Sears Island Conservation Area
Managed by FriendsofSearsIsland.org
538 acres2.9 mi of trail
Eastern Ledges TrailHomestead TrailLoop TrailSouthern Shore Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
College Club Inn · Photo: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Searsport
Searsport has 228 acres of parks, 86 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Sears Island Conservation Area (2.9 mi), Long Cove Headwaters Preserve (2.5 mi), Moose Point State Park (2 mi). 8% of Searsport’s land is conserved, about 1,531 acres. 21% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns · #47 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,531 acres · of 28.7 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
228 ac
86 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
21%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
741 ft
Mount Ephraim
Lakes & rivers
5
3 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Searsport?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Searsport have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Searsport is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns, #47 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 Searsport’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4BPark land86 acres of park per 1,000 residents (228 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home21% 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 66%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 68%
Water is 33% of Searsport’s area (14 of 43 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
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 Sears Island Conservation Area, with 2.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Long Cove Headwaters Preserve
Managed by Coastal Mountains Land Trust
449 acres2.5 mi of trail
Long Cove Headwaters Preserve
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Moose Point State Park
Managed by Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands
134 acres2 mi of trail
Moose TrailBig Spruce TrailMeadow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Conservation Area
Managed by FriendsofSearsIsland.org
99 acres0.3 mi of trail
Western Short Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Sears Island Conservation Area538 acres · 2.9 mi of trail · FriendsofSearsIsland.org
Long Cove Headwaters Preserve449 acres · 2.5 mi of trail · Coastal Mountains Land Trust
DirectionsMoose Point State Park134 acres · 2 mi of trail · Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands
DirectionsConservation Area99 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · FriendsofSearsIsland.org
Probert Memorial Forest172 acres · Maine Woodland Owners
Mill Brook Preserve35 acres · Coastal Mountains Land Trust
Mosman Park5 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,531 conserved acres
8% of Searsport’s land. Water is left out: Searsport has 28.7 square miles of land and 13.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Searsport’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,295 ac
Joint619 ac
Other state land619 ac
State parks146 ac
Regional agency4 ac
Not recorded213 ac
Private Other or Unknown · 624 acConservation Easement · 619 acUnknown Easement · 619 acState Other or Unknown · 619 acState Park · 359 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 13 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sears Island State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 619 | Unknown |
| Long Cove Headwaters Preserve Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 450 | Closed |
| Moose Point State Park | Not recorded | 213 | Unknown |
| Probert Memorial Forest Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 174 | Restricted |
| Moose Point State Park State Park | State parks | 146 | Restricted |
| Mill Brook Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 35 | Restricted |
| Long Cove Headwaters Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 18 | Restricted |
| Mosman Park Local Park | Regional agency | 4 | Open |
Things to do
20 places to go in Searsport
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Searsport
3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Searsport
4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Searsport
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Searsport
Mount Ephraim741 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Searsport
10 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Searsport
Searsport Shores Ocean Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.9 mi
Long Cove Headwaters Preserve2.5 mi
Black Road South1.7 mi
Eastern Ledges Trail0.9 mi
Moose Trail0.6 mi
Big Spruce Trail0.5 mi
Homestead Trail0.5 mi
Western Short Trail0.3 mi
Loop Trail0.3 mi
Meadow Trail0.2 mi
Southern Shore Trail0.2 mi
1 more trails
Scenic Lookout Trail
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
2Soccer
2Baseball
2Tennis
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →12 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Penobscot Marine MuseumDistrict · listed 1970
About itSearsport Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1979
About itCapt. John P. Nichols HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itCapt. John McGilvery HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itCapt. William McGilvery HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itUnion HallBuilding · listed 1986
About itMortland Family FarmDistrict · listed 1991
About itEast Main Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1991
About itUnion SchoolBuilding · listed 1993
About itCarver Memorial LibraryBuilding · listed 1993
About itJames G. Pendleton HouseBuilding · listed 1995
About itCollege Club InnBuilding · listed 2000
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Searsport: 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 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 31 | 39 | 51 | 62 | 71 | 77 | 76 | 68 | 56 | 45 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 4.0 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
August is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 5.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Searsport →
Next door
Searsport and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Belfast17 miCastine14 miSearsport14 miIslesboro8.8 miStockton Springs7.6 miProspect4.9 miSwanville3.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Searsport | 8% | 0.5 | 86 | 21% | B+ |
| Stockton Springs | 8% | 0.4 | 162 | 22% | B+ |
| Belfast | 4% | 0.5 | 18 | 56% | B |
| Prospect | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Swanville | 7% | 0.2 | 63 | 2% | B− |
| Islesboro | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Castine | 18% | 1.8 | 48 | 77% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Searsport
Where can I hike in Searsport?
The longest trail networks: Sears Island Conservation Area, 2.9 miles; Long Cove Headwaters Preserve, 2.5 miles; Moose Point State Park, 2 miles; Conservation Area, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Searsport is conserved land?
8% 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 Searsport’s trails?
Sears Island Conservation Area and Long Cove Headwaters Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Searsport?
2,835 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Searsport or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 228 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Searsport have?
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #47 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 Searsport 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 →