Meadowbrook Forest
Managed by Blue Hill Heritage Trust
1,680 acres7.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Ellsworth
Ellsworth has 1,850 acres of parks, 214 for every 1,000 residents
10% of Ellsworth’s land is conserved, about 5,266 acres. The biggest trail networks: Meadowbrook Forest (7.4 mi), Branch Lake Public Forest (2.2 mi), Green Lake National Fish Hatchery (1.5 mi). 35% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns · #40 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
5,266 acres · of 79.3 sq mi of land
Trails
31 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,850 ac
214 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
35%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.9 mi
2.9 mi paths
Highest peak
512 ft
Dollard Hill
Lakes & rivers
8
2 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Ellsworth?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ellsworth have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ellsworth is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns, #40 of 143 in Maine. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ellsworth’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (31 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4BPark land214 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,850 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home35% 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 72%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 73%
Water is 16% of Ellsworth’s area (15 of 94 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 9%.
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 Meadowbrook Forest, with 7.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Branch Lake Public Forest
Managed by Frenchman Bay Conservancy
241 acres2.2 mi of trail
Lake LoopPine TrailMarsh Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Green Lake National Fish Hatchery
Park
120 acres1.5 mi of trail
HastingTrail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Jordan Homestead Preserve
Managed by Frenchman Bay Conservancy
33 acres0.8 mi of trail
Jordan Homestead Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Indian Point Preserve
Managed by Frenchman Bay Conservancy
12 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 13 parks & preserves
Meadowbrook Forest1,680 acres · 7.4 mi of trail · Blue Hill Heritage Trust
Branch Lake Public Forest241 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Frenchman Bay Conservancy
Green Lake National Fish Hatchery120 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
Jordan Homestead Preserve33 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Frenchman Bay Conservancy
Knowlton Park6 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsIndian Point Preserve12 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Frenchman Bay Conservancy
DirectionsEllsworth Harbor Park and Marina6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBranch Lake State Park1,318 acres
DirectionsWoodlawn183 acres · Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations
DirectionsBirdsacre Sanctuary176 acres
DirectionsMill Pond Park21 acres
Ellsworth Sports Complex14 acres
Nicolin Park2 acres
Who protects it
5,266 conserved acres
10% of Ellsworth’s land. Water is left out: Ellsworth has 79.3 square miles of land and 14.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Ellsworth’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits3,652 ac
State parks2,560 ac
Regional agency926 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service258 ac
Joint87 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government87 ac
Town or city6 ac
Unknown Easement · 1,813 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 1,632 acConservation Easement · 1,383 acState Park · 1,375 acLocal Other or Unknown · 825 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,026 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 16 of 39 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Branch Lake State Park | State parks | 1,842 | Closed |
| Meadowbrook Forest Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1,601 | Closed |
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 385 | Unknown |
| Green Lake National Fish Hatchery Federal Other or Unknown | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 258 | Restricted |
| Branch Lake Conservation Project Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 240 | Restricted |
| Stanwood Wildlife Sanctuary Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 155 | Open |
| Miscellaneous Municipal Lands Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 100 | Unknown |
| Landfill Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 37 | Closed |
| Jordan Homestead Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 30 | Unknown |
| Indian Point Private Conservation | State parks | 27 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
14 places to go in Ellsworth
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Ellsworth
Hales Beach
DirectionsJesse Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Ellsworth
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Ellsworth
Graham Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsGreen Lake Boat LaunchIn Nicolin Park
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Ellsworth
Ellsworth Falls
DirectionsPlus 1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Ellsworth
Dollard Hill512 ft elevation
DirectionsHopkins Hill413 ft elevation
DirectionsWatts Hill400 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.5 mi
Lake Loop0.9 mi
Jordan Homestead Trail0.9 mi
HastingTrail0.7 mi
Fire Road 2180.3 mi
Pine Trail0.3 mi
Marsh Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
7Tennis
5Baseball
2Pickleball
2Soccer
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →14 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Black MansionBuilding · listed 1969
About itEllsworth Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 1973
About itStanwood HomesteadBuilding · listed 1973
About itJordon, Col, Meltiah, HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itOld Hancock County BuildingsBuilding · listed 1977
About itSamuel Kidder Whiting HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itEllsworth Power House and DamDistrict · listed 1985
About itEllsworth City HallBuilding · listed 1986
About itE. B. White HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itAgassiz Bedrock OutcropSite · listed 2003
About itCol. Charles and Mary Ann Jarvis HomesteadBuilding · listed 2004
About itHancock County JailBuilding · listed 2008
About it2 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Ellsworth: 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 | 53 | 65 | 73 | 79 | 78 | 69 | 57 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 4.8 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 5.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Ellsworth →
Next door
Ellsworth and its neighbors
Ellsworth has the second 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellsworth | 10% | 0.4 | 214 | 35% | B+ |
| Surry | 4% | 0.5 | 18 | 8% | B− |
| Trenton | 4% | 0.2 | 64 | under 1% | C+ |
| Orland | 16% | 0.9 | 6 | 11% | B− |
| Dedham | 8% | 0.5 | under 1 | under 1% | C |
| Otis | — 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 Ellsworth
Where can I hike in Ellsworth?
The longest trail networks: Meadowbrook Forest, 7.4 miles; Branch Lake Public Forest, 2.2 miles; Green Lake National Fish Hatchery, 1.5 miles; Jordan Homestead Preserve, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ellsworth is conserved land?
10% 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 Ellsworth’s trails?
Meadowbrook Forest and Branch Lake Public Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ellsworth?
2.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Ellsworth?
7,754 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ellsworth or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,850 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Ellsworth have?
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #40 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 Ellsworth 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 →