Wells Reserve at Laudholm
Nature preserve
434 acres5.7 mi of trail
Laird-Norton TrailFarley TrailPilger TrailYankee Woodlot Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: BMRR from en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Wells
18% of Wells’ land is conserved: 6,579 acres
The biggest trail networks: Wells Reserve at Laudholm (5.7 mi), Wells Barrens Preserve (3 mi), Tatnic Hills Preserve (1.8 mi). 4% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 35 miles of mapped trail cross Wells, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns · #92 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
6,579 acres · of 57.7 sq mi of land
Trails
35 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
80 ac
6.9 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
4%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
318 ft
Tatnic Hill
Lakes & rivers
11
5 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Wells?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wells have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wells is ahead of 49% of U.S. towns, #92 of 143 in Maine. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Wells’ overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (35 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land6.9 acres of park per 1,000 residents (80 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home4% 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 49%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 36%
Water is 22% of Wells’ area (16 of 74 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 14%.
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 Wells Reserve at Laudholm, with 5.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wells Barrens Preserve
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
328 acres3 mi of trail
Yellow TrailWhite TrailBlue TrailRed Trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Tatnic Hills Preserve
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
201 acres1.8 mi of trail
Red TrailWhite Trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Perkinstown Wildlife Commons
Managed by Great Works Regional Land Trust
282 acres1.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Hilton-Winn Preserve
Managed by York Land Trust
137 acres1.5 mi of trail
River TrailLoop TrailBoardwalk TrailConnector Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service;U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
1,597 acres1 mi of trail
Carson Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Great Haith Wildlife Commons
Managed by Town of Wells
431 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Tatnic Woods Preserve
Managed by Great Works Regional Land Trust
50 acres0.4 mi of trail
Vernal Pool PathLady Slipper Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 17 parks & preserves
Wells Reserve at Laudholm434 acres · 5.7 mi of trail
DirectionsWells Barrens Preserve328 acres · 3 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
DirectionsTatnic Hills Preserve201 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
DirectionsPerkinstown Wildlife Commons282 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · Great Works Regional Land Trust
DirectionsHilton-Winn Preserve137 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · York Land Trust
Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge1,597 acres · 1 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service;U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
DirectionsGreat Haith Wildlife Commons431 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Town of Wells
Tatnic Woods Preserve50 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Great Works Regional Land Trust
DirectionsGetchell Pasteur Wildlife Commons166 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Town of Wells
Wells Harbor Community Park47 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Town of Wells
DirectionsFenderson Wildlife Commons633 acres
Tilton Homestead Wildlife Commons111 acres
Hobbs Brook Wildlife Commons71 acres · Town of Wells
Abenaki Field60 acres · Great Works Regional Land Trust
Ghost Meadow Wildlife Commons53 acres · Town of Wells
Wells Barren Preserve41 acres
Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Management Area5 acres · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
Who protects it
6,579 conserved acres
18% of Wells’ land. Water is left out: Wells has 57.7 square miles of land and 16.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Wells’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits4,094 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service3,282 ac
Regional agency1,424 ac
Regional Water Districts1,053 ac
Town or city304 ac
State parks227 ac
State natural resources171 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 3,259 acConservation Easement · 1,899 acPrivate Conservation · 1,595 acWatershed Protection Area · 1,259 acLocal Resource Management Area · 779 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 996 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 47 of 129 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 3,259 | Restricted |
| Fenderson Wildlife Commons Local Resource Management Area | Regional agency | 636 | Restricted |
| Wells Barrens State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 408 | Closed |
| Tatnic Hills Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 395 | Closed |
| Kennebunk Plains/Wells Barren Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 373 | Unknown |
| Great Haith Wildlife Commons Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 334 | Closed |
| Perkinstown Wildlife Commons Unknown | Regional agency | 282 | Closed |
| Granite State Wetlands Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 282 | Closed |
| Wells Reserve Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 213 | Closed |
| TNC Lot Watershed Protection Area | Regional Water Districts | 199 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
24 places to go in Wells
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Wells
Crescent Beach
DirectionsDrakes Island Beach
DirectionsLaudholm BeachIn Wells Reserve at Laudholm
DirectionsMoody Beach
DirectionsWells Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Wells
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Wells
Webhannet River Slipawy
DirectionsScenic views in Wells
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Wells
Tatnic Hill318 ft elevation
DirectionsBald Hill282 ft elevation
DirectionsTatnic Hills243 ft elevation
DirectionsMildram Hill197 ft elevation
DirectionsHubbard Hill187 ft elevation
DirectionsColes Hill125 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Wells
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Wells
Beach AcresFee
DirectionsGregoire's Campgrounds
DirectionsOcean View Cottage & Camping
DirectionsPinederosa Campground
DirectionsRiverside Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
22 named trails and 11 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.9 miUnpaved · 12.0 mi
White Trail2.0 mi
Yellow Trail1.5 mi
Red Trail1.4 mi
Laird-Norton Trail1.0 mi
Carson Trail0.9 mi
Farley Trail0.8 mi
Yankee Woodlot Trail0.8 mi
Pilger Trail0.7 mi
Muskie Trail0.7 mi
Blue Trail0.5 mi
12 more trails
Barrier Beach Trail
0.5 miRiver Trail
0.4 miVernal Pool Path
0.3 miKnight Trail
0.3 miLoop Trail
0.3 miSaw-whet Owl Trail
0.2 miLady Slipper Loop
0.2 miBoardwalk Trail
0.2 miLaudholm Connector
0.2 miPublic Way #16
0.1 miPublic Way #15
0.1 miConnector Trail
0.1 miBiking & 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
8Tennis
6Baseball
6Multi-sport
5Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →19 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.
Austin-Hennessey HomesteadBuilding · listed 1979
About itDorfield FarmBuilding · listed 1979
About itEarly Post OfficeBuilding · listed 1979
About itEaton HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itEmery HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itHatch HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itLittlefield HomesteadBuilding · listed 1979
About itLittlefield TavernBuilding · listed 1979
About itLittlefield-Chase FarmsteadBuilding · listed 1979
About itLittlefield-Dustin FarmBuilding · listed 1979
About itLittlefield-Keeping HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itLord FarmBuilding · listed 1979
About it7 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Wells: 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 35 | 43 | 55 | 66 | 75 | 81 | 80 | 72 | 60 | 48 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Wells →
Next door
Wells and its neighbors
Wells 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wells | 18% | 0.6 | 7 | 4% | B− |
| Kennebunk | 26% | 1.2 | 14 | 41% | A− |
| Ogunquit | 19% | 0.9 | under 1 | 12% | C+ |
| North Berwick | 5% | 0.4 | under 1 | under 1% | C− |
| South Berwick | 22% | 1.1 | 65 | 54% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wells
Where can I hike in Wells?
The longest trail networks: Wells Reserve at Laudholm, 5.7 miles; Wells Barrens Preserve, 3 miles; Tatnic Hills Preserve, 1.8 miles; Perkinstown Wildlife Commons, 1.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wells is conserved land?
18% 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 Wells’ trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Wells?
2,404 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wells or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 80 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wells have?
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #92 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 Wells 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 →