Edgar M. Tennis Preserve
Managed by Island Heritage Trust
111 acres2.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Unknown photographer · Public domainBOutdoors
Outdoors in Deer Isle
Deer Isle has 21 miles of mapped trails, 0.7 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Edgar M. Tennis Preserve (2.5 mi), Shore Acres Preserve (2.2 mi), Barred Island Preserve (1.5 mi). 8% of Deer Isle’s land is conserved, about 1,553 acres. 7% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 58% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,553 acres · of 29.7 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
52 ac
21 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
7%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
220 ft
The Head
Lakes & rivers
3
15 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Deer Isle?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Deer Isle have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Deer Isle is ahead of 58% of U.S. towns. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Deer Isle’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land21 acres of park per 1,000 residents (52 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home7% of residents within a half mile of a park · ME 30% · U.S. 72%D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 58%
LessMore
Water is more than half of Deer Isle’s area (94 of 124 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 2%.
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 Edgar M. Tennis Preserve, with 2.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Shore Acres Preserve
Managed by Island Heritage Trust
67 acres2.2 mi of trail
Shore TrailGoldthread TrailStonewall TrailGreat Oak Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Barred Island Preserve
Managed by Island Heritage Trust
56 acres1.5 mi of trail
Barred Island TrailBarred Island Trail (return)
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Carrying Place Preserve
Managed by Island Heritage Trust
33 acres1.5 mi of trail
Bray's Mountain TrailOld Shoreline TrailRidge TrailShore Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Church Land Preserve
Managed by Island Heritage Trust
52 acres1.3 mi of trail
Peter Powers TrailJonathan Adams LoopJoseph Brown TrailAbijah Wines Spur
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Lisa Tolman Wotton Nature Preserve
Managed by Island Heritage Trust
44 acres1.3 mi of trail
Meadow TrailSpinney LoopBig Pine LoopBlaster Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Scott's Landing Preserve
Managed by Island Heritage Trust
25 acres1.1 mi of trail
Bluebird TrailWarbler AlleyMoraine Ridge TrailWood Lily Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Scott's Landing TrailheadWebsite ↗
Lily Pond Park
Managed by Island Heritage Trust
18 acres0.8 mi of trail
Marshall Farm TrailShoreline Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 23 parks & preserves
Edgar M. Tennis Preserve111 acres · 2.5 mi of trail · Island Heritage Trust
DirectionsShore Acres Preserve67 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Island Heritage Trust
Barred Island Preserve56 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Island Heritage Trust
DirectionsCarrying Place Preserve33 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Island Heritage Trust
DirectionsChurch Land Preserve52 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Island Heritage Trust
Lisa Tolman Wotton Nature Preserve44 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Island Heritage Trust
Scott's Landing Preserve25 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Island Heritage Trust
DirectionsLily Pond Park18 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Island Heritage Trust
DirectionsPine Hill Preserve8 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Island Heritage Trust
Pond Island Preserve46 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Mariner's Memorial Park27 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Island Heritage Trust
Bradbury Island163 acres · Island Heritage Trust
Alan E. Hutchinson Wildlife Management Area36 acres · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
Bear Island Preserve22 acres · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Sheep Island15 acres · Island Heritage Trust
Carney Island13 acres · Island Heritage Trust
Maine Coastal Island National Wildlife Refuge8 acres · USFW
Deer Isle Ballfield and Playground6 acres
Polypod Island4 acres · Island Heritage Trust
Bowcat Overlook4 acres · Island Heritage Trust
Bridge End Park3 acres
DirectionsWhig Island3 acres · Island Heritage Trust
Reach Beach1 acres · Island Heritage Trust
Who protects it
1,553 conserved acres
8% of Deer Isle’s land. Water is left out: Deer Isle has 29.7 square miles of land and 93.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Deer Isle’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,572 ac
National Park Service600 ac
State parks145 ac
State fish & wildlife44 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service42 ac
Regional agency40 ac
