Maine State Lands
Nature preserve
841 acres4.1 mi of trail
Narrow Gauge TrailSnowmobile ITS 89
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Soldiers Memorial Library · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Hiram
Hiram has 255 acres of parks, 146 for every 1,000 residents
41 miles of mapped trail cross Hiram, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Maine State Lands (4.1 mi), Mt Cutler Park (2.9 mi), Merrill Mountain Community Forest (1.2 mi). 12% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
1,658 acres · of 37.5 sq mi of land
Trails
41 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
255 ac
146 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
12%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,611 ft
Bill Merrill Mountain
Lakes & rivers
15
2 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Hiram?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hiram have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hiram is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns. 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 Hiram’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (41 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land146 acres of park per 1,000 residents (255 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home12% 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
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 Maine State Lands, with 4.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mt Cutler Park
Park
182 acres2.9 mi of trail
Ridge WalkNorthwest TrailNorth TrailWhite Flag Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Merrill Mountain Community Forest
Nature preserve
369 acres1.2 mi of trail
Merrill Mountain Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Bull Ring Preserve
Nature preserve
357 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Earthrest Wilderness Sanctuary
Nature preserve
248 acres0.5 mi of trail
Peaked Mountain Pass
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Tenmile River Demonstration Forest
Nature preserve
55 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Ossipee Valley Fairgrounds
Park
49 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Merrill Park
Park
22 acres0.4 mi of trail
Barnes TrailSnowmobile Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 9 parks & preserves
Maine State Lands841 acres · 4.1 mi of trail
Mt Cutler Park182 acres · 2.9 mi of trail
DirectionsMerrill Mountain Community Forest369 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
Bull Ring Preserve357 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
Earthrest Wilderness Sanctuary248 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Tenmile River Demonstration Forest55 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsOssipee Valley Fairgrounds49 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Merrill Park22 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Edgecomb Forest62 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Who protects it
1,658 conserved acres
7% of Hiram’s land. Who manages Hiram’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,796 ac
State parks800 ac
Other state land43 ac
Not recorded884 ac
State Other or Unknown · 807 acState Park · 800 acPrivate Conservation · 709 acConservation Easement · 689 acUnknown Easement · 422 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 69 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 10 of 16 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Pond Hancock Pond State Park | State parks | 800 | Closed |
| Middle Pond State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 763 | Unknown |
| Saco River Floodplain - Moose Pond Brook Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 356 | Unknown |
| Earthrest Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 263 | Unknown |
| New England Forestry Foundation Private Conservation | Not recorded | 89 | Unknown |
| Edgecomb Forest Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 66 | Unknown |
| Mountain Division Line Rr State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 43 | Closed |
| Saco River Floodplain Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 32 | Unknown |
Things to do
24 places to go in Hiram
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Hiram
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Hiram
3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Hiram
River Run Saco Canoe Access
DirectionsStanley Pond Public Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Hiram
Hiram Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Hiram
6 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Hiram
Bill Merrill Mountain1,611 ft elevation · In Merrill Mountain Community Forest
DirectionsMount Misery1,512 ft elevation
DirectionsRobbins Hill1,358 ft elevation
DirectionsGould Mountain1,276 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Cutler1,234 ft elevation
DirectionsPeaked Mountain1,083 ft elevation · In Earthrest Wilderness Sanctuary
DirectionsTear Cap997 ft elevation
DirectionsSmalls Mountain735 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
18 named trails and 15 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 6.2 mi
Narrow Gauge Trail2.8 mi
Lewis Crossing1.9 mi
Saco Ridge Trail0.9 mi
Ridge Walk0.9 mi
Merrill Mountain Trail0.9 mi
Northwest Trail0.7 mi
Benny Babb Hill0.6 mi
North Trail0.6 mi
Ten Mile Brook0.6 mi
Snowmobile Trail0.5 mi
8 more trails
Peaked Mountain Pass
0.4 miWhite Flag Trail
0.3 miOld Rte 5
0.3 miBarnes Trail
0.3 miLink
0.2 miMoraine Trail
0.2 miSnowmobile ITS 89
0.2 miBoulder Trail
0.2 miBiking & 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
8Baseball
7Tennis
2Multi-sport
1Equestrian
1Soccer
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 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 Hiram: 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 41 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 80 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 5.3 | 4.3 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 5.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Hiram →
Next door
Hiram and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Denmark60 miSebago52 miParsonsfield50 miHiram41 miPorter33 miBaldwin27 miBrownfield27 miCornish14 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hiram | 7% | 1.1 | 146 | 12% | B+ |
| Cornish | 1% | 0.6 | under 1 | 5% | C− |
| Baldwin | 6% | 0.8 | 6 | under 1% | C+ |
| Sebago | 15% | 1.6 | 958 | 32% | A |
| Parsonsfield | 24% | 0.8 | under 1 | 12% | C+ |
| Porter | 1% | 1.0 | under 1 | 28% | C |
| Brownfield | 13% | 0.6 | 11 | 24% | B |
| Denmark | 23% | 1.3 | 884 | 5% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hiram
Where can I hike in Hiram?
The longest trail networks: Maine State Lands, 4.1 miles; Mt Cutler Park, 2.9 miles; Merrill Mountain Community Forest, 1.2 miles; Bull Ring Preserve, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hiram is conserved land?
7% 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 Hiram’s trails?
Maine State Lands and Mt Cutler Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Hiram?
6,553 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hiram or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 519 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hiram have?
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Hiram 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 →