.1 mi), Holbrook Island Sanctuary State Park (2.1 mi), Rene Henderson Natural Area (1.5 mi).
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
915 acres · of 7.8 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
1.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
66 ac
48 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
77%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
4
2 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Castine?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Castine have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Castine is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Castine’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land48 acres of park per 1,000 residents (66 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home77% 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 93%
LessMore
Water is more than half of Castine’s area (12 of 20 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Witherle Woods, with 4.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Holbrook Island Sanctuary State Park
Managed by Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands
109 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Rene Henderson Natural Area
Managed by Maine Coast Heritage Trust
109 acres1.5 mi of trail
Rene Henderson Natural Area Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Hatch Cove Preserve
Managed by Blue Hill Heritage Trust
36 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Greenbie Natural Area
Managed by Blue Hill Heritage Trust
74 acres0.7 mi of trail
Greenbie Natural Area Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Starr and Virginia Lampson Preserve
Managed by Maine Coast Heritage Trust
22 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 13 parks & preserves
Witherle Woods178 acres · 4.1 mi of trail · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
DirectionsHolbrook Island Sanctuary State Park109 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands
Rene Henderson Natural Area109 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
DirectionsHatch Cove Preserve36 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Blue Hill Heritage Trust
DirectionsGreenbie Natural Area74 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Blue Hill Heritage Trust
Starr and Virginia Lampson Preserve22 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
DirectionsFort George State Park7 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsRam Island9 acres · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Battle Avenue Fields4 acres · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
DirectionsFort Madison3 acres
Lower Negro Island3 acres · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Fort Griffith1 acres
Castine Town Common1 acres · Town of Castine
DirectionsWho protects it
915 conserved acres
18% of Castine’s land. Water is left out: Castine has 7.8 square miles of land and 12.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Castine’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits988 ac
State parks119 ac
Regional agency100 ac
Not recorded275 ac
Private Other or Unknown · 391 acUnknown Easement · 289 acConservation Easement · 288 acPrivate Conservation · 203 acLocal Other or Unknown · 192 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 283 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 16 of 45 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Witherle Woods Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 192 | Restricted |
| Holbrook Island Sanctuary State Park State Park | State parks | 110 | Closed |
| Rene Henderson Nat Area Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 109 | Closed |
| Hatch Natural Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 98 | Unknown |
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 93 | Unknown |
| Miscellaneous Municipal Lands Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 92 | Unknown |
| Hatch Cove Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 62 | Unknown |
| Frederick Foote Family Natural Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 35 | Unknown |
| Dunc's Meadow Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 31 | Closed |
| Starr and Virginia Lampson Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 21 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
4 places to go in Castine
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Castine
MMA Beach
DirectionsWadsworth Cove Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Castine
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Castine
Town of Castine Boat Ramp
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Rene Henderson Natural Area Loop1.5 mi
Greenbie Natural Area Trail0.7 mi
Indian Trail0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
4Tennis
2Football
2Soccer
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Castine: 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) | 30 | 32 | 39 | 51 | 62 | 71 | 77 | 76 | 68 | 56 | 45 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 4.0 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 4.6 | 4.8 |
August is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 5.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Castine →
Next door
Castine and its neighbors
Castine 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castine | 18% | 1.8 | 48 | 77% | A |
| Brooksville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Penobscot | 7% | 0.2 | 7 | 1% | C |
| Islesboro | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Stockton Springs | 8% | 0.4 | 162 | 22% | B+ |
| Searsport | 8% | 0.5 | 86 | 21% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Castine
Where can I hike in Castine?
The longest trail networks: Witherle Woods, 4.1 miles; Holbrook Island Sanctuary State Park, 2.1 miles; Rene Henderson Natural Area, 1.5 miles; Hatch Cove Preserve, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Castine is conserved land?
18% 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 Castine’s trails?
Witherle Woods and Holbrook Island Sanctuary State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Castine?
1,037 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Castine or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 66 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Castine have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Castine 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 →