City: Boothbay Harbor, ME

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (207) 633-4818

Description: It can be hard to find just a moment of quietude in Boothbay Harbor in summer, when the community is swarming with people. There are a handful of nature preserves, though, where you can enjoy a bit of peace among the madness. Twelve refuges are available on the mainland—there are a couple offshore as well—and they protect some 1,700 acres of prime real estate. Each has its own character, and all are within 10 miles of the busy harbor. The Ovens Mouth Preserve is the biggest at 150 acres, spread across three peninsulas where the Cross River meets the Back River, and you can look out at tidal coves and salt marshes from its network of trails. The Linekin Preserve is also on a river, the Damariscotta, and is home to 2.5 miles of trails. There’s a small beach on the Sheepscot River at the Porter Preserve. The Kitzi Colby Wildlife Preserve, once the site of both saltworks and ice-works, is now a great birding area, thanks to its marsh habitat. You can pick up a map with information about all the preserves at the chamber or call the land trust and they’ll hook you up.