Maine Outdoor Journal

Beaver Park. Who knew? How would you? Unless maybe you were a denizen of the Lisbon area.

The park is only a few minutes and a couple miles outside of downtown Lisbon and the busy Route 196 corridor.

Step away from your car and into the woods of Beaver Park, however, and you could be almost anywhere in the woods of Maine. Try it, as we did, and see for yourself.
Just past the entrance kiosk (it's a buck for Lisbon residents, $3 for everyone else and well worth it) park across from Upper Pond. Throw on your daypack and go...

Head around the pond and into the woods on the Fitness Trail. Tall trees and soft, level trail lead you away for almost a mile.

Touch the park road for a brief stint before bearing right into Swamp Hollow. The path dives deep into lush, quiet woodlands. Wet in places, it's worth the moisture in your socks.

At Pine Ridge, go right to the J.P. Trail and back to a closed and overgrown old road. Cross a make a loop on the Arndt, Pluto and Jessup Trails. Good walking, easy and pretty amidst the wooded terrain.

When you emerge on the park road finally, take it left for aways to Middle Pond. There, bear into the woods to the picnic area and pond, a sweet place to hang for sure on a warm summer day.

The Coon's Path farther on leads around Middle Pond. Be sure to detour along the shore to the sandy beach, another spot of not when it's summery warm out.

All told, our adventure this lazy Sunday afternoon in Lisbon netted about five miles of easy, wooded, and beautiful walking over a half dozen trails. We could've added a couple more miles but we'll be back for another look-see later on.

By the way, we saw no beavers. Nothing, no wildlife, and no body in fact, except a jogger on the park road. Bonus! Peace, quiet, and no people.

Beaver Park. Lisbon, Maine. A fine place to visit when you and your walking shoes need a sweet place to escape to.