Spring Brook Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
344 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Unknown photographer · Public domainBOutdoors
Outdoors in Hancock
18% of Hancock’s land is conserved: 3,431 acres
The biggest trail networks: Spring Brook Wildlife Management Area (2 mi), Frenchman Bay Community Forest (1.8 mi), Ice Pond Preserve (1.7 mi). 21 miles of mapped trail cross Hancock, 0.7 per square mile of land. 14% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns · #55 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
3,431 acres · of 30.0 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
33 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
14%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.4 mi
5.4 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Hancock?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hancock have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hancock is ahead of 61% of U.S. towns, #55 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 Hancock’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (33 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home14% 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 61%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 62%
Water is 23% of Hancock’s area (9 of 39 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 14%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Spring Brook WMA, with 2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Frenchman Bay Community Forest
Managed by New England Forestry Foundation
3,344 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Ice Pond Preserve
Managed by Crabtree Neck Land Trust
76 acres1.7 mi of trail
South TrailEast LoopEast TrailBrook Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Pettengill Preserve
Managed by Crabtree Neck Land Trust
133 acres1 mi of trail
Main TrailLoop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sam Ball Woods Preserve
Managed by Crabtree Neck Land Trust
26 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Ball Field Preserve
Managed by Crabtree Neck Land Trust
29 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Salt Pond Preserve
Managed by Frenchman Bay Conservancy
18 acres0.6 mi of trail
Salt Pond trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 12 parks & preserves
Spring Brook Wildlife Management Area344 acres · 2 mi of trail · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Frenchman Bay Community Forest3,344 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · New England Forestry Foundation
Ice Pond Preserve76 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · Crabtree Neck Land Trust
Pettengill Preserve133 acres · 1 mi of trail · Crabtree Neck Land Trust
Sam Ball Woods Preserve26 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Crabtree Neck Land Trust
Ball Field Preserve29 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Crabtree Neck Land Trust
Salt Pond Preserve18 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Frenchman Bay Conservancy
Kilkenny Cove Preserve8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Frenchman Bay Conservancy
Tidal Falls Preserve8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Frenchman Bay Conservancy
DirectionsEgypt Bay Wildlife Management Area102 acres · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Old Pond Preserve44 acres · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Carters Beach Corridor27 acres · Crabtree Neck Land Trust
Who protects it
3,431 conserved acres
18% of Hancock’s land. Water is left out: Hancock has 30.0 square miles of land and 8.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Hancock’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife1,525 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits867 ac
Other state land71 ac
State parks9 ac
Not recorded1,907 ac
Private Conservation · 1,930 acConservation Easement · 1,442 acState Conservation Area · 459 acUnknown Easement · 373 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 105 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 882 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 16 of 42 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEFF Hancock Lands Private Conservation | Not recorded | 1,876 | Unknown |
| Spring Brook Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 345 | Closed |
| Egypt Bay Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 113 | Closed |
| Downeast Sunrise Trail State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 71 | Restricted |
| Old Pond - Dembska Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 37 | Closed |
| Old Pond (Maine Shoreline Railway) Trail Easement Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 24 | Closed |
| Carrying Place East Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 20 | Restricted |
| Crabtree Neck Wildlife Refuge Private Conservation | Not recorded | 20 | Unknown |
| Salt Pond Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 18 | Restricted |
| Ararat Private Conservation | Not recorded | 12 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Trails & water
11 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.4 mi
Old Pond Railway Trail2.7 mi
Joy Road Extension2.1 mi
Main Trail0.7 mi
Fire Road 4030.6 mi
Salt Pond trail0.6 mi
South Trail0.5 mi
Loop Trail0.3 mi
East Loop0.3 mi
East Trail0.3 mi
Brook Trail0.3 mi
1 more trails
Fire Lane 113
0.1 miBiking & sports
5.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
5Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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 Hancock: 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 | 52 | 63 | 72 | 78 | 77 | 69 | 56 | 46 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 4.0 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 5.0 |
August is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 5.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Hancock →
Next door
Hancock and its neighbors
Hancock has the second most mapped trails of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock | 18% | 0.7 | 13 | 14% | B |
| Sorrento | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lamoine | 4% | 0.2 | 41 | 24% | B− |
| Sullivan | 17% | 0.6 | 37 | 13% | B+ |
| Franklin | 12% | 0.3 | under 1 | 4% | C |
| Bar Harbor | 56% | 2.0 | 2,480 | 74% | A+ |
| Gouldsboro | 21% | 0.4 | 244 | 18% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hancock
Where can I hike in Hancock?
The longest trail networks: Spring Brook Wildlife Management Area, 2 miles; Frenchman Bay Community Forest, 1.8 miles; Ice Pond Preserve, 1.7 miles; Pettengill Preserve, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hancock is conserved land?
18% 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 Hancock’s trails?
Spring Brook Wildlife Management Area and Frenchman Bay Community Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hancock?
5.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Hancock?
25,310 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hancock or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 565 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hancock have?
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #55 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 Hancock 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 →