Runaround Pond Recreation Area
Park
140 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Durham
Durham has 156 acres of parks, 37 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Runaround Pond Recreation Area (0.6 mi), Chesley Meadows Preserve (0.5 mi). 10% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3.9 miles of mapped trail cross Durham, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 36% of U.S. towns · #115 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
695 acres · of 38.3 sq mi of land
Trails
3.9 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
156 ac
37 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
10%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
312 ft
Libby Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Durham?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Durham have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Durham is ahead of 36% of U.S. towns, #115 of 143 in Maine. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Durham’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4CPark land37 acres of park per 1,000 residents (156 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home10% 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 36%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 20%
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 Runaround Pond Recreation Area, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Chesley Meadows Preserve
Managed by Royal River Conservation Trust
160 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
695 conserved acres
3% of Durham’s land. Who manages Durham’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits501 ac
Joint131 ac
State parks131 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land81 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)69 ac
Not recorded256 ac
Agricultural Easement · 436 acPrivate Conservation · 417 acConservation Easement · 172 acState Park · 131 acUnknown Easement · 12 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 296 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 11 of 20 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chesley Meadow Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 150 | Restricted |
| Runaround Pond State Park | State parks | 131 | Closed |
| Chelsey Meadow Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 126 | Unknown |
| Celebration Tree Farm and Wellness Center-Celebration Tree Farm and Wellness Center Private Conservation | Not recorded | 107 | Unknown |
| Colson Private Conservation | Not recorded | 23 | Unknown |
| Chesley Meadows Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 11 | Restricted |
Things to do
7 places to go in Durham
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Durham
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Durham
Durham Boat LaunchIn Durham Boat Launch
DirectionsPeaks in Durham
Libby Hill312 ft elevation
DirectionsBowie Hill282 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Durham
Durham Leisure Campground
DirectionsMaine Forest Yurts
DirectionsTrails & water
3 lakes & rivers
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
3Baseball
1Soccer
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Durham: 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 | 41 | 54 | 65 | 74 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 58 | 46 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 5.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Durham →
Next door
Durham and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Freeport52 miTopsham46 miPownal31 miAuburn28 miLewiston20 miLisbon8.7 miDurham3.9 miLisbon Falls1.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham | 3% | 0.1 | 37 | 10% | C+ |
| Lisbon | 7% | 0.4 | 69 | 64% | B+ |
| Lisbon Falls | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Topsham | 11% | 1.4 | 15 | 29% | B+ |
| Lewiston | 3% | 0.6 | 6 | 83% | B |
| Auburn | 3% | 0.5 | 22 | 63% | B |
| Pownal | 12% | 1.4 | 416 | 21% | A− |
| Freeport | 14% | 1.5 | 46 | 34% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Durham
Where can I hike in Durham?
The longest trail networks: Runaround Pond Recreation Area, 0.6 miles; Chesley Meadows Preserve, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Durham is conserved land?
3% 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 Durham’s trails?
Runaround Pond Recreation Area and Chesley Meadows Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Durham?
6,310 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Durham or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 156 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Durham have?
Ahead of 36% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #115 of 143 in Maine. 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 Durham 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 →