Salt Bay Farm
Managed by Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust
112 acres3 mi of trail
Bayside TrailHilltop ShortcutFox Run TrailBlackstone Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Damariscotta
7% of Damariscotta’s land is conserved: 582 acres
The biggest trail networks: Salt Bay Farm (3 mi), Castner Brook Community Forest (1.2 mi), Round Top Farm (0.9 mi). 7.0 miles of mapped trail cross Damariscotta, 0.6 per square mile of land. 9 acres are parks and preserves, 4.1 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 45% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
582 acres · of 12.4 sq mi of land
Trails
7.0 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
9 ac
4.1 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
31%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
7
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Damariscotta?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Damariscotta have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Damariscotta is ahead of 45% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Damariscotta’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land4.1 acres of park per 1,000 residents (9 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13CParks close to home31% 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 45%
LessMore
Water is 15% of Damariscotta’s area (2 of 15 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
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 Salt Bay Farm, with 3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Castner Brook Community Forest
Managed by Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust
89 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Round Top Farm
Managed by Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust
26 acres0.9 mi of trail
Rhoda and Lee Cohen River Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Doyle Preserve
Managed by Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust
25 acres0.6 mi of trail
Blue TrailWhite Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Whaleback Shell Midden State Historic Site
Managed by Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands
10 acres0.4 mi of trail
Rhoda and Lee Cohen River Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 12 parks & preserves
Salt Bay Farm112 acres · 3 mi of trail · Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust
DirectionsCastner Brook Community Forest89 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust
DirectionsRound Top Farm26 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust
Doyle Preserve25 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust
Whaleback Shell Midden State Historic Site10 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands
Pete Noyes Preserve6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust
Paradise Pond Preserve58 acres · Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust
Chapman Field & Forest37 acres · Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust
DirectionsSherman Lake Wildlife Management Area15 acres · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
Huston Landing10 acres · Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust
Riverside Park2 acres
DirectionsOyster Creek Preserve2 acres · Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust
Who protects it
582 conserved acres
7% of Damariscotta’s land. Water is left out: Damariscotta has 12.4 square miles of land and 2.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Damariscotta’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits721 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)59 ac
Regional agency48 ac
State fish & wildlife25 ac
State parks9 ac
Not recorded189 ac
Private Conservation · 295 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 193 acAgricultural Easement · 189 acConservation Easement · 168 acUnknown Easement · 81 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 158 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 23 of 43 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Salt Bay Farm Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 256 | Restricted |
| Castner Creek Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 90 | Restricted |
| Paradise Pond Preserve Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 59 | Closed |
| Round Top Farm Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 46 | Restricted |
| Miscellaneous Municipal Lands Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 32 | Unknown |
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 32 | Unknown |
| Sherman Lake State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 23 | Restricted |
| Doyle Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 21 | Restricted |
| Sherman Lake Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 14 | Closed |
| Huston Landing Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 12 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
3 places to go in Damariscotta
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Damariscotta
Lonna Bunting Childrens Playground
DirectionsPlus 1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Damariscotta
Damariscotta River
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.9 mi
Blue Trail0.8 mi
Bayside Trail0.5 mi
Hilltop Shortcut0.5 mi
Rhoda and Lee Cohen River Trail0.3 mi
Fox Run Trail0.3 mi
Oyster Creek Trail0.3 mi
Blackstone Trail0.2 mi
White Trail0.2 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
3Tennis
3Baseball
1Softball
1Football
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Chapman-Hall HouseBuilding · listed 1970
About itMatthew Cottrill HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itMain Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1979
About itHuston HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itDamariscotta Baptist ChurchBuilding · listed 1985
About itStephen Coffin HouseBuilding · listed 1987
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Damariscotta: 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 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 40 | 52 | 62 | 71 | 77 | 76 | 69 | 57 | 46 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 5.2 | 4.6 | 4.6 |
August is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 5.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Damariscotta →
Next door
Damariscotta and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damariscotta | 7% | 0.6 | 4 | 31% | C+ |
| Newcastle | 17% | 0.7 | 38 | 28% | B+ |
| Bremen | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Nobleboro | 5% | under 0.1 | 8 | 9% | C− |
| Bristol | 6% | 0.4 | 67 | 16% | B |
| Waldoboro | 9% | 0.2 | 23 | 19% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Damariscotta
Where can I hike in Damariscotta?
The longest trail networks: Salt Bay Farm, 3 miles; Castner Brook Community Forest, 1.2 miles; Round Top Farm, 0.9 miles; Doyle Preserve, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Damariscotta is conserved land?
7% 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 Damariscotta’s trails?
Salt Bay Farm and Castner Brook Community Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Damariscotta?
604 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Damariscotta or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 9 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Damariscotta have?
Ahead of 45% 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 Damariscotta 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 →