While there may be only one national park in Maine, there are 36 state parks.

There is also one state forest, one state memorial, one state wildlife management area and eight national wildlife refuges.

One of the closest parks to Lewiston-Auburn is Range Ponds State Park in Poland Spring.

While there are plenty of hiking and biking trails in the park, the waterfront is the real attraction.

In summer, the sandy beach is packed with families enjoying the swimming and picnicking areas, and kayaks and canoes are easily launched from a public access site.

Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park in Freeport offers visitors an opportunity to walk through white pine and hemlock forests, and to check out the wildlife in the salt marsh estuary and along the rocky shorelines of Casco Bay and the Harraseeket River.

According to stateparks.com, “the park’s signature residents are the ospreys that nest on nearby Googins Island.”

Close by, in Pownal, Bradbury Mountain State Park draws families year-round to its hiking and biking trails. A short hike along the mountain trail to the summit rewards visitors with a spectacular panoramic view of the lakes and valleys below. It’s particularly popular in the fall during peak leaf season, and in winter visitors can rent snowshoes to explore the park.

Bradbury Mountain is one of the five original state parks in Maine.

Further inland, at Androscoggin Riverlands State Park — Maine’s newest state park — there are 2,675 acres of land to explore on foot, by bike, ATV, or on horseback along 12 miles of multi-use trails. There are an additional 10 miles of foot trails, most of which are shared with single-track mountain bikers.

The park is a combination of trails, dense woods and open water views along 12 miles of Androscoggin Riverfront. And, although the state’s description of this park suggests the trails are located on “gently rolling land,” be prepared for some tough and rocky climbs on a bike.

This park, which is part of the larger Androscoggin Greenway and the Androscoggin River Water Trail, is open year-round and there is no charge to enter.

Reid State Park in Georgetown is Maine’s first state-owned saltwater beach and is hugely popular with Mainers and visitors throughout the summer.

According to stateparks.com, from the top of “Griffith Head, a rocky headland overlooking the park, visitors can see sweeping seascapes and spot lighthouses on Sequin Island, The Cockholds and Hendricks Head,” as well as several nearby islands.

While Reid State Park may be Maine’s first saltwater beach park, it is definitely not alone.

Crescent Beach State Park in Cape Elizabeth is a strolling and sunbathing paradise. Visitors can enjoy the mile-long sandy beach, or can explore any number of off-beach nature trails.

In winter, the park remains open for cross-country skiing.

Don’t want to swim or ski? Check out Two Lights State Park, which is also in Cape Elizabeth.

Built in 1828, these were the first twin lighthouses on the coast of Maine, according to stateparks.com.

The eastern light is an automated light station visible 17 miles at sea. It is not open to the public.

The western light closed in 1924 and is now a private home.

New York realist painter Edward Hopper, known best for his oil paintings, depicted the twin lights in “Lighthouse at Two Lights,” which is now part of the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan.

The park is a great place to picnic and enjoy a vast ocean view.

For people who like to camp, Lily Bay State Park in Greenville, along the shores of the magnificent Moosehead Lake, is perfect.

Moosehead is the largest lake in New England and this park is nestled in quiet Lily Bay, with rustic campsites connected by walking trails.

There is a playground in the park, and the public showers are among the park system’s newest.

If you go to Lily Bay, the drive around the lake to reach Mt. Kineo is worth the effort. The hike up Kineo doesn’t take long, and much of the trail is carved into a winding stairway. Once at the top — a height of 800 feet above the lake — visitors can see for miles, really appreciating the wildlands of Maine.

For a full list of parks, memorials and refuges, including information about how to get there and what to do, go to: stateparks.com

How do I get a Maine State Park pass?

You can buy a state park pass online or at any state park in Maine.

The fee for an individual pass is $35, or you can buy a vehicle pass for $70, which is valid for the person who signed the pass and up to 17 passengers.

Maine residents who are 65 years old or older are admitted free.

The park pass is for day use only; it does not include camping.

Passes are accepted at most parks in Maine, but not at Acadia National Park, Allagash Wilderness Waterway, Baxter State Park, Maine Wildlife Park, Peacock Beach, Penobscot Narrows Observatory, Penobscot River Corridor, Scarborough Beach or Swan Island.

View a list of participating parks and fees here.

Passes go on sale on Aug. 15 each year, and are good for the remainder of that year and all of the following year. (Although, if you lose your pass it cannot be replaced. You’ll have to buy a new one at full cost.)

For more information, go to: maine.gov

International historic site, Calais

Saint Croix Island

The beginning of a permanent European presence in northern North America

The winter of 1604-1605 on Saint Croix Island was a cruel one for Pierre Dugua’s French expedition. Iced in by freezing temperatures and cut off from fresh water and game, 35 of 79 men died. As spring arrived and native people traded game for bread, the health of those remaining improved. Although the expedition moved on by summer, the beginning of French presence in North America had begun.

*Source: National Park Service

There are 44 national historic sites in Maine, including:

Schooner American Eagle, Rockland: One of the last two-masted schooners built in Gloucester, Mass. You can go aboard and take a cruise.

James G. Blaine House, Augusta: Built in 1833 for a ship’s captain, this has been the official residence of the state’s governor since 1919. The garden is open for tours.

Eagle Island, Harpswell: This island was the longtime residence of Arctic explorer Admiral Robert Peary. The island is open to visitors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., June 15 through Labor Day.

Fort Kent: This is the only surviving fortification of the Aroostook War, the nonviolent confrontation over the border between Maine and New Brunswick.

Old Fort Western, Augusta: Built in 1754, this is the oldest wooden fort in the nation and a popular place for student field trips.

Winslow Homer Studio, Scarborough: This remodeled carriage house served as the studio of artist Winslow Homer from 1884 until is death. It is now a property of the Portland Museum of Art and is open for tours.

Portland Observatory, Portland: This 1807 wooden tower is the oldest maritime signal tower in the United States; it was capable of sending and receiving signals to and from ships entering Portland Harbor, where visitors can still take in the spectacular view.

Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, New Gloucester: Founded in 1783, this is the last active Shaker community in the United States. A representative collection of Shaker implements and furniture is housed in the buildings, which are open for tours. A small group of Shakers still live, work and worship in the village.

Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Brunswick: This house was home to abolitionist writer Harriet Beecher Stowe, where she wrote “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” a book that changed the nation’s view of slavery.

For a complete list and descriptions of national historic sites, go to wikipedia.org

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