Not recorded4 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,700 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 261 acPrivate Conservation · 252 acUnknown Easement · 99 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 42 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,009 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 58 of 96 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradbury Island Preserve Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 162 | Closed |
| Barred Island Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 125 | Closed |
| Tennis Preserve Pickering Cove Private Conservation | State parks | 120 | Closed |
| Acadia National Park Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 47 | Closed |
| Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 42 | Restricted |
| Shore Acres Preserve Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 38 | Restricted |
| Alan E. Hutchinson Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 28 | Restricted |
| Big Bear Island Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 22 | Closed |
| Lily Pond Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 9 | Unknown |
| Unknown Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 8 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
24 places to go in Deer Isle
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Deer Isle
Bear Island Beach
DirectionsBrook Beach
DirectionsCauseway Beach
DirectionsDouble Beach
DirectionsDriftwood Beach
DirectionsHarbor Beach
DirectionsLighthouse Beach
DirectionsLily Pond Beach
Directions7 more beaches
North Point Beach
DirectionsOrchard Beach
DirectionsReach Beach
DirectionsSteep Bank Beach
DirectionsThe Brook Beach
DirectionsThree Island Beach
DirectionsWalton Beach
DirectionsBoat launches in Deer Isle
Town Landing at Bridge End
DirectionsPeaks in Deer Isle
The Head220 ft elevation
DirectionsBig Mountain194 ft elevation
DirectionsBrays Mountain151 ft elevation · In Carrying Place Preserve
DirectionsLittle Mountain141 ft elevation
DirectionsStinson Point121 ft elevation · In Barred Island Preserve
DirectionsJims Hill92 ft elevation
DirectionsThe Nubble92 ft elevation
DirectionsConary Head59 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.3 mi
Barred Island Trail1.3 mi
Shore Trail0.9 mi
Meadow Trail0.7 mi
Fire Road 4990.6 mi
Fire Road 3130.6 mi
Bray's Mountain Trail0.6 mi
Peter Powers Trail0.5 mi
Goldthread Trail0.5 mi
Jonathan Adams Loop0.4 mi
Stonewall Trail0.4 mi
15 more trails
Barred Island Trail (return)
0.3 miJoseph Brown Trail
0.3 miGreat Oak Trail
0.3 miSpinney Loop
0.3 miPond Island Trail
0.3 miOld Shoreline Trail
0.3 miBluebird Trail
0.2 miRidge Trail
0.2 miBig Pine Loop
0.2 miMarshall Farm Trail
0.2 miShoreline Trail
0.2 miCliff Trail
0.2 miCove View Trail
0.2 miSerpentine Loop West
0.1 miSerpentine Loop East
0.1 miLakes & 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
10Tennis
2Baseball
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). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Olmsted, Frederick Law, Summer HomeBuilding · listed 1976
About itSquire Ignatius Haskell HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itPeter Powers HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itSalome Sellers HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itPumpkin Island Light StationDistrict · listed 1988
About itHaystack Mountain School of CraftsDistrict · listed 2005
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Deer Isle: 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 | 61 | 70 | 76 | 75 | 68 | 56 | 45 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 4.2 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 4.9 |
August is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 5.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Deer Isle →
Next door
Deer Isle and its neighbors
Deer Isle has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
North Haven22 miDeer Isle21 miBrooksville15 miIslesboro8.8 miSedgwick8.6 miStonington7.2 miBrooklin6.7 miSwans Island2.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer Isle | 8% | 0.7 | 21 | 7% | B |
| Stonington | 15% | 0.7 | 4 | 11% | B− |
| North Haven | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Brooksville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Brooklin | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Islesboro | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Swans Island | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sedgwick | 5% | 0.3 | under 1 | under 1% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Deer Isle
Where can I hike in Deer Isle?
The longest trail networks: Edgar M. Tennis Preserve, 2.5 miles; Shore Acres Preserve, 2.2 miles; Barred Island Preserve, 1.5 miles; Carrying Place Preserve, 1.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Deer Isle is conserved land?
8% 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 Deer Isle’s trails?
Edgar M. Tennis Preserve and Shore Acres Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Deer Isle?
7,175 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Deer Isle or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 52 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Deer Isle have?
Ahead of 58% 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 Deer Isle 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 →