Fields Pond Audubon Center
Nature preserve
69 acres1.7 mi of trail
Marsh TrailRavine TrailBrook TrailPocket Field Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
DOutdoors
Outdoors in Holden
Holden has 13 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Fields Pond Audubon Center (1.7 mi). 1% of Holden’s land is conserved, about 231 acres.
Ahead of 14% of U.S. towns · #138 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
231 acres · of 31.3 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.0 mi
Highest peak
728 ft
Copeland Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Holden have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Holden is ahead of 14% of U.S. towns, #138 of 143 in Maine. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
D
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Holden’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4BPark land0.0 acres of park per 1,000 residents (0 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13DParks close to home0% of residents within a half mile of a park · ME 30% · U.S. 72%D−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 14%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 4%
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Holden. OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and coverage varies from town to town, so a town with unmapped parks scores low on them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. 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 Fields Pond Audubon Center, with 1.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
231 conserved acres
1% of Holden’s land. Who manages Holden’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits323 ac
State conservation70 ac
Not recorded1 ac
Agricultural Easement · 323 acPrivate Conservation · 71 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 160 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 4 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fields Pond Audubon Center Private Conservation | State conservation | 70 | Restricted |
| Unity College Land (Bog) Private Conservation | Not recorded | 1 | Unknown |
Things to do
5 places to go in Holden
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Holden
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Holden
Copeland Hill728 ft elevation
DirectionsHog Hill676 ft elevation
DirectionsMann Hill463 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Holden
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
11 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Snowmobile Trail 1m Holden3.8 mi
Snowmobile Trail 3c Holden2.7 mi
Snowmobile Trail 3m Holden1.3 mi
Pocket Field Trail1.0 mi
Shelterwood Trail0.6 mi
Ravine Trail0.4 mi
Marsh Trail0.4 mi
Snowmobile Dedham Trail0.3 mi
Middle Trail0.2 mi
Fields Pond Connector Trail0.2 mi
1 more trails
Brook Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
1Basketball
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Holden Town HallBuilding · listed 2014
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Holden: 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 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 32 | 40 | 53 | 65 | 74 | 80 | 79 | 70 | 58 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Holden →
Next door
Holden 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holden | 1% | 0.4 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Eddington | 16% | 0.4 | under 1 | 4% | C |
| Orrington | 1% | 1.5 | 1 | 7% | C |
| Brewer | 11% | 0.8 | 13 | 79% | A− |
| Dedham | 8% | 0.5 | under 1 | under 1% | C |
| Bucksport | under 1% | 0.9 | 18 | 27% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Holden
Where can I hike in Holden?
The longest trail networks: Fields Pond Audubon Center, 1.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Holden is conserved land?
1% 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 Holden’s trails?
Fields Pond Audubon Center doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Holden?
5.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.0 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Holden?
3,611 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Holden or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), almost none of it inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Holden have?
Ahead of 14% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #138 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 Holden 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 →