Mill Island Park
Park
9 acres0.3 mi of trail
Mill Loop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bates, Asa, Memorial Chapel · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Fairfield
Fairfield has 120 acres of parks, 18 for every 1,000 residents
26 miles of mapped trail cross Fairfield, 0.5 per square mile of land. 46% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Fairfield’s land is conserved, about 809 acres.
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns · #85 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
809 acres · of 53.7 sq mi of land
Trails
26 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
120 ac
18 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
46%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.8 mi
9.8 mi paths
Highest peak
574 ft
Bear Mountain
Lakes & rivers
2
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Fairfield?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fairfield have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fairfield is ahead of 51% of U.S. towns, #85 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 Fairfield’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (26 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4BPark land18 acres of park per 1,000 residents (120 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home46% 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 51%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 41%
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 Mill Island Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Martin Stream Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
211 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
PAL Athletic Fields
Park
43 acres0.2 mi of trail
Cattail Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Kennebec River Access - Shawmut
Park
31 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Mill Island Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsPAL Athletic Fields43 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Kennebec River Access - Shawmut31 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Veterans' Monument Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Water Street Playground3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMartin Stream Wildlife Management Area211 acres · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
Who protects it
809 conserved acres
2% of Fairfield’s land. Who manages Fairfield’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits892 ac
State fish & wildlife287 ac
Town or city67 ac
Regional agency7 ac
Agricultural Easement · 892 acState Conservation Area · 256 acLocal Park · 39 acState Other or Unknown · 32 acLocal Recreation Area · 29 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 447 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 11 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Stream Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 256 | Closed |
| Kennebec River Access Shawmut State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 32 | Closed |
| Quarry Road Recreation Area Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Monument Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Mill Island Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 7 | Closed |
| Unknwon Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
7 places to go in Fairfield
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Fairfield
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Fairfield
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Fairfield
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Fairfield
Bear Mountain574 ft elevation
DirectionsHorn Hill413 ft elevation
DirectionsWilcox Hill390 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Snowmobile Fairfield Oakland Trail15.5 mi
Snowmobile Oakland Trail4.3 mi
Snowmobile Trail 421.2 mi
Snowmobile Trail 360.7 mi
Cattail Trail0.2 mi
Mill Loop Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
5Baseball
4Soccer
4Tennis
2Basketball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Connor-Bovie HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itLawrence LibraryBuilding · listed 1974
About itQuincy BuildingBuilding · listed 1978
About itAmos Gerald HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itHinckley Good Will Home Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itCotton-Smith HouseBuilding · listed 1992
About itBates, Asa, Memorial ChapelBuilding · listed 2002
About itGerald HotelBuilding · listed 2013
About itYoung Surgical Building-Central Maine SanatoriumBuilding · listed 2021
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Fairfield: 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) | 28 | 31 | 40 | 53 | 66 | 74 | 80 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Fairfield →
Next door
Fairfield 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield | 2% | 0.5 | 18 | 46% | B− |
| Benton | 3% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 22% | C− |
| Clinton | 1% | 0.4 | 11 | 25% | C |
| Smithfield | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Norridgewock | 1% | 0.7 | 4 | 10% | C− |
| Skowhegan | 6% | 0.9 | 30 | 57% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fairfield
Where can I hike in Fairfield?
The longest trail networks: Mill Island Park, 0.3 miles; PAL Athletic Fields, 0.2 miles; Kennebec River Access - Shawmut, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fairfield is conserved land?
2% 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 Fairfield’s trails?
Mill Island Park and Martin Stream Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fairfield?
9.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Fairfield?
1,094 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fairfield or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 120 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Fairfield have?
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #85 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 Fairfield 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 →