Popular outdoor destinations usually attract people for good reasons, whether it’s spectacular views, well-maintained trails, abundant wildlife or unique history. I know this. Yet sometimes, a place is so popular that I’m hesitant to visit it, even if it’s close to home.
It’s frustrating to deal with busy parking lots and clogged trails. When I spend time outside, I usually want to experience some degree of solitude and peace. But I have a solution: I visit these beloved destinations during the “off-season,” which is basically late fall through spring.
If you think about it, that’s a lot of time to visit some of Maine’s most loved locations, especially our best beaches.
I recently spent the day walking through the soft sand of Popham Beach, Maine’s most-visited state park beach. On a sunny, warm Monday in early October, the sprawling beach had a number of visitors, but nowhere near as many as it sees during the height of summer.
But I did see some special beachgoers.
Off-season rules are set into motion on Oct. 1. Dogs are welcomed back, if kept on leash and cleaned up after. Horses are permitted again, too, though riders need to plan their visit for low tide so there’s plenty of room for everyone.
During my visit, I watched two beautiful horses and their riders prance in circles near the crashing surf. I also scratched a few friendly dogs behind the ears, and watched surfers play in the waves.
It was unseasonably warm, with temperatures climbing into the mid-70s. After exchanging my pants for shorts, I sat in the sand, reluctant to leave the glittering ocean interrupted by ledges and tiny Seguin Island with its black-and-white lighthouse.
Back in August 1607, colonists George Popham and Raleigh Gilbert anchored near the island before heading up the Kennebec River to establish Popham Colony in what is now Phippsburg. Sadly, the colony only lasted about a year. But the colonists accomplished something. To return to England, they constructed the first ship ever built in North America.
The beach was idyllic. I didn’t want to leave. But eventually, I stirred from my sandy seat to explore more of the area. Just down the road, I roamed the easy walking paths around Fort Popham. The tide was nearly at the high tide mark, lapping against its granite walls.
Fort Popham was built in the 1860s at the entrance of the Kennebec River, and it’s actually incomplete. According to a weathered educational display near the boomerang-shaped fort, it was constructed to guard the mouth of the river, thus protecting the capital, Augusta, and the important shipbuilding operations in Bath.
Today, the site sees about 100,000 visitors every year — but it wasn’t too busy on that Monday in October. A few visitors milled about, but finding parking was easy.
Along the paths, butterflies flitted among violet asters. Most were common cabbage butterflies, pale yellow with just a few blotches on their delicate wings. Though near the docks, I found an orange and black butterfly known as a painted lady. Like monarch butterflies, most painted ladies in the United States migrate to overwinter in Mexico.
From the fort, I headed to the Denny Reed Trail, which is also in Phippsburg. The narrow, 1.2-mile trail is located on a property that was conserved in 2006 when an anonymous donor gave 1,910 acres to The Nature Conservancy. The land, now known as the Basin Preserve, features more than four miles of coastline along the Basin, which is an enclosed anchorage.
Other trails of Basin Preserve include the 1.6-mile Sprague Pond Loop Trail; the lollipop-shaped Mica Mine Trail, which is 1.8 miles round trip; and the 0.8-mile New Meadows Trail. Each has its own trailhead and parking area.
The Denny Reed Trail travels through the forest to the tranquil viewpoints along the shore. Sitting on an outcropping of rough granite, I watched a seal swim among anchored sailboats. Cormorants perch on buoys, wings outstretched to dry in the sun, and a red-belted kingfisher chattered as it fished from perches along the edge of nearby Basin Island.
I came across just two other visitors — a couple who’d sailed into the Basin. We were all surprised to stumble upon each other in such a quiet, little-known preserve. We chatted for a bit, sharing our trailside observations. They’d spotted a round, red mushroom that they thought was a fallen apple at first glance. Always eager to find a cool mushroom, I searched for it, but with no luck.
By visiting all three outdoor destinations in Phippsburg, I easily stayed busy all day. There were plenty of other sites I could have visited, including the other trails of the Basin Preserve.
Nearby, Morse Mountain and Seawall Beach are two popular outdoor destinations, great for visiting during the off-season.
Reid State Park is another hotspot that would be fun to visit when it’s not so crowded.
As the weather cools and the trees lose their leaves, consider taking a trip to Popham and nearby trails. Or check out another popular outdoor destination that you’d been meaning to visit.
Maine’s off-season is a great time to explore our biggest tourist attractions.