1-minute hike: Bangor City Forest, Bangor, Maine

Difficulty: Easy to moderate, depending on the trails you take. You can run for hours or go for a short stroll with your dog.

How to get there: The Bangor City Forest is accessible from two parking lots, one on Kittredge Road and one on Tripp Road in Bangor. Kittredge Road is at the intersection of Hogan Road and Stillwater Avenue, not far from the Bangor Mall. Tripp Drive is located off Stillwater Avenue closer to Orono, 1.6 miles north of the junction of Stillwater Avenue and Hogan Road.


Information: The Rolland F. Perry City Forest (Bangor City Forest), owned by the city of Bangor, is open year round and encompasses more than 680 acres of wildlife habitat and working forests. It features more than four miles of access roads and more than nine miles of trails for running, hiking, biking, snowshoeing and cross country skiing. Walden-Parke Preserve, owned by the Bangor Land Trust, encompasses more than 300 acres adjacent to the city forest, on the west side of the former Veazie Railroad bed. It features more than three miles of trails.

The city forest is a popular place for dog walkers, but dogs must be on a leash on the Maine Road, Shannon Road, Tripp Drive and East Trail, and dog owners must pick up after their pets. Hunting is prohibited, as is unauthorized use of motor vehicles. A good source of information about the park is cityforest.bangorinfo.com.

One of the most popular natural attractions in the Bangor City Forest is the Orono Bog Boardwalk, which is closed for the winter of 2012 due to snow and hazardous conditions. The boardwalk is slated to reopen on May 1. For information about the boardwalk, visit www.oronobogwalk.org.

Personal note: While exploring the forest, I saw a tree full of robins, which I identified by looking at photos and listening to bird calls on helpful site, www.monterey-bay.net/birds/maine/maine.htm.

I know many people in the Bangor area are more familiar with the Bangor City Forest than I am. Please share information in the comments below.

Photo by Aislinn Sarnacki. Bangor City Forest at sunset on Feb. 26, 2012.

Aislinn Sarnacki

About Aislinn Sarnacki

Aislinn is a Bangor Daily News reporter for the Outdoors pages, focusing on outdoor recreation and Maine wildlife. Visit her main blog at actoutwithaislinn.bangordailynews.com.