Reynolds Forest
Managed by Kennebec Land Trust
35 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Powers House · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0COutdoors
Outdoors in Sidney
Sidney has 30 miles of mapped trails, 0.7 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Reynolds Forest (0.5 mi). 2% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Sidney’s land is conserved, about 439 acres.
Ahead of 33% of U.S. towns · #122 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
439 acres · of 42.2 sq mi of land
Trails
30 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
41 ac
8.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
2%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
587 ft
Quaker Hill
Lakes & rivers
8
2 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sidney have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sidney is ahead of 33% of U.S. towns, #122 of 143 in Maine. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Sidney’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (30 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land8.6 acres of park per 1,000 residents (41 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home2% 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 33%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 15%
Water is 7% of Sidney’s area (3 of 46 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 2%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. 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 Reynolds Forest, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ward Pond Woods
Managed by Maine Woodland Owners
54 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sidney Recreation Fields
Park
39 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Messalonskee Lake Boat Access
Park
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
439 conserved acres
2% of Sidney’s land. Water is left out: Sidney has 42.2 square miles of land and 3.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Sidney’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency331 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits98 ac
State fish & wildlife6 ac
State parks2 ac
Not recorded331 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 662 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 98 acState Conservation Area · 6 acState Park · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 6 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Municipal Lands Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 331 | Unknown |
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 331 | Unknown |
| Ward Pond Woodlot Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 63 | Restricted |
| Reynolds Forest Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 35 | Closed |
| Lyons Road (Crick Brook) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 6 | Closed |
| Messalonskee Lake Boating Access State Park | State parks | 2 | Closed |
Things to do
5 places to go in Sidney
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Sidney
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Sidney
Quaker Hill587 ft elevation
DirectionsRicker Hill440 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Sidney
New England Music Camp
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Snowmobile25.9 mi
Bean Glen0.2 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
4Tennis
1Volleyball
1Basketball
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 Sidney: 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 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 31 | 40 | 53 | 65 | 74 | 79 | 78 | 70 | 57 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 5.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Sidney →
Next door
Sidney 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney | 2% | 0.7 | 9 | 2% | C |
| Vassalboro | 4% | 0.8 | 13 | 8% | B− |
| Belgrade | 4% | 1.2 | 6 | 12% | C+ |
| Augusta | 15% | 1.0 | 14 | 68% | A− |
| Oakland | 2% | 0.9 | 8 | 17% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Sidney
Where can I hike in Sidney?
The longest trail networks: Reynolds Forest, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sidney is conserved land?
2% 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 Sidney’s trails?
Reynolds Forest and Ward Pond Woods don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Sidney?
1,796 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sidney or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 41 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Sidney have?
Ahead of 33% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #122 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 Sidney 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 →