Hawk Mountain Preserve
Managed by Western Foothills Land Trust
165 acres2.8 mi of trail
Cyrus TrailHannibal TrailEurope TrailAmerica Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Llamero at English Wikipedia · CC BY 2.5B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Waterford
11% of Waterford’s land is conserved: 3,679 acres
43 miles of mapped trail cross Waterford, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Hawk Mountain Preserve (2.8 mi), Northern Retreat - Crooked River Headwaters Conservation Easement (1.3 mi), Mount Tire'm (0.5 mi). 40 acres are parks and preserves, 31 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
3,679 acres · of 50.3 sq mi of land
Trails
43 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
40 ac
31 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
7%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,542 ft
Beech Hill
Lakes & rivers
13
3 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Waterford?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Waterford have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Waterford is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Waterford’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (43 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land31 acres of park per 1,000 residents (40 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home7% 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 66%
LessMore
Water is 5% of Waterford’s area (3 of 53 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 11%.
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 Hawk Mountain Preserve, with 2.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Northern Retreat - Crooked River Headwaters Conservation Easement
Managed by Mahoosuc Land Trust
2,645 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Mount Tire'm
Park
33 acres0.5 mi of trail
Mount Tire'm Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Hawk Mountain Town Land
Nature preserve
20 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 9 parks & preserves
Hawk Mountain Preserve165 acres · 2.8 mi of trail · Western Foothills Land Trust
Northern Retreat - Crooked River Headwaters Conservation Easement2,645 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Mahoosuc Land Trust
Mount Tire'm33 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Hawk Mountain Town Land20 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Five Kezar Ponds Reserve18 acres · Greater Lovell Land Trust
Waterford Sandlot Complex5 acres
Kezar Corridor Lands4 acres · Greater Lovell Land Trust
Bear Pond Park2 acres
Waterford Town Common1 acres
Who protects it
3,679 conserved acres
11% of Waterford’s land. Water is left out: Waterford has 50.3 square miles of land and 2.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Waterford’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits6,579 ac
Regional agency282 ac
Not recorded236 ac
Conservation Easement · 3,127 acUnknown Easement · 3,044 acLocal Other or Unknown · 497 acPrivate Conservation · 233 acAgricultural Easement · 196 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,163 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 15 of 28 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 | 215 | Unknown |
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 215 | Unknown |
| Hatch Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 164 | Restricted |
| Mt. Tirem Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 33 | Closed |
| Briggs Bog Pond Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 28 | Restricted |
| Bear Mountain Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 20 | Closed |
| Stanley Wetlands Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 20 | Closed |
| City Brook-City Brook Private Conservation | Not recorded | 16 | Unknown |
| Pulpit Rock Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 10 | Closed |
| McWain's Ledge Private Conservation | Not recorded | 6 | Unknown |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
26 places to go in Waterford
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Waterford
Gage Rice Beach
DirectionsKeoka Lake Beach
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Swimming spots in Waterford
1 swimming spot without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Waterford
Keoka Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsScenic views in Waterford
Hawk Mountain Viewpoint
DirectionsPeaks in Waterford
Beech Hill1,542 ft elevation
DirectionsBurnell Hill1,391 ft elevation
DirectionsStearns Hill1,358 ft elevation
DirectionsRice Hill1,306 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Tire'm1,089 ft elevation
DirectionsBear Mountain1,066 ft elevation
DirectionsPlummer Hill1,066 ft elevation
DirectionsHawk Mountain1,047 ft elevation · In Hawk Mountain Preserve
Directions12 more peaks
Deer Hill833 ft elevation
DirectionsStanwood Mountain814 ft elevation
DirectionsHemlock Knoll807 ft elevation
DirectionsMcWain Hill797 ft elevation
DirectionsPulpit Rock787 ft elevation · In Northern Retreat - Crooked River Headwaters Conservation Easement
DirectionsPackard Hill764 ft elevation
DirectionsPage Mountain758 ft elevation · In Northern Retreat - Crooked River Headwaters Conservation Easement
DirectionsKimball Hill751 ft elevation
DirectionsTemple Hill745 ft elevation
DirectionsHemlock Hill741 ft elevation
DirectionsCoolidge Hill725 ft elevation
DirectionsBaker Hill699 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 13 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.9 miHorses · 1.0 miUnpaved · 1.5 mi
Snowmobile ITS 891.2 mi
Mount Tire'm Trail0.6 mi
Cyrus Trail0.4 mi
Hannibal Trail0.3 mi
Europe Trail0.3 mi
America Trail0.2 mi
Africa Trail0.2 mi
Eleazer Trail0.2 mi
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
5Tennis
2Basketball
2Baseball
2Equestrian
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). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Waterford: 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 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 31 | 40 | 53 | 66 | 74 | 79 | 78 | 70 | 57 | 44 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 5.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Waterford →
Next door
Waterford 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterford | 11% | 0.8 | 31 | 7% | B+ |
| Norway | 7% | 0.5 | 14 | 42% | B |
| Harrison | 9% | 0.3 | 56 | 10% | B |
| Stoneham | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sweden | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bridgton | 9% | 0.9 | 202 | 33% | A− |
| Lovell | 16% | 1.1 | 2 | 4% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Waterford
Where can I hike in Waterford?
The longest trail networks: Hawk Mountain Preserve, 2.8 miles; Northern Retreat - Crooked River Headwaters Conservation Easement, 1.3 miles; Mount Tire'm, 0.5 miles; Hawk Mountain Town Land, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Waterford is conserved land?
11% 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 Waterford’s trails?
Hawk Mountain Preserve and Northern Retreat - Crooked River Headwaters Conservation Easement don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Waterford?
23,029 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Waterford or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 40 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Waterford have?
Ahead of 66% 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 Waterford 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 →