Rockland Bog Preserve
Managed by Georges River Land Trust
487 acres1.9 mi of trail
Rockland Bog GHP Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Rockland
14% of Rockland’s land is conserved: 1,160 acres
11 miles of mapped trail cross Rockland, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Rockland Bog Preserve (1.9 mi), Rockland Bog Overlook (0.5 mi). 81% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #25 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
1,160 acres · of 12.8 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
69 ac
9.8 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
81%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
659 ft
Dodge Mountain
Lakes & rivers
1
18 beaches · 8 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Rockland?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rockland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rockland is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #25 of 143 in Maine. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Rockland’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land9.8 acres of park per 1,000 residents (69 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home81% 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 78%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 83%
Water is 15% of Rockland’s area (2 of 15 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 12%.
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 Rockland Bog Preserve, with 1.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Rockland Bog Overlook
Managed by Georges River Land Trust
19 acres0.5 mi of trail
Rockland Bog Overlook Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
R. Waldo Tyler (Weskeag Marsh) Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
119 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Jaycee Park
Park
18 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 17 parks & preserves
Rockland Bog Preserve487 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · Georges River Land Trust
Rockland Bog Overlook19 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Georges River Land Trust
Harbor Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSandy Beach Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLibrary Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWindjammer's Warf1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBreakwater1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsR. Waldo Tyler (Weskeag Marsh) Wildlife Management Area119 acres · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Jaycee Park18 acres
Snow Marine Park13 acres
DirectionsMcDougal Park5 acres
Johnson Memorial Park4 acres
Oceanside Little League Fields4 acres
Marie Reed Park2 acres
Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge1 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsBuoy Park1 acres
DirectionsMerritt Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,160 conserved acres
14% of Rockland’s land. Water is left out: Rockland has 12.8 square miles of land and 2.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Rockland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency1,028 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits484 ac
State fish & wildlife109 ac
Town or city26 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service1 ac
Not recorded503 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 1,483 acConservation Easement · 484 acState Conservation Area · 158 acLocal Park · 17 acLocal Recreation Area · 9 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 29 of 49 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oyster River Bog Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 485 | Closed |
| Miscellaneous Municipal Lands Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 455 | Unknown |
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 454 | Unknown |
| R. Waldo Tyler (Weskeag Marsh) Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 109 | Restricted |
| R. Waldo Tyler Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 48 | Unknown |
| City Farm/Tolman Mountain Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 40 | Closed |
| Jaycee Park- Kenniston Field Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 18 | Unknown |
| Snow Marine Park Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 13 | Unknown |
| Unknown Ball Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Breakwater & Marie Reed Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
40 places to go in Rockland
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Rockland
Sandy Beach
DirectionsPlus 17 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Swimming spots in Rockland
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Rockland
Ocean Street Playground
DirectionsPlus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Rockland
8 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Rockland
Dodge Mountain659 ft elevation
DirectionsBenner Hill617 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Rockland
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
6 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.9 mi
Rockland Bog GHP Trail2.2 mi
Harbor Trail0.6 mi
Rockland Bog Overlook Trail0.5 mi
Benner Hill0.4 mi
Boardwalk0.3 mi
Breakwater Path0.1 mi
Lakes & 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
6Baseball
5Tennis
3Soccer
3Basketball
1Softball
1Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →23 places on the National Register, 5 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Farnsworth HomesteadBuilding · listed 1973
About itKnox County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itSecurity Trust BuildingBuilding · listed 1978
About itRockland Railroad StationBuilding · listed 1978
About itMain Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1978
About itRankin BlockBuilding · listed 1978
About itRockland Public LibraryBuilding · listed 1979
About it11 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Rockland: 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 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 32 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 69 | 75 | 74 | 68 | 56 | 46 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 4.1 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 4.9 |
July is the driest month (3.2 in) and the warmest (highs of 75 °F). 5.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Rockland →
Next door
Rockland and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Rockport29 miNorth Haven22 miThomaston14 miRockland11 miWarren10 miOwls Head5.9 miSouth Thomaston3.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockland | 14% | 0.8 | 10 | 81% | A− |
| Thomaston | 2% | 1.3 | 8 | 71% | B |
| Rockport | 19% | 1.3 | 82 | 48% | A |
| Owls Head | 15% | 0.7 | 59 | 51% | A− |
| South Thomaston | 16% | 0.3 | 27 | 14% | B |
| Warren | 5% | 0.2 | 99 | 17% | B− |
| North Haven | — 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 Rockland
Where can I hike in Rockland?
The longest trail networks: Rockland Bog Preserve, 1.9 miles; Rockland Bog Overlook, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rockland is conserved land?
14% 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 Rockland’s trails?
Rockland Bog Preserve and Rockland Bog Overlook don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Rockland?
5,729 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rockland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 69 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Rockland have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #25 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 Rockland 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 →