Talking Brook Public Land
Managed by Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands
169 acres2.9 mi of trail
Yellow TrailGreen TrailBig Falls Loop TrailRed Trail+1
Dogs allowed
No trailhead mapped yet
Shaker Village · Photo: Jamie Ribisi-Braley · CC BY-SA 3.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in New Gloucester
18% of New Gloucester’s land is conserved: 5,313 acres
The biggest trail networks: Talking Brook Public Land (2.9 mi), Intervale Preserve (1.6 mi), Snows Hill Woodlot (1.3 mi). 33 miles of mapped trail cross New Gloucester, 0.7 per square mile of land. 10% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns · #57 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
5,313 acres · of 47.1 sq mi of land
Trails
33 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
84 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
10%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
518 ft
Bald Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is New Gloucester?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does New Gloucester have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, New Gloucester is ahead of 61% of U.S. towns, #57 of 143 in Maine. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of New Gloucester’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (33 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (84 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home10% 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 61%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 61%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Talking Brook Public Land, with 2.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Intervale Preserve
Managed by Royal River Conservation Trust
328 acres1.6 mi of trail
Interurban Multi-use TrailWarbler TrailFoxcroft Multi-use Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Snows Hill Woodlot
Managed by Maine Woodland Owners
649 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Pisgah Hill Preserve (South)
Managed by Royal River Conservation Trust
61 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailhead
Tobey Road Woodlot
Managed by Maine Woodland Owners
325 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Chandler Mill Woodlot
Managed by Maine Woodland Owners
212 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
New Gloucester Fish Hatchery
Nature preserve
170 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Fish Hatchery Woodlot
Managed by Maine Woodland Owners
105 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 31 parks & preserves
Talking Brook Public Land169 acres · 2.9 mi of trail · Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands
Intervale Preserve328 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · Royal River Conservation Trust
DirectionsSnows Hill Woodlot649 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Maine Woodland Owners
Pisgah Hill Preserve (South)61 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Royal River Conservation Trust
DirectionsTobey Road Woodlot325 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Maine Woodland Owners
Chandler Mill Woodlot212 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Maine Woodland Owners
New Gloucester Fish Hatchery170 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Fish Hatchery Woodlot105 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Maine Woodland Owners
New Gloucester Fairgrounds35 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsPineland Public Land17 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands
Cemetery Woodlot145 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Maine Woodland Owners
Pisgah Hill Preserve (North)131 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsChandler Mill Pond115 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
DirectionsCharlie's Woodlot40 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Maine Woodland Owners
Snow Hill Road Woodlots190 acres · Maine Woodland Owners
DirectionsTown Land131 acres
Church Woodlot124 acres · Maine Woodland Owners
McKenney Brook Conservation Easement109 acres · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
Irving F. Thurston Wildlife Management Area100 acres · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Elderberry Lane Woodlots89 acres · Maine Woodland Owners
New Gloucester Town Forest69 acres
Little Meadow Preserve69 acres · Royal River Conservation Trust
Bowie Pit Woodlot65 acres · Maine Woodland Owners
Lewiston Road Woodlot35 acres · Maine Woodland Owners
Rowe Station Road Woodlot22 acres · Maine Woodland Owners
Bennett Road Woodlot22 acres · Maine Woodland Owners
Flowing North Preserve19 acres · Royal River Conservation Trust
Rowe Station19 acres
Intervale Preserve (Penney Road Access)3 acres · Royal River Conservation Trust
The Grove2 acres · LLBean
DirectionsNew Gloucester Blockhouse1 acres · New Gloucester Historical Society
Who protects it
5,313 conserved acres
18% of New Gloucester’s land. Who manages New Gloucester’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits5,227 ac
State parks1,322 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)1,279 ac
State fish & wildlife496 ac
Regional agency375 ac
Joint22 ac
Other state land11 ac
Private Conservation · 2,426 acAgricultural Easement · 2,293 acUnknown Easement · 1,908 acConservation Easement · 1,378 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 1,116 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,178 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 44 of 73 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chandler Brothers Family Forest Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 2,977 | Unknown |
| Miscellaneous Municipal Lands Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 330 | Unknown |
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 285 | Unknown |
| Pisgah Hill Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 182 | Restricted |
| New Gloucester Fish Hatchery State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 171 | Unknown |
| Intervale Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 123 | Restricted |
| Bradley - Pineland Corridor Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 109 | Closed |
| McKenney Estates Development State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 108 | Restricted |
| Thurston Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 99 | Closed |
| Lily Pond State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 91 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
12 places to go in New Gloucester
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in New Gloucester
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in New Gloucester
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in New Gloucester
Bald Hill518 ft elevation
DirectionsGrandview Hill495 ft elevation
DirectionsLittle Hill495 ft elevation
DirectionsGloucester Hill492 ft elevation
DirectionsSnows Hill456 ft elevation · In Snows Hill Woodlot
DirectionsPeacock Hill453 ft elevation
DirectionsPisgah Hill377 ft elevation · In Pisgah Hill Preserve (South)
DirectionsDisc golf in New Gloucester
Outdoor Center
DirectionsTrails & water
19 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.8 miHorses · 1.9 miUnpaved · 15.2 mi
Muskrat Hollow2.4 mi
Oak Hill Trail2.1 mi
Portland-Lewiston Interurban2.0 mi
Fox Run2.0 mi
Yellow Trail1.4 mi
Gloucester Hill Run1.3 mi
Interurban Multi-use Trail1.1 mi
Access Loop0.9 mi
Field Loop0.6 mi
Porcupine Pass0.5 mi
9 more trails
Green Trail
0.5 miWarbler Trail
0.5 miBig Falls Loop Trail
0.4 miPownal Trail
0.4 miRed Trail
0.4 miFoxcroft Multi-use Trail
0.4 miBlue Trail
0.3 miNorth Loop Trail
0.3 miGreen Connector
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & 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
5Tennis
3Baseball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in New Gloucester: 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 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 41 | 54 | 66 | 74 | 80 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 5.3 | 4.4 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 5.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in New Gloucester →
Next door
New Gloucester 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Gloucester | 18% | 0.7 | 14 | 10% | B |
| Poland | 6% | 1.0 | 197 | 13% | B+ |
| Gray | 5% | 0.9 | 5 | 11% | C+ |
| Raymond | 10% | 0.2 | 9 | 19% | C+ |
| Pownal | 12% | 1.4 | 416 | 21% | A− |
| Auburn | 3% | 0.5 | 22 | 63% | B |
| Durham | 3% | 0.1 | 37 | 10% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in New Gloucester
Where can I hike in New Gloucester?
The longest trail networks: Talking Brook Public Land, 2.9 miles; Intervale Preserve, 1.6 miles; Snows Hill Woodlot, 1.3 miles; Pisgah Hill Preserve (South), 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of New Gloucester is conserved land?
18% 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 New Gloucester’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Talking Brook Public Land and Pisgah Hill Preserve (South) (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near New Gloucester?
6,407 acres of parks and open public land lie inside New Gloucester or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 84 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does New Gloucester have?
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #57 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 New Gloucester 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 →