After seeing some of the pictures of our adventures around Portland, and friend from work recommended that Thom and I should visit Mackworth Island. This past Sunday we decided to give it a try and ventured on over. Mackworth Island is a small island just off the coast of Falmouth, which is the next town north of Portland. The island is home to the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf, which is private, but the parameter is public lands maintained by the Maine Department of Parks and Recreation which contains a 1.25 mile trail with views of Casco Bay, pathways down to the shore, and a fairy village.
The island scenery is absolutely beautiful. We visited on a clear day, and had views of Fort Gorges and Portland Headlight. We also followed a path down to a pebble beach with views of Portland. Our only complaint was the wind coming right off the ocean made the trail rather chilly, we really should have brought jackets. On the other hand, we plan on visiting again on a hot summer evening. Natural air conditioning at it's best.
The scenery on the island was equally beautiful. Old growth forest with various shrubs and wild flowers. We had a strong nor'easter blow through a few years ago, and the island is definitely still recovering. You still see trees toppled over with lace-like networks of roots. There is also a community fairy village, where visitors are encouraged to build fairy houses out of sticks and pinecones found on the island.
The trail is a very easy 1.25 miles. It is mostly level, and paved with gravel. We spent an hour going around the island and taking in the scenery and did not feel tired at all. The trails going down to the shore can be a little steep, but at one point there are a set of steps make access easier.
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