Whether you live in a small apartment or have a lush backyard, you’ll likely be looking for ways to get you and your family out of the house this summer.

Fortunately there are plenty of green spaces accessible in Lewiston-Auburn. But it can be difficult to know where to find good nature walks or hikes and what to expect when you get there.

Below is a list of trails and information about some of them to help you plan your trip. From birding to rockhounding, family-friendly urban adventures await.

GARCELON BOG

At this Lewiston preserve you can visit one of Maine’s most unique ecosystems — a bog. Many unique plants can be found in this 109-acre protected Lewiston wetland, which are common in cold environments across North America. 

This short bog walk meanders through forested, emergent and open wetlands. With peat that extends 21 feet deep, this wetland was likely formed over thousands of years from organic plant material that died, fell into the water and then was compressed over time.

Peat moss is a prominent and important feature in this preserve. It helps filter stormwater runoff before it is discharged into the Androscoggin River.

The boardwalk begins at the end of Russell Street extension and goes almost a half-mile into the bog. There is another trail that goes between Warren Avenue and Marguerette Street. 

Owned and maintained by the city, the conservation easement that protects this area is held by the Androscoggin Land Trust. An interactive map of the preserve is available on the city’s website.

Some rules to follow while visiting include no motorized vehicles, no fires, stay on the trails, no picking plants, don’t feed wildlife, carry out trash and respect the surrounding private properties. It is open dawn to dusk.

DAVID RANCOURT RIVER PRESERVE

This 14-acre Lewiston preserve runs along the Androscoggin River and features a small beach where people can launch hand-carry boats to access the Androscoggin Greenway. It features a 1-mile looping path that winds under looming conifers, including the Maine state tree, the white pine.

The trailhead is on Tall Pines Drive. The preserve is dedicated to David Rancourt, a deputy with the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office who died while diving for evidence in 2006.

Trees found in this preserve include the eastern white pine and northern cedar, along with other softwoods. Visit the preserve and see how many of Maine’s iconic evergreens can be identified. “Forest Trees of Maine” is a handy tree identification guide published by the Maine Forest Service. It can be downloaded from the service’s website. 

Some rules and ethics to be followed while visiting include leash all dogs, pick up after dogs, carry out all trash, stay on the trail and respect private property boundaries. Motorized vehicles, camping, fires, and picking and removing plants are prohibited. Visit the Androscoggin Land Trust’s website for more information about what is and isn’t allowed.

For more information on tick safety visit the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.

THORNCRAG BIRD SANCTUARY

Take the kids out for a birding adventure to this Lewiston green space, where woodpeckers, feeder birds and owls dart between the trees in these 450 acres of protected woods.

But you can see more than just birds here. There are up to 6 miles of trails that showcase other features, such as the Anthony Fireplace and two viewing locations where Mount Washington can be seen.

Families can print off activity sheets for kids with ideas about what to do when they visit the sanctuary, found on the Stanton Bird Club’s website.

One of the most notable trails in the sanctuary is the Green Trail, where visitors can walk through the Thorncrag meadow and view Mount Washington at the height of land, which is the highest point in the city. Broad-winged hawks, eastern bluebirds, indigo buntings and swallows can be found in the meadow. The trailhead, along with parking, is on East Avenue.

That trail also connects to another popular trail, the Yellow Trail, where hikers can check out the Anthony Fireplace (no actual fires allowed), running alongside some wetlands. Pileated woodpeckers and barred owls can be heard along this trail. The trailhead with adjacent parking is at the gate on Montello Street.

Other birds that can be found on the south side of the preserve include ovenbirds, hermit thrush, scarlet tanagers and warblers.

The Cornell Lab has an online database where people can identify birds or look up common birds found in their region. And its Merlin Bird ID app is outstanding, immediately identifying birds by their calls and providing other information.

Some of the sanctuary rules include no pets (except service dogs), no biking or motorized vehicles, no fishing, trapping or hunting, no collection of any kind, no camping, no fires and carry out all trash brought in. The sanctuary is open from dawn to dusk. For more information on what is and isn’t allowed visit stantonbirdclub.org.

MOUNT APATITE PARK

There are lots of little gems in Auburn’s Mount Apatite Park. Literally. With a quarry for rockhounding — where apatite, tourmaline and quartz are often discovered — and many walking trails, exploration opportunities at this park are numerous.

The trail network in this 325-acre park is more than 7 miles long and some of it runs through an old feldspar mine. Since the city acquired the land in the 1970s, rockhounding is still allowed. Minerals from this park can be found on display in areas as far away as New York.

Rock hounders commonly use the Red Trail to access the old quarry site. Some of the items rockhounding.org recommends people bring include safety glasses, gloves, rock hammer, backpack, containers and a mineral identification guide. Safety tips are also found on the website.

Snap some photos of mineral finds and upload them, along with some descriptions, to identifyrock.net to get AI-generated identification for free.

Rockhounding is permitted at the old quarry site identified on the city’s trail map in its online Mount Apatite brochure. Hand tools are permitted but visitors cannot dig deeper than 2 feet into the ground. The use of generators, compressors, pumps or other forms of mechanical mining are not allowed.

Other park rules include no harming plants or animals, no camping, no motorized vehicles, no swimming, diving or wading in park waters and no fires.

Trailheads, along with parking, are at 64 Mount Apatite Road and 2 Small Road in Auburn. The Red Trail can be accessed off Mount Apatite Road. Park hours are from dawn to dusk.

LAKE AUBURN WATERSHED COMMISSION TRAILS

Though swimming may not be allowed in Lake Auburn, there are a few nice trails maintained by the Lake Auburn Watershed Commission where people can view the lake.

These trails offer a glimpse of the waterbody where Auburn and Lewiston get their drinking water — so clean, in fact, that minimal water treatment is necessary.

Water from the lake is disinfected with ultraviolet light. Chlorine, sodium hydroxide and orthophosphate are added for disinfection, pH balance and corrosion control, respectively. Fluoride is also added, before being piped into homes in the Twin Cities. No filtration plant is needed because the lake is so clean.

There are three trails in different areas of the lake where people can hike, enjoy the beauty and solitude, and see for themselves the benefits of protecting the lake’s water quality and sustaining an ecosystem where water birds, amphibians and numerous plants thrive.

Salmon Point trail is off Lake Shore Drive. The .33-mile dead-end trail is mostly wooded, but a small rock outlook toward the end of the trail offers nice views of the northeastern side of the lake. 

The North Auburn Dam Loop is a short .33-mile loop where water drains into the north end of the lake. There is a small grated bridge across the dam offering a nice view of the basin. Parking is on the east side of North Auburn Road.

The Whitman Spring Trail is the longest trail, running alongside the western edge of the lake for two miles. There is a side trail at the northern end called the Hotel Loop that is .4 miles long and features the remnants of a once-famous hotel.

Parking on the north end is at the intersection of North Auburn and Holbrook roads; parking at the southern end is at the gate on Whitman Spring Road.

Rules on these trails include carrying out all items and trash, leashing pets and removing their waste, staying on marked trails, no fires and no motorized vehicles. There is a $2,500 fine for anyone who makes physical contact with the water in the lake.