Gibson Preserve
Managed by Georges River Land Trust
153 acres2.6 mi of trail
Gibson Preserve Nature TrailNorth TrailAccessible TrailYellow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Unknown photographer · Public domainC−Outdoors
Outdoors in Searsmont
Searsmont has 16 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Gibson Preserve (2.6 mi). 4% of Searsmont’s land is conserved, about 835 acres.
Ahead of 20% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
835 acres · of 37.7 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,040 ft
Levenseller Mountain
Lakes & rivers
6
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Searsmont have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Searsmont is ahead of 20% of U.S. towns. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Searsmont’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4BPark land0.0 acres of park per 1,000 residents (0 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13DParks close to home0% of residents within a half mile of a park · ME 30% · U.S. 72%D−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 20%
LessMore
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Searsmont. OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and coverage varies from town to town, so a town with unmapped parks scores low on them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. 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 Gibson Preserve, with 2.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
James Dorso Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
414 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Porter Preserve
Managed by Georges River Land Trust
13 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
835 conserved acres
4% of Searsmont’s land. Who manages Searsmont’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits807 ac
State fish & wildlife362 ac
State parks2 ac
Not recorded236 ac
State Conservation Area · 598 acAgricultural Easement · 370 acUnknown Easement · 232 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 132 acConservation Easement · 73 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 338 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 9 of 20 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Dorso (Ruffingham Meadow) Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 362 | Closed |
| James Dorso Wildlife Management Area - Ruffingham Meadow State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 236 | Unknown |
| Gibson Preserve Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 120 | Restricted |
| Porter Preserve Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 13 | Restricted |
| Quantabacook Pond Boating Access State Park | State parks | 2 | Closed |
Things to do
2 places to go in Searsmont
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Searsmont
Quantabacook Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsPeaks in Searsmont
Levenseller Mountain1,040 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.4 mi
Canal Path2.0 mi
Gibson Preserve Nature Trail1.1 mi
Pond Road South1.0 mi
North Trail0.6 mi
French Road North0.5 mi
Pond Road North0.4 mi
Accessible Trail0.3 mi
Yellow Trail0.3 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
1Equestrian
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Searsmont: 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 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 40 | 52 | 64 | 72 | 78 | 77 | 69 | 57 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 5.2 | 4.6 | 4.7 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 5.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Searsmont →
Next door
Searsmont 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Searsmont | 4% | 0.4 | under 1 | under 1% | C− |
| Lincolnville | 27% | 0.9 | 1,490 | 40% | A |
| Appleton | 14% | 0.3 | under 1 | under 1% | C |
| Morrill | 1% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Belmont | 8% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Montville | 20% | 0.4 | 364 | 9% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Searsmont
Where can I hike in Searsmont?
The longest trail networks: Gibson Preserve, 2.6 miles; Porter Preserve, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Searsmont is conserved land?
4% 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 Searsmont’s trails?
Gibson Preserve and James Dorso Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Searsmont?
7,898 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Searsmont or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), almost none of it inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Searsmont have?
Ahead of 20% 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 Searsmont 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 →