Hinckley Park in South Portland Maine is a relatively small yet gorgeous park, renowned for its contrasting terrain and scenery. While the park attracts visitors all year round, it is even more popular in spring and summer, when nature is at its prime. During the rainy season, some of the trails can get rather muddy. While in winter the scenery changes completely with the park covered in snow, creating the perfect environment for snowshoeing.
Visitors can follow various looped trails around the park covering different lengths, elevations, and footing. Most of the activities revolve around the park’s two ponds. In fact, the most popular trail offers a scenic route around both ponds covering 0.75miles, which can also be extended further by walking to the opposite side of the park. Hinckley Park presents different elevations and the further inwards you get the higher the elevation of the terrain.
For anyone looking for an alternate way to explore the park, kayaking around the ponds is an option worth considering. Alternatively, you may choose to simply sit on one of the benches and enjoy the outstanding views of nature, the ponds, the bridges crossing over streams, and the small waterfalls, with the woodlands as a picturesque backdrop. Visitors can also obtain a special license and fish for trout in the ponds.
A parking lot fitting 15 cars is available next to the Highland Avenue entrance, however, this can get rather busy in peak season. Additional parking is available on the west side of the park on Stillman Street. Being a pet-friendly park, dogs are more than welcome to join their owners.
If you happen to be in South Portland, Maine and you’re looking for an outdoor location to get some exercise or just to relax, Hinckley Park is a pretty safe bet. This park, covering 40 acres of land, offers much more than meets the eye. It manages to encapsulate different scenery and terrain into one location making it an enjoyable all-rounded experience.
Get emailed when we share photos from our latest travels.