Pratt's Brook Park
Nature preserve
229 acres5.5 mi of trail
Bear TrailMoose TrailDeer TrailCoyote Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: NewTestLeper79 · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Yarmouth
Yarmouth has 31 miles of mapped trails, 2.3 for every square mile of land
11% of Yarmouth’s land is conserved, about 945 acres. 385 acres are parks and preserves, 43 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Pratt's Brook Park (5.5 mi), Frank Knight Forest (2.3 mi), Fels-Groves Farm Preserve (1.6 mi).
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns · #7 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
945 acres · of 13.4 sq mi of land
Trails
31 mi
2.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
385 ac
43 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
65%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.4 mi
2.1 mi lanes · 1.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
2 beaches · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Yarmouth?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Yarmouth have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Yarmouth is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns, #7 of 143 in Maine. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Yarmouth’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%A−Trails2.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (31 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land43 acres of park per 1,000 residents (385 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home65% of residents within a half mile of a park · ME 30% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 89%
LessMore
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 96%
Water is 41% of Yarmouth’s area (10 of 23 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 A− 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 Pratt's Brook Park, with 5.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Frank Knight Forest
Nature preserve
92 acres2.3 mi of trail
Broakside TrailHerbie Connector
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fels-Groves Farm Preserve
Nature preserve
54 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Cousins River Fields & Marsh
Managed by Maine Coast Heritage Trust
81 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Spear Farm Estuary Preserve
Managed by Royal River Conservation Trust
46 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Spear Farm Estuary Preserve Parking Lot
Riverfront Woods Preserve
Managed by Royal River Conservation Trust
54 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Littlejohn Island Preserve
Managed by Royal River Conservation Trust
24 acres1 mi of trail
Dogs allowed
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Yarmouth Open Space
Nature preserve
11 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 24 parks & preserves
Pratt's Brook Park229 acres · 5.5 mi of trail
DirectionsFrank Knight Forest92 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
DirectionsFels-Groves Farm Preserve54 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCousins River Fields & Marsh81 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
DirectionsSpear Farm Estuary Preserve46 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Royal River Conservation Trust
DirectionsRiverfront Woods Preserve54 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Royal River Conservation Trust
Littlejohn Island Preserve24 acres · 1 mi of trail · Royal River Conservation Trust
Yarmouth Open Space11 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSligo Road Property32 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Sweetsir Farm Preserve31 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
McKearney Village Open Space29 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsTinker Preserve15 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Camp Soci6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBoston Post Meadow6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Royal River Park27 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Road Back Woods14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Road Recreation Area8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLanes Island38 acres · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Maggie May Meadows10 acres
Grist Mill Lane Field4 acres
DirectionsPlimouth Way Open Space4 acres
Gooch's Island1 acres
DirectionsFactory Island1 acres
DirectionsGrist Mill Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
945 conserved acres
11% of Yarmouth’s land. Water is left out: Yarmouth has 13.4 square miles of land and 9.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Yarmouth’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency725 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits415 ac
Town or city355 ac
Other state land12 ac
Not recorded544 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 1,133 acLocal Recreation Area · 228 acConservation Easement · 204 acUnknown Easement · 170 acLocal Conservation Area · 94 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 109 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 25 of 59 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 | 494 | Unknown |
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 393 | Unknown |
| Pratt'S Brooke Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 228 | Open |
| Frank Knight Forest Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 90 | Unknown |
| Riverfront Woods Preserve Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 76 | Unknown |
| Fels-Groves Farm Preserve Unknown | Regional agency | 54 | Unknown |
| Spear Farm Estuary Preserve Local Park | Regional agency | 47 | Open |
| Silgo Road Property Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Sweetsire Farm Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| McKearney Village Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 29 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
23 places to go in Yarmouth
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Yarmouth
Sandy Point Beach
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Yarmouth
Nan Jones Kimball Memorial PlaygroundIn North Road Recreation Area
DirectionsRowe School Playground
DirectionsYarmouth Middle School
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Yarmouth
Yarmouth Town Landing
DirectionsPlus 4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Yarmouth
Pumgustuck
DirectionsScenic views in Yarmouth
Littlejohn Narrows Overlook
DirectionsLittlejohn Town Dock
DirectionsPlus 3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Yarmouth
Rock Ledge
DirectionsPicnic areas in Yarmouth
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Yarmouth
Yarmouth Community GardenIn Frank Knight Forest
DirectionsYarmouth Community GardenIn Frank Knight Forest
DirectionsTrails & water
12 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.7 miHorses · 1.1 miUnpaved · 10.6 mi
Bear Trail1.8 mi
Moose Trail1.4 mi
Deer Trail0.5 mi
Coyote Trail0.4 mi
Chipmunk Trail0.4 mi
Holland Drive Trail0.3 mi
Raccoon Trail0.3 mi
Fox Trail0.2 mi
Broakside Trail0.2 mi
Skunk Trail0.2 mi
2 more trails
Otter Trail
0.1 miCougar Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
14Tennis
5Soccer
4Pickleball
3Baseball
2Softball
2Basketball
2Field hockey
2Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →11 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Capt. Reuben Merrill HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itNorth Yarmouth AcademyBuilding · listed 1975
About itMitchell HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itNorth Yarmouth and Freeport Baptist MeetinghouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itCamp HammondBuilding · listed 1979
About itCapt. S. C. Blanchard HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itGrand Trunk Railroad StationBuilding · listed 1979
About itCentral Parish ChurchBuilding · listed 1988
About itFirst Parish Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 1995
About itCousins Island ChapelBuilding · listed 1997
About itCushing and Hannah Prince HouseBuilding · listed 1999
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Yarmouth: 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 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 41 | 53 | 63 | 73 | 78 | 78 | 70 | 58 | 47 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 5.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Yarmouth →
Next door
Yarmouth 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yarmouth | 11% | 2.3 | 43 | 65% | A |
| Freeport | 14% | 1.5 | 46 | 34% | A− |
| Cumberland | 11% | 1.6 | 39 | 32% | A− |
| North Yarmouth | 13% | 1.2 | 59 | 37% | A− |
| Chebeague Island | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Yarmouth
Where can I hike in Yarmouth?
The longest trail networks: Pratt's Brook Park, 5.5 miles; Frank Knight Forest, 2.3 miles; Fels-Groves Farm Preserve, 1.6 miles; Cousins River Fields & Marsh, 1.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Yarmouth 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 Yarmouth’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Littlejohn Island Preserve. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Yarmouth?
3.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.1 of painted or protected lanes and 1.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Yarmouth?
6,141 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Yarmouth or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 385 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Yarmouth have?
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #7 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 Yarmouth 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 →