Hiking Bradbury Mountain

Trail Name: Bradbury Mountain via Northern Loop and Boundary Trail

Location: Pownal, Maine

Distance: 2.5 miles

Elevation gain: 305 ft

Difficulty: Easy

Pets: Allowed

Bradbury Mountain State Park is one of the smaller, more charming Maine State Parks. It’s located within 30 minutes of Portland. It offers many amenities, such as: hiking, camping, skiing, mountain biking, and snowmobiling. It also has bathroom facilities, which is a huge bonus. To view a map of the hiking trails, click here.

I decided to venture to Bradbury State Park on a beautiful weeknight. I knew the trail I intended to complete wasn’t very long, making it suitable for a late afternoon/early evening hike. I decided to take the Northern Loop Trail (1.0 miles) up to the summit and the Boundary trail (1.5 miles) back down to the parking lot. If I were to do this hike again, I would definitely take the boundary trail up and down the mountain to add on a bit more length and difficulty.

The trail begins as a nice, wide path that gradually inclines as you get closer to the summit. There are some neat features along the way that are worth stopping to check out. One is a quarry that was active in the 1920s. They mined for feldspar, which was used to make cups and plates. Another neat feature is the cattle pound, used by locals in the 1800s to store cattle that strayed away from their farm until their owner could come and pick them up. It was really neat to learn some history about the park while I was hiking.

The summit has a lot of great information about wildlife found in the park, which includes a good chunk of information about the hundreds of hawks that flood to the park during the Spring. It also provides nice views of Casco Bay, Portland, and Freeport.

Taking the boundary trail on the way down was a lot of fun. It was a bit more challenging than the Northern Loop Trail. This trail also has some neat bridges and a rock wall that spans most, if not all the way around the trail.

A lot of the hiking trails are multi-use, so be on the lookout for mountain bikers while you’re hiking. They can quickly come out of nowhere and you definitely don’t want to get caught in their path. It’s also worth mentioning that the trails are great for all abilities and ages. I saw many young children hiking to the summit, so if you live in Cumberland or York county and you’re looking for a fun place to take the kids, consider camping and/or hiking here!