The Best Outdoor Activities in Portland, Maine Can Be Found Right Nearby Stevens Square at Baxter Woods
Some of the best outdoor activities in Portland, Maine are simply about enjoying open green spaces. The 30-acre Baxter Woods sanctuary is one. Its history is intertwined with the development of Stevens Square 55+ Active Lifestyle community. Learn all about it in this video:
Baxter Pines recently had its trails widened and stabilized
Evergreen Trails across the street from Stevens Square at Baxter Woods
Stevens Square at Baxter Woods is right on the middle of this historic network of trails
Stevens Square is AT Baxter Woods
Baxter Woods’ miles of walking paths, two ponds, open meadows, and scores of bird species offer natural distance within the community. It’s just one of the many best outdoor activities in Portland, Maine nearby Stevens Square, in the walkable Deering Center Neighborhood.
Mayor Baxter Woods is a dog-friendly environment too!
Evergreen Trails
Evergreen Cemetery was modeled by Charles H. Rowe after America’s first rural cemetery, Mount Auburn in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its bucolic landscape design features winding carriage paths, ponds, footbridges, gardens, a chapel, funerary art, and sculpture.
Additionally, there’s an extensive trail system within its vast wooded and wetland areas. It is maintained by Portland Trails, a non profit organization that manages over 70 miles of trails in the Greater Portland area.
Baxter Pines
Just down the street are two more places for the best outdoor activities in Portland, Maine.
Not to be confused with Mayor Baxter Woods, the 6-acre Baxter Pines was also granted to Portland by Governor Percival Baxter. The site was previously a victory garden during WWI and was acquired by Mayor Baxter and gifted to the city as a pine grove.
Presumpscot Park
Presumpscot Park is a large open space next to Deering Pines and behind Deering High School. It’s perfect for fresh air, exercise and is home to public tennis courts.
Fantastic Birding
Mayor Baxter Woods first opened to the public in the 1920s as “Baxter Bird Sanctuary.” It and Evergreen are considered premier birdwatching refuges. Maine Audubon utilizes them for field trips. On just one recent Audubon outing forty-two species were spotted!