Great Heath Public Reserved Land
Managed by Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands
364 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
–Not graded
Outdoors in Columbia
Few parks or trails are on the map in Columbia
3% of Columbia’s land is conserved, about 591 acres. 34 acres are parks and preserves, 65 per 1,000 residents. 17 miles of mapped trail cross Columbia, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
3%
591 acres · of 36.3 sq mi of land
Trails
17 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
34 ac
65 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
13%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.8 mi
3.8 mi paths
Highest peak
269 ft
Saco Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
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.
Saco Falls Town Park
Park
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
591 conserved acres
3% of Columbia’s land. Who manages Columbia’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks721 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits262 ac
Other state land55 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government40 ac
Not recorded27 ac
State Other or Unknown · 419 acState Conservation Area · 358 acUnknown Easement · 159 acConservation Easement · 129 acPrivate Conservation · 27 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 129 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 8 of 19 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Heath State Other or Unknown | State parks | 363 | Unknown |
| Great Heath Ecological Reserve State Conservation Area | State parks | 358 | Restricted |
| Downeast Sunrise Trail State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 55 | Restricted |
| Great Heath Preserve-Hegarty Private Conservation | Not recorded | 21 | Unknown |
| Great Heath/Green Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 14 | Restricted |
| Great Heath Preserve-Worchester Private Conservation | Not recorded | 6 | Unknown |
Things to do
4 places to go in Columbia
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Columbia
Saco Hill269 ft elevation
DirectionsHeath Hill262 ft elevation
DirectionsSand Hill259 ft elevation
DirectionsPigeon Hill246 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
6 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.8 mi
off-road bike paths
When to get out
The best walking months in Columbia: 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 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 32 | 40 | 52 | 63 | 72 | 78 | 77 | 69 | 57 | 46 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 5.5 | 5.1 | 5.3 |
August is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 5.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Columbia →
Next door
Columbia and its neighbors
Columbia has the second most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Columbia Falls | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Cherryfield | 10% | 0.4 | 821 | 22% | B+ |
| Harrington | — 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 Columbia
Are dogs allowed on Columbia’s trails?
Great Heath Public Reserved Land and Saco Falls Town Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Columbia?
3.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Columbia?
987 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Columbia or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 34 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Columbia 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 →