Range Pond State Park
Park
701 acres13.1 mi of trail
Range Pond State Park TrailBrook TrailRock Ring TrailOld Fields Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Keystone Mineral Springs · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Poland
Poland has 1,174 acres of parks, 197 for every 1,000 residents
42 miles of mapped trail cross Poland, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Range Pond State Park (13.1 mi), Poland Spring Preservation Park (3.1 mi), Poland Town Forest (2.4 mi). 6% of Poland’s land is conserved, about 1,619 acres.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #41 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,619 acres · of 42.2 sq mi of land
Trails
42 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,174 ac
197 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
13%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
820 ft
Black Cat Mountain
Lakes & rivers
8
4 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Poland?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Poland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Poland is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #41 of 143 in Maine. 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 Poland’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (42 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land197 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,174 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home13% 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 70%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 72%
Water is 11% of Poland’s area (5 of 47 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 5%.
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 Range Pond State Park, with 13.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Poland Spring Preservation Park
Park
227 acres3.1 mi of trail
Griffin's TrailAmelia's TrailMontague's TrailMaple Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Poland Town Forest
Nature preserve
212 acres2.4 mi of trail
Hemlock TrailBeech TrailWhite Pine TrailBragdon Hill Forest Trails+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Bragdon Hill Forest
Managed by New England Forestry Foundation
199 acres2 mi of trail
Bragdon Hill Forest TrailsMaple TrailBragdon Hill Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Heart of Poland Conservation Area
Nature preserve
121 acres1.8 mi of trail
White Oak TrailHuntress TrailCave TrailRicker Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Waterhouse Park
Park
80 acres1 mi of trail
Waterhouse Brook Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Range Pond State Park701 acres · 13.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPoland Spring Preservation Park227 acres · 3.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPoland Town Forest212 acres · 2.4 mi of trail
Bragdon Hill Forest199 acres · 2 mi of trail · New England Forestry Foundation
Heart of Poland Conservation Area121 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsWaterhouse Park80 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsPoland Spring Resort Fenn Park123 acres
DirectionsDavis Family Forest36 acres · Maine Woodland Owners
Lower Range Pond Beach6 acres
DirectionsPine Grove Field3 acres
Who protects it
1,619 conserved acres
6% of Poland’s land. Water is left out: Poland has 42.2 square miles of land and 5.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Poland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,183 ac
State parks1,132 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)347 ac
State fish & wildlife28 ac
Not recorded602 ac
State Park · 1,305 acUnknown Easement · 844 acConservation Easement · 673 acAgricultural Easement · 405 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 38 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 848 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 10 of 24 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Range Ponds State Park State Park | State parks | 704 | Closed |
| Range Ponds State Park | Not recorded | 602 | Unknown |
| Davis Family Forest Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 38 | Restricted |
| Thompson Lake Boat Access State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 27 | Closed |
| Miscellaneous Municipal Lands Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1 | Unknown |
| Range Ponds Water Access Local Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 1 | Restricted |
Things to do
26 places to go in Poland
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Poland
Lower Range Pond BeachIn Lower Range Pond Beach
DirectionsTripp Lake Beach
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Poland
2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Poland
Upper Range Pond Boat Ramp
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Poland
Black Cat Mountain820 ft elevation
DirectionsJohnson Hill778 ft elevation
DirectionsWhite Oak Hill673 ft elevation
DirectionsShaker Hill614 ft elevation
DirectionsOak Hill604 ft elevation
DirectionsRicker Hill600 ft elevation
DirectionsRange Hill584 ft elevation
DirectionsRaspberry Hill541 ft elevation
Directions4 more peaks
Bailey Hill538 ft elevation
DirectionsMegquier Hill531 ft elevation
DirectionsHarris Hill440 ft elevation
DirectionsBeaver KnollIn Waterhouse Park
DirectionsCampgrounds in Poland
Camp Connor
DirectionsCamp Tall PinesFee
DirectionsPoland Spring Campground
DirectionsTripp Lake Camp
DirectionsDisc golf in Poland
1 disc golf course without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
23 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.2 miUnpaved · 25.1 mi
Bragdon Hill Forest Trails2.2 mi
Griffin's Trail1.9 mi
Range Pond State Park Trail1.9 mi
Brook Trail1.3 mi
Maple Trail1.2 mi
Huntress Trail1.2 mi
Rock Ring Trail1.1 mi
Montague's Trail1.0 mi
Old Fields Trail1.0 mi
Waterhouse Brook Trail0.9 mi
13 more trails
Old Camp Trail
0.9 miHemlock Trail
0.8 miWhite Oak Trail
0.8 miBragdon Hill Trail
0.8 miEast Ridge Trail
0.7 miAmelia's Trail
0.7 miWhite Pine Trail
0.6 miBeech Trail
0.6 miDeer Trail
0.5 miCave Trail
0.4 miRicker Trail
0.2 miPine Trail
0.2 miOld Hemlock Trail
0.1 miBiking & 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
16Tennis
6Baseball
1Volleyball
1Basketball
1Football
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Maine State BuildingBuilding · listed 1974
About itAll Soul's ChapelBuilding · listed 1977
About itPoland Railroad StationBuilding · listed 1980
About itPoland Spring Bottling Plant and Spring HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itPoland Spring Beach House, (Former)Building · listed 1999
About itKeystone Mineral SpringsBuilding · listed 2005
About itPoland Spring Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2013
About itExcelsior Grange #5Building · listed 2016
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Poland: 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 | 32 | 41 | 54 | 66 | 74 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 58 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 5.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 5.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Poland →
Next door
Poland and its neighbors
Poland has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Poland42 miNew Gloucester33 miAuburn28 miCasco17 miOtisfield11 miRaymond7.9 miMinot2.7 miMechanic Falls0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | 6% | 1.0 | 197 | 13% | B+ |
| Mechanic Falls | 7% | under 0.1 | 7 | 41% | C |
| Minot | 2% | 0.1 | 49 | 10% | C+ |
| New Gloucester | 18% | 0.7 | 14 | 10% | B |
| Auburn | 3% | 0.5 | 22 | 63% | B |
| Otisfield | 9% | 0.3 | 57 | 5% | B |
| Casco | 9% | 0.5 | 41 | 24% | B+ |
| Raymond | 10% | 0.2 | 9 | 19% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Poland
Where can I hike in Poland?
The longest trail networks: Range Pond State Park, 13.1 miles; Poland Spring Preservation Park, 3.1 miles; Poland Town Forest, 2.4 miles; Bragdon Hill Forest, 2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Poland is conserved land?
6% 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 Poland’s trails?
Range Pond State Park and Poland Spring Preservation Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Poland?
3,694 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Poland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,174 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Poland have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #41 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 Poland 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 →