Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
1,710 acres6.3 mi of trail
KBK Blueberry Plains
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Kennebunk
26% of Kennebunk’s land is conserved: 5,784 acres
43 miles of mapped trail cross Kennebunk, 1.2 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Management Area (6.3 mi), Alewive Woods Preserve (4.6 mi), Wonder Brook / Murphy Preserve (2.1 mi). 41% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #28 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
26%
5,784 acres · of 35.1 sq mi of land
Trails
43 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
163 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
41%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.6 mi
1.6 mi paths
Highest peak
39 ft
Great Hill
Lakes & rivers
8
6 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Kennebunk?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Kennebunk have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Kennebunk is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #28 of 143 in Maine. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Kennebunk’s overall grade.
Conserved land26% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (43 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (163 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home41% 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 76%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 81%
Water is 20% of Kennebunk’s area (9 of 44 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 21%.
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 Kennebunk Plains WMA, with 6.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Alewive Woods Preserve
Nature preserve
636 acres4.6 mi of trail
Alewive WoodsBlue Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Wonder Brook / Murphy Preserve
Nature preserve
78 acres2.1 mi of trail
Wonderbrook PreserveWonderbrook Trails
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Hope Woods
Nature preserve
91 acres1.9 mi of trail
Hope Cemetery - Wiggins Pond LoopHope Cemetery Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Clark Preserve
Nature preserve
87 acres1 mi of trail
River TrailTurnpike TrailCenter TrailRiver Trail Extension+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
The Secret Garden
Nature preserve
78 acres1 mi of trail
The Secret Garden
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
For All Forever Preserve
Nature preserve
104 acres0.8 mi of trail
For All Forever Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Mousam River Wildlife Sanctuary
Nature preserve
35 acres0.7 mi of trail
Mousam River Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 26 parks & preserves
Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Management Area1,710 acres · 6.3 mi of trail · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
DirectionsAlewive Woods Preserve636 acres · 4.6 mi of trail
Wonder Brook / Murphy Preserve78 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
Hope Woods91 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsClark Preserve87 acres · 1 mi of trail
The Secret Garden78 acres · 1 mi of trail
For All Forever Preserve104 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Mousam River Wildlife Sanctuary35 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsOxbow Preserve13 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge886 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service;U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
DirectionsButler Preserve16 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Sea Road Preserve17 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Alewive Woods Preserve Annex61 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Strawberry Island Preserve4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Madelyn Marx Preserve34 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Lloyd G. Nedeau Memorial Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsParsons Field7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKennebunk Forest69 acres
Punky Swamp Preserve54 acres
Gooch's Creek Preserve39 acres
Welch Preserve36 acres
Moulton Field11 acres
Rogers Pond Park5 acres
DirectionsWest Kennebunk Field5 acres
DirectionsLower Village Park2 acres
DirectionsLafayette Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
5,784 conserved acres
26% of Kennebunk’s land. Water is left out: Kennebunk has 35.1 square miles of land and 8.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Kennebunk’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits2,587 ac
State fish & wildlife2,148 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service2,001 ac
Regional Water Districts508 ac
Regional agency373 ac
Joint74 ac
State parks72 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 1,937 acState Conservation Area · 1,653 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 1,111 acWatershed Protection Area · 990 acConservation Easement · 889 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 913 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 40 of 121 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 1,937 | Restricted |
| Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,653 | Closed |
| Alewive Woods Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 486 | Restricted |
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 274 | Unknown |
| Miscellaneous Municipal Lands Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 252 | Unknown |
| Turcotte Watershed Protection Area | Regional Water Districts | 226 | Closed |
| Branch Brook Watershed Turcotte Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 212 | Unknown |
| Branch Brook Watershed Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 188 | Unknown |
| Libby Watershed Protection Area | Regional Water Districts | 166 | Closed |
| Kennebunk Plains Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 126 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
18 places to go in Kennebunk
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Kennebunk
Crescent Surf
DirectionsGoochs Beach
DirectionsLittle Mother's Beach
DirectionsMiddle Beach
DirectionsMothers Beach
DirectionsParsons Beach
DirectionsPublic pools in Kennebunk
KBIA Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Kennebunk
KBIA Playground
DirectionsLloyd G. Nedeau Memorial ParkIn Lloyd G. Nedeau Memorial Park
DirectionsPlus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Kennebunk
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Kennebunk
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Kennebunk
Great Hill39 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
23 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 25.7 miHorses · 2.3 miUnpaved · 17.4 mi
Alewive Woods3.8 mi
Kennebunk Bridle Path3.0 mi
KBK Blueberry Plains2.5 mi
Wonderbrook Preserve1.7 mi
The Secret Garden1.3 mi
Whitten Road Power Lines1.2 mi
Power Lines1.0 mi
Kennebunk Middle School Trails0.9 mi
Tributary Preserve Trail0.8 mi
Hope Cemetery - Wiggins Pond Loop0.6 mi
13 more trails
Oxbow Preserve Trail
0.6 miMousam River Trail
0.5 miHope Cemetery Trail
0.5 miWonderbrook Trails
0.5 miMousam River Power Lines
0.4 miFor All Forever Trail
0.4 miRiver Trail
0.3 miTurnpike Trail
0.2 miCenter Trail
0.2 miRiver Trail Extension
0.2 miKennebunk Elementary Cut-Through
0.2 miEmmons Road Trail
0.1 miBlue Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
15Tennis
13Baseball
6Multi-sport
4Basketball
3Tracks
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Lord MansionBuilding · listed 1973
About itKennebunk Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1974
About itBourne MansionBuilding · listed 1980
About itJames Smith HomesteadBuilding · listed 1982
About itLower Alewive Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1994
About itWallingford HallBuilding · listed 2004
About itKennebunk High SchoolBuilding · listed 2011
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Kennebunk: 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 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 35 | 43 | 55 | 66 | 75 | 81 | 80 | 72 | 60 | 48 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 4.7 |
February is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Kennebunk →
Next door
Kennebunk and its neighbors
Kennebunk has the most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennebunk | 26% | 1.2 | 14 | 41% | A− |
| Arundel | 4% | 0.4 | 8 | 6% | C |
| Wells | 18% | 0.6 | 7 | 4% | B− |
| Kennebunkport | 25% | 1.5 | 66 | 32% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Kennebunk
Where can I hike in Kennebunk?
The longest trail networks: Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Management Area, 6.3 miles; Alewive Woods Preserve, 4.6 miles; Wonder Brook / Murphy Preserve, 2.1 miles; Hope Woods, 1.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Kennebunk is conserved land?
26% 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 Kennebunk’s trails?
Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Management Area and Alewive Woods Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Kennebunk?
1.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Kennebunk?
1,384 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Kennebunk or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 163 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Kennebunk have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #28 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 Kennebunk 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 →