Machias River Preserve
Managed by Downeast Coastal Conservancy
359 acres2.4 mi of trail
Heritage TrailMunson Pitch Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Machias
Machias has 187 acres of parks, 93 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Machias River Preserve (2.4 mi), Middle River Park (2.1 mi), Meserve Head Preserve (0.5 mi). 7% of Machias’ land is conserved, about 597 acres. 6.9 miles of mapped trail cross Machias, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
597 acres · of 13.9 sq mi of land
Trails
6.9 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
187 ac
93 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
48%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.6 mi
3.6 mi paths
Highest peak
131 ft
Meserve Head
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Machias?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Machias have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Machias 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 Machias’ overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4BPark land93 acres of park per 1,000 residents (187 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home48% 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
Water is 6% of Machias’ area (1 of 15 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
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 Machias River Preserve, with 2.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Middle River Park
Managed by Downeast Coastal Conservancy
109 acres2.1 mi of trail
Second Woods TrailBlue TrailRed TrailOrange Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Meserve Head Preserve
Managed by Maine Coast Heritage Trust
71 acres0.5 mi of trail
Meserve Head Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Machias River Preserve359 acres · 2.4 mi of trail · Downeast Coastal Conservancy
DirectionsMiddle River Park109 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · Downeast Coastal Conservancy
DirectionsMeserve Head Preserve71 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
DirectionsBad Little Falls Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMachias Park3 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
597 conserved acres
7% of Machias’ land. Water is left out: Machias has 13.9 square miles of land and 0.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Machias’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits541 ac
Other state land54 ac
Not recorded364 ac
Private Other or Unknown · 470 acPrivate Conservation · 435 acState Other or Unknown · 54 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 6 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machias River Private Conservation | Not recorded | 364 | Unknown |
| MACHIAS RIVER Phase I Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 364 | Closed |
| Middle River Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 107 | Closed |
| Meserve Head Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 71 | Restricted |
| Downeast Sunrise Trail State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 54 | Restricted |
Things to do
10 places to go in Machias
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Machias
Machias River Boat Launch
DirectionsWaterfalls in Machias
Scenic views in Machias
2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Machias
Meserve Head131 ft elevation · In Meserve Head Preserve
DirectionsLibby Head92 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Machias
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
12 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.5 mi
Heritage Trail1.5 mi
Munson Pitch Trail0.9 mi
Second Woods Trail0.8 mi
Blue Trail0.6 mi
DeShon Outback Trail Back Loop0.6 mi
Meserve Head Trail0.5 mi
DeShon Outback Main Trail0.4 mi
Red Trail0.3 mi
DeShon Outback Trail Overlook0.3 mi
DeShon Outback Side Trail to Soccer Field0.2 mi
2 more trails
Orange Trail
0.2 miBerm Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →11 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Burnham TavernBuilding · listed 1973
About itCentre Street Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 1975
About itWashington County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itLion, The (locomotive)Structure · listed 1976
About itMachias Post Office and CustomhouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itPorter Memorial LibraryBuilding · listed 1978
About itWhitneyville Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 1979
About itClark Perry HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itWashington County JailBuilding · listed 1988
About itMachias Railroad StationBuilding · listed 1992
About itMachias Valley Grange, #360 (Former)Building · listed 2007
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Machias: 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 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 32 | 39 | 50 | 60 | 68 | 74 | 74 | 67 | 56 | 46 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 5.3 |
August is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 74 °F). 5.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Machias →
Next door
Machias 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machias | 7% | 0.5 | 93 | 48% | B+ |
| Machiasport | 19% | 0.4 | 40 | 29% | B+ |
| Marshfield | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Whitneyville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Roque Bluffs | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Machias
Where can I hike in Machias?
The longest trail networks: Machias River Preserve, 2.4 miles; Middle River Park, 2.1 miles; Meserve Head Preserve, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Machias 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 Machias’ trails?
Machias River Preserve and Middle River Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Machias?
3.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Machias?
965 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Machias or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 187 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Machias 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 Machias 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 →