Mirror Lake Conservation Easement
Nature preserve
654 acres5.7 mi of trail
RMT TrailGeorges Highland Path - Ragged MountainThorndike Brook Trail (Georges Highland Path)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Benggriff · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Rockport
19% of Rockport’s land is conserved: 2,598 acres
29 miles of mapped trail cross Rockport, 1.3 per square mile of land. 300 acres are parks and preserves, 82 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Mirror Lake Conservation Easement (5.7 mi), Ragged Mountain Preserve (4.5 mi), Grassy Pond Conservation Easement (2.1 mi).
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #9 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
2,598 acres · of 21.6 sq mi of land
Trails
29 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
300 ac
82 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
48%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,027 ft
Pleasant Mountain
Lakes & rivers
7
2 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Rockport?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild19% of the land is conserved; a typical Maine town, 6%.A trail town1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 86% of U.S. towns.Room to roam82 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.History along the way9 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rockport have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rockport is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #9 of 143 in Maine. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Rockport’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (29 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land82 acres of park per 1,000 residents (300 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 88%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 94%
Water is 35% of Rockport’s area (12 of 33 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 A− 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 Mirror Lake Conservation Easement, with 5.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ragged Mountain Preserve
Managed by Coastal Mountains Land Trust
516 acres4.5 mi of trail
RMT TrailG5 Connector Trail5 Brooks TrailLollipop Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Grassy Pond Conservation Easement
Nature preserve
721 acres2.1 mi of trail
Georges Highland PathGeorges Highland Path - Spruce Mountain
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Beech Hill Preserve
Managed by Coastal Mountains Land Trust
298 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Erickson Fields
Managed by Maine Coast Heritage Trust
161 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Erickson Field Preserve
Water Supply Land
Nature preserve
169 acres0.9 mi of trail
RMT TrailRagged Mountain & Spruce Mountain Trail (Georges Highland Path)
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Harkness Preserve
Managed by Coastal Mountains Land Trust
21 acres0.8 mi of trail
Harkness Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Ragged Mountain Recreation Area
Park
24 acres0.3 mi of trail
Red Diamond Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 17 parks & preserves
Mirror Lake Conservation Easement654 acres · 5.7 mi of trail
DirectionsRagged Mountain Preserve516 acres · 4.5 mi of trail · Coastal Mountains Land Trust
Grassy Pond Conservation Easement721 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBeech Hill Preserve298 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · Coastal Mountains Land Trust
DirectionsErickson Fields161 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
DirectionsWater Supply Land169 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
Harkness Preserve21 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Coastal Mountains Land Trust
Ragged Mountain Recreation Area24 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Rockport Marine Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCramer Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMerryspring Nature Center42 acres
Simonton Quarry Preserve26 acres · Coastal Mountains Land Trust
Rockport Shore Preserve9 acres · Coastal Mountains Land Trust
Sides Preserve9 acres · Coastal Mountains Land Trust
Glen Cove Park6 acres
Beauchamp Point Preserve3 acres · Coastal Mountains Land Trust
Walker Park2 acres
Who protects it
2,598 conserved acres
19% of Rockport’s land. Water is left out: Rockport has 21.6 square miles of land and 11.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Rockport’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits3,115 ac
Joint495 ac
State conservation315 ac
Town or city165 ac
State fish & wildlife85 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)72 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service43 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,650 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 894 acPrivate Conservation · 822 acUnknown Easement · 786 acLocal Recreation Area · 315 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,324 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 48 of 94 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ragged Mountain Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 704 | Unknown |
| Beech Hill Local Recreation Area | State conservation | 613 | Open |
| Aldermere Farm Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 215 | Closed |
| Erickson Fields Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 89 | Closed |
| Ragged Mountain Preserve-Foote - Ragged Mountain Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 74 | Unknown |
| Beech Hill to Erickson Connector Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 70 | Unknown |
| Ragged Mountain Preserve-Bresnahan II - Ragged Mountain Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 69 | Unknown |
| Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 43 | Restricted |
| Merryspring Foundation Private Conservation | Not recorded | 43 | Unknown |
| Simonton Corner Quarry Private Conservation | Not recorded | 38 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
22 places to go in Rockport
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Rockport
Goodie's BeachIn Rockport Marine Park
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Rockport
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Rockport
Jean H. Kislak Communty Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Rockport
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Rockport
9 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Rockport
Pleasant Mountain1,027 ft elevation
DirectionsSpruce Mountain955 ft elevation
DirectionsBeech Hill522 ft elevation · In Beech Hill Preserve
DirectionsBear Hill436 ft elevation
DirectionsPine Hill174 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Rockport
Sea Swell Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
13 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.9 miUnpaved · 14.6 mi
RMT Trail5.4 mi
Georges Highland Path - Ragged Mountain2.4 mi
Georges Highland Path1.3 mi
Georges Highland Path - Spruce Mountain1.1 mi
5 Brooks Trail1.0 mi
G5 Connector Trail1.0 mi
Harkness Trail0.8 mi
Thorndike Brook Trail (Georges Highland Path)0.5 mi
Ragged Mountain & Spruce Mountain Trail (Georges Highland Path)0.4 mi
Red Diamond Trail0.3 mi
3 more trails
Georges Highland Path - Mount Pleasant
0.3 miLollipop Trail
0.2 miPleasant Mountain Trail
0.1 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
14Tennis
2Baseball
2Pickleball
1Basketball
1Softball
1Field hockey
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 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.
Conway HouseBuilding · listed 1969
About itRockport Historic Kiln AreaDistrict · listed 1970
About itSpite HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itRockport Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1976
About itIndian Island Light StationDistrict · listed 1988
About itTillson Farm BarnBuilding · listed 1990
About itTIMBERWIND (Schooner)Structure · listed 1992
About itMequnticook Golf ClubDistrict · listed 1993
About itBeechnut Hut Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2003
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Rockport: 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 | 39 | 50 | 61 | 69 | 75 | 74 | 67 | 56 | 45 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 4.2 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 4.9 |
July is the driest month (3.2 in) and the warmest (highs of 75 °F). 5.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Rockport →
Next door
Rockport and its neighbors
Rockport has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockport | 19% | 1.3 | 82 | 48% | A |
| Camden | 35% | 1.9 | 526 | 82% | A+ |
| Rockland | 14% | 0.8 | 10 | 81% | A− |
| North Haven | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Warren | 5% | 0.2 | 99 | 17% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Rockport
Where can I hike in Rockport?
The longest trail networks: Mirror Lake Conservation Easement, 5.7 miles; Ragged Mountain Preserve, 4.5 miles; Grassy Pond Conservation Easement, 2.1 miles; Beech Hill Preserve, 1.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rockport is conserved land?
19% 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 Rockport’s trails?
Mirror Lake Conservation Easement and Ragged Mountain Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Rockport?
7,876 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rockport or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 300 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rockport have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #9 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 Rockport 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 →