Mount Tom Preserve
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
629 acres3.9 mi of trail
Mount Tom Trail
Dogs usually not allowed
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Bernt Rostad · CC BY 2.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Fryeburg
14% of Fryeburg’s land is conserved: 5,180 acres
194 acres are parks and preserves, 56 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Mount Tom Preserve (3.9 mi), Pleasant Pond Floodplain Forest (2.6 mi), Fryeburg Town Forest (0.9 mi). 34 miles of mapped trail cross Fryeburg, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns · #32 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
5,180 acres · of 58.3 sq mi of land
Trails
34 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
194 ac
56 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
35%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.9 mi
3.9 mi paths
Highest peak
1,040 ft
Mount Tom
Lakes & rivers
26
58 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Fryeburg?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fryeburg have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fryeburg is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns, #32 of 143 in Maine. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fryeburg’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (34 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land56 acres of park per 1,000 residents (194 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks 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 75%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 78%
Water is 11% of Fryeburg’s area (8 of 66 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 12%.
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 Mount Tom Preserve, with 3.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pleasant Pond Floodplain Forest
Managed by Upper Saco Valley Land Trust
521 acres2.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fryeburg Town Forest
Nature preserve
97 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Major Gregory Sanborn Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
2,458 acres0.5 mi of trail
Brownfield Bog
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Swans Falls
Managed by Saco River Council
45 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 20 parks & preserves
Mount Tom Preserve629 acres · 3.9 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
Pleasant Pond Floodplain Forest521 acres · 2.6 mi of trail · Upper Saco Valley Land Trust
DirectionsFryeburg Town Forest97 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsMajor Gregory Sanborn Wildlife Management Area2,458 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
DirectionsSwans Falls45 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Saco River Council
DirectionsFryeburg Fairgrounds158 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Smarts Hill Conservation Easement118 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Westons Beach4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSaco River Floodplain380 acres · The Nature Conservancy
Charles Pond Reserve87 acres · Greater Lovell Land Trust
Menotomy Preserve83 acres · Upper Saco Valley Land Trust
DirectionsPocket Swamp Preserve44 acres
Bog Pond36 acres
Bradley Memorial Park22 acres
DirectionsKezar Outlet Fen Reserve21 acres · Greater Lovell Land Trust
Andrews Preserve12 acres
Stearns Preserve11 acres
Graustein Park4 acres
Eastman Memorial Grove3 acres
Robert E. Peary Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
5,180 conserved acres
14% of Fryeburg’s land. Water is left out: Fryeburg has 58.3 square miles of land and 7.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Fryeburg’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits5,497 ac
State fish & wildlife2,526 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)166 ac
Other state land57 ac
State parks48 ac
Regional agency36 ac
Not recorded1,358 ac
State Conservation Area · 3,670 acPrivate Conservation · 2,086 acUnknown Easement · 1,806 acConservation Easement · 1,430 acAgricultural Easement · 331 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,230 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 22 of 48 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maj. Gregory Sanborn (Brownfield Bog) Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,517 | Closed |
| Brownfield Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 1,153 | Unknown |
| Mount Tom Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1,038 | Unknown |
| Saco River Mount Tom Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 630 | Closed |
| Saco River Floodplain Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 369 | Closed |
| Saco River Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 183 | Unknown |
| Mountain Division Line Rr State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 57 | Closed |
| Swan's Falls State Park | State parks | 48 | Closed |
| Abraham Krasker Bog Pond Public Landing and Conservation Are Local Park | Regional agency | 36 | Restricted |
| Saco River Watershed Kezar Outlet Fen Private Conservation | Not recorded | 22 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
77 places to go in Fryeburg
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Fryeburg
Fiddlehead Campground
Directions58 beaches are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Playgrounds in Fryeburg
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Fryeburg
Lovewell Pond Boat RampIn Major Gregory Sanborn Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsWalkers Bridge Canoe Access
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Fryeburg
Swans Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Fryeburg
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Fryeburg
Mount Tom1,040 ft elevation · In Mount Tom Preserve
DirectionsStarks Mountain1,027 ft elevation
DirectionsLong Hill846 ft elevation
DirectionsBald Peak820 ft elevation
DirectionsBirch Hill768 ft elevation
DirectionsCarter Hill728 ft elevation
DirectionsOak Hill679 ft elevation
DirectionsSmarts Hill646 ft elevation
Directions2 more peaks
Stanley Hill640 ft elevation
DirectionsJockey Cap587 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Fryeburg
Canal Bridge CampgroundIn Fryeburg Town Forest
DirectionsSwan's Falls Campground & Saco River Access FacilityIn Swans Falls
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
6 named trails and 26 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 7.7 mi
Snowmobile ITS 802.5 mi
Mount Tom Trail1.9 mi
Brownfield Bog0.4 mi
Fire Lane 290.3 mi
Jockey Cap Trail0.3 mi
Portage0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Black PondCat PondCharles PondpondClay's PondClays PondpondDead LakeHorseshoe PondHunt PondpondKezar PondLittle PondpondLovewell PondLower Kimball PondpondPeat PondpondRound PondpondSaco River ReservoirreservoirWards PondreservoirCharles RiverDam SpillwayDock BrookKezar RiverKimball BrookLittle Saco RiverNarrow ChannelOld Course Saco RiverSaco RiverSaco River Oxbow
Biking & sports
3.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
16Tennis
7Baseball
4Basketball
3Football
3Soccer
2Field hockey
1Lacrosse
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →13 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Hemlock BridgeStructure · listed 1970
About itSquire Chase HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itBenjamin Wiley HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itBarrows-Steadman HomesteadBuilding · listed 1982
About itDistrict No. 1 SchoolhouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itChurch of the New JerusalemBuilding · listed 1986
About itMarion Parsons HouseBuilding · listed 1987
About itFryeburg Registry of DeedsBuilding · listed 1987
About itOsgood Family HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itMain Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1991
About itFryeburg Town House, FormerBuilding · listed 1992
About itCaswell Public Library (Former)Building · listed 2005
About it1 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Fryeburg: 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 | 42 | 55 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Fryeburg →
Next door
Fryeburg 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fryeburg | 14% | 0.6 | 56 | 35% | B+ |
| Bridgton | 9% | 0.9 | 202 | 33% | A− |
| Denmark | 23% | 1.3 | 884 | 5% | A− |
| Brownfield | 13% | 0.6 | 11 | 24% | B |
| Stow | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sweden | — 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 Fryeburg
Where can I hike in Fryeburg?
The longest trail networks: Mount Tom Preserve, 3.9 miles; Pleasant Pond Floodplain Forest, 2.6 miles; Fryeburg Town Forest, 0.9 miles; Major Gregory Sanborn Wildlife Management Area, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fryeburg is conserved land?
14% 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 Fryeburg’s trails?
Mount Tom Preserve and Pleasant Pond Floodplain Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fryeburg?
3.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Fryeburg?
58,275 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fryeburg or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 194 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Fryeburg have?
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #32 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 Fryeburg 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 →