Pleasant Mountain Preserve
Managed by Loon Echo Land Trust
2,682 acres8.8 mi of trail
Fire Warden's TrailLedges TrailBald Peak TrailSouthwest Ridge Trail+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto Ledges Trail Trailhead ParkingWebsite ↗
Photo: Denmarkmaine · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Denmark
Denmark has 932 acres of parks, 884 for every 1,000 residents
23% of Denmark’s land is conserved, about 6,791 acres. 60 miles of mapped trail cross Denmark, 1.3 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Pleasant Mountain Preserve (8.8 mi), Bull Ring Preserve (5.9 mi), Perley Mills Community Forest (4.2 mi).
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
23%
6,791 acres · of 46.1 sq mi of land
Trails
60 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
932 ac
884 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
5%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,005 ft
Pleasant Mountain
Lakes & rivers
18
1 beach · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Denmark?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Denmark have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Denmark is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Denmark’s overall grade.
Conserved land23% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (60 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land884 acres of park per 1,000 residents (932 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home5% 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 83%
LessMore
Water is 8% of Denmark’s area (4 of 50 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 21%.
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 Pleasant Mountain Preserve, with 8.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bull Ring Preserve
Nature preserve
1,820 acres5.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Perley Mills Community Forest
Managed by Loon Echo Land Trust
927 acres4.2 mi of trail
Snowmobile ITS 89
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Maine State Lands
Nature preserve
584 acres2.9 mi of trail
Snowmobile ITS 89Narrow Gauge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Pleasant Mountain Preserve2,682 acres · 8.8 mi of trail · Loon Echo Land Trust
DirectionsBull Ring Preserve1,820 acres · 5.9 mi of trail
Perley Mills Community Forest927 acres · 4.2 mi of trail · Loon Echo Land Trust
DirectionsMaine State Lands584 acres · 2.9 mi of trail
Black Brook Bog210 acres
Major Gregory Sanborn Wildlife Management Area166 acres · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Bicentennial Park2 acres
Beaver Pond Islands1 acres
Who protects it
6,791 conserved acres
23% of Denmark’s land. Water is left out: Denmark has 46.1 square miles of land and 3.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Denmark’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits13,676 ac
State parks586 ac
State fish & wildlife167 ac
State natural resources19 ac
Not recorded540 ac
Conservation Easement · 5,122 acPrivate Conservation · 3,993 acUnknown Easement · 2,567 acState Conservation Area · 1,350 acLocal Resource Management Area · 924 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,698 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 21 of 43 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saco River Watershed Pleasant Mountain Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1,585 | Closed |
| Pleasant Mountain State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1,184 | Closed |
| Bull Ring Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1,149 | Unknown |
| Saco River Floodplain - Moose Pond Brook Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 979 | Unknown |
| Perley Mills Community Forest Local Resource Management Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 924 | Open |
| Middle Pond Hancock Pond State Park | State parks | 586 | Closed |
| Pleasant Mountain Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 370 | Closed |
| Saco River Floodplain Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 322 | Closed |
| Maj. Gregory Sanborn (Brownfield Bog) Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 167 | Closed |
| Pleasant Mountain Tower State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 32 | Closed |
Things to do
18 places to go in Denmark
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Denmark
Denmark Town Beach
DirectionsSwimming spots in Denmark
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Denmark
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Denmark
Granger Pond Boat Launch
DirectionsHancock Pond Boat Launch
DirectionsMoose Pond Boat Launch
DirectionsScenic views in Denmark
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Denmark
Pleasant Mountain2,005 ft elevation · In Pleasant Mountain Preserve
DirectionsPleasant Mountain - Big Bald Peak1,926 ft elevation · In Pleasant Mountain Preserve
DirectionsPleasant Mountain - North Peak1,902 ft elevation
DirectionsAllen Mountain1,115 ft elevation
DirectionsFessenden Hill1,027 ft elevation
DirectionsBoston Hills866 ft elevation
DirectionsEvans Ledge866 ft elevation
DirectionsQuarry Hill866 ft elevation
Directions2 more peaks
Pickett Hill787 ft elevation
DirectionsCole Mountain692 ft elevation · In Perley Mills Community Forest
DirectionsCampgrounds in Denmark
Granger Pond Camping Area
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 18 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 8.4 mi
Snowmobile ITS 893.1 mi
Southwest Ridge Trail2.5 mi
Fire Warden's Trail2.1 mi
Ledges Trail1.7 mi
Bald Peak Trail1.5 mi
North Ridge Trail0.4 mi
Narrow Gauge 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
12Tennis
1Basketball
1Baseball
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Denmark: 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) | 29 | 33 | 41 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 80 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 5.2 | 4.2 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 5.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Denmark →
Next door
Denmark and its neighbors
Denmark has the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 23% | 1.3 | 884 | 5% | A− |
| Brownfield | 13% | 0.6 | 11 | 24% | B |
| Bridgton | 9% | 0.9 | 202 | 33% | A− |
| Fryeburg | 14% | 0.6 | 56 | 35% | B+ |
| Sebago | 15% | 1.6 | 958 | 32% | A |
| Hiram | 7% | 1.1 | 146 | 12% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Denmark
Where can I hike in Denmark?
The longest trail networks: Pleasant Mountain Preserve, 8.8 miles; Bull Ring Preserve, 5.9 miles; Perley Mills Community Forest, 4.2 miles; Maine State Lands, 2.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Denmark is conserved land?
23% 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 Denmark’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Pleasant Mountain Preserve (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Denmark?
9,805 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Denmark or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 932 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Denmark have?
Ahead of 83% 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 Denmark 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 →