Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary
Managed by Stanton Bird Club
437 acres2.3 mi of trail
No dogs
Directionsto ThorncragWebsite ↗
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Lewiston
Lewiston has 20 miles of mapped trails, 0.6 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary (2.3 mi), McMahon Field and Trails (1.8 mi), David Rancourt River Preserve (0.8 mi). 83% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 215 acres are parks and preserves, 5.6 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns · #72 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
701 acres · of 34.1 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
215 ac
5.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
83%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.7 mi
5.4 mi lanes · 1.3 mi paths
Highest peak
515 ft
Thorncrag Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Lewiston?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lewiston have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lewiston is ahead of 55% of U.S. towns, #72 of 143 in Maine. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lewiston’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land5.6 acres of park per 1,000 residents (215 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13CParks close to home83% of residents within a half mile of a park · ME 30% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 55%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 50%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to B+. 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 Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
McMahon Field and Trails
Park
59 acres1.8 mi of trail
MACMHON YELLOW TRAIL- UNPAVED PATHMACMHON GREEN TRAIL- UNPAVED PATHMACMHON CLASSROOM TRAIL- UNPAVED PATH
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
David Rancourt River Preserve
Nature preserve
14 acres0.8 mi of trail
RANCOURT PRESERVE UNPAVED
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Garcelon Bog Conservation Area
Managed by Androscoggin Land Trust
110 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Simard-Payne Memorial Park
Park
8 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 23 parks & preserves
Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary437 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · Stanton Bird Club
DirectionsMcMahon Field and Trails59 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
David Rancourt River Preserve14 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsGarcelon Bog Conservation Area110 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Androscoggin Land Trust
Simard-Payne Memorial Park8 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsSunnyside Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Kennedy Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Lewiston
DirectionsApplesass Hill3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Packard-Littlefield Farm Conservation45 acres · Androscoggin Land Trust
Randall Road Softball Complex39 acres
DirectionsNo Name Pond Conservation Area35 acres · Androscoggin Land Trust
Elliot Little League Ball Fields10 acres
Sainte Croix Park6 acres
Thorncrag NatureSanctuary6 acres · Stanton Bird Club
DirectionsLincoln Street Park6 acres
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park4 acres
DirectionsGeorge Ricker Park3 acres
Michael McGraw Park3 acres · City of Lewiston
DirectionsPettingill School Park2 acres
Lionel Potvin Park2 acres
Mark W. Paradis Park1 acres
DirectionsMarcotte Park1 acres · City of Lewiston
DirectionsCouture Park1 acres
Who protects it
701 conserved acres
3% of Lewiston’s land. Who manages Lewiston’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits804 ac
Town or city89 ac
State conservation17 ac
State parks17 ac
Private Other or Unknown · 365 acUnknown Easement · 226 acConservation Easement · 212 acLocal Park · 54 acLocal Recreation Area · 53 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 226 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 34 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 365 | Restricted |
| Androscoggin River Preserve Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 17 | Restricted |
| Androscoggin River Park Private Recreation or Education | State conservation | 17 | Closed |
| Franklin Pasture Athletic Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Randall Road Softball Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Simard-Payne Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Kennedy Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Montello Track Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Lewiston Athletic Park (Lap) Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Marcotte Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
26 places to go in Lewiston
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Lewiston
Farwell Elementary School Playground
DirectionsPlus 16 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Lewiston
Robin's Garden & Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Lewiston
Lincoln Street Boat Launch
DirectionsWaterfalls in Lewiston
Great Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Lewiston
Landry BenchIn Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary
DirectionsTrafton PinnacleIn Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary
DirectionsPeaks in Lewiston
Thorncrag Hill515 ft elevation · In Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary
DirectionsHedgehog Hill469 ft elevation
DirectionsRobinson Mountain423 ft elevation
DirectionsMount David354 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Snowmobile ITS 877.7 mi
RANCOURT PRESERVE UNPAVED0.7 mi
East Coast Greenway0.5 mi
MACMHON YELLOW TRAIL- UNPAVED PATH0.5 mi
MACMHON GREEN TRAIL- UNPAVED PATH0.3 mi
MACMHON CLASSROOM TRAIL- UNPAVED PATH0.2 mi
Snowmobile Trail 320.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.3 mi
off-road bike paths
East Coast Greenway (ME Complementary route)Bike route
0.5 miCourts & fields
17Tennis
13Tracks
10Basketball
10Baseball
4Softball
3Football
2Pickleball
2Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →48 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Hathorn Hall, Bates CollegeBuilding · listed 1970
About itKora TempleBuilding · listed 1975
About itOak Street SchoolBuilding · listed 1976
About itSen. William P. Frye HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itLewiston City HallBuilding · listed 1976
About itSavings Bank BlockBuilding · listed 1978
About itLewiston Public LibraryBuilding · listed 1978
About itTrinity Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1978
About itJames C. Lord HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itHolland-Drew HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itGrand Trunk Railroad StationBuilding · listed 1979
About itContinental Mill HousingBuilding · listed 1979
About it36 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Lewiston: May and July 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 | 41 | 54 | 66 | 74 | 80 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 5.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Lewiston →
Next door
Lewiston and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Lewiston
Where can I hike in Lewiston?
The longest trail networks: Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary, 2.3 miles; McMahon Field and Trails, 1.8 miles; David Rancourt River Preserve, 0.8 miles; Garcelon Bog Conservation Area, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lewiston is conserved land?
3% 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 Lewiston’s trails?
Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary and McMahon Field and Trails don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lewiston?
6.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.4 of painted or protected lanes and 1.3 of off-road paths. Named routes: East Coast Greenway (ME Complementary route).
Is there public land near Lewiston?
4,288 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lewiston or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 215 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Lewiston have?
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #72 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 Lewiston 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 →