Moose Point State Park is located in Searsport and is just north of Belfast on Route 1. With great ocean views, access to the ocean, easy hiking trails, and a playground, this is a great spot for some exploring and a picnic lunch.
We had a great time exploring their trails and checking out their playground!
Parking Details:
There is one centrally located parking area where you will have access to the shore, trails, playground and sex-separated bathrooms. It is a gravel parking area with a one-way loop directing traffic.
The other parking area is near the group picnic area.
If traveling with a camper, you should be able to easily park your vehicle and camper perpendicular to the parking spots and navigate the one-way loop through the parking area with relative ease. There are no tree/limb issues of concern around the loop. The main road in and out of the park does have small speed bumps.
Playground Details:
A playground is on-site at Moose Point State Park. It is near the trailhead for the Big Spruce trail and bathrooms are close by. It has a rather large play structure (5 slides of varying lengths and difficulties) and some swings situated on woodchips.
The playground is surrounded by a good amount of large trees i.e. there are some nice sections of shade here.
Be sure to check out My Maine and Rubys on the Road blogs of Moose Point State Park for pictures of the playground.
Hiking Trail Details:
There are three trails at this State Park with two of them, Big Spruce and Moose connect for an easy 1.2 mile loop around the park.
A jogging stroller should be able to handle the trails as they are gravel and wide enough for others to pass by and our 6 year old did this trail with no complaints. The Meadow Trail takes you over the grass and again, I don’t think a jogging stroller would have issues with this trail.
Interesting fact about the shoreline visible from the Big Spruce trail…The rocks along that shoreline are over 450 million years old!
Beach Details:
While you can access the ocean via stairs, there is NOT a beach here. The water’s edge is that quintessential Maine rocky coastline. Perfect for photos, not so much wading in or swimming. High tide comes up..well..pretty high, so if scrambling over rocks is your jam, try to time your visit with low tide.
Picnic Details:
There are several individual picnic spots available with grills. While most of them are in full sun areas, I did spot a few tucked into the woods near the Big Spruce trail.
A larger pavilion/group picnic is available with separate parking and restrooms nearby.
Picnic tables can always be a gamble on whether they are clean enough on their own. If you don’t want to risk it, I LOVE these picnic table covers! I have them in both the 5-foot and 8-foot sizes.
Location of the Passport Station:
If you are working towards collecting stamps for the Passport Program, you will be able to find the Passport Station at the trailhead for the Big Spruce trail.
Fees:
| Adult Maine Resident | Adult Non Resident | Children 5-11 Years Old | Children under 5 & Adults 65 and older | Senior Resident | Senior Non Resident |
| $3.00 | $4.00 | $1.00 | FREE | FREE | $1.00 |
*Maine libraries often have free Maine State Park passes available to their patrons. Check my blog to see if your library participates!
If you don’t see the pass listed with your library, don’t hesitate to reach out and ask them. Libraries frequently add museum and park passes to their offerings!
When paying the fees, only a handful of Maine State Parks accept credit/debit. Also, expect that the Ranger Station may NOT be staffed and bring exact cash/change for your park fees.
Bathroom Low Down:
There are two sex-separated bathroom facilities at Moose Point State Park. One is near the trailhead, picnic area, and playground area. It is probably actually closest to the playground; making it easy for those playground/bathroom emergencies!
The other is near the pavilion/group picnic area.
There are no privys on the trails so if you are worried about a mid-trail emergency, plan to pack a travel potty. And…you know my favorite..the Oxo 2-in-1 Travel Potty with liners!
Visitor Accessibility:
The Parks and Sites are rated on an overall basis with a 1-3 star rating and then individual aspects of the park assessed with a description of accessibility and a 1-5 star rating.
For my rationale for including this in the blog and the definitions for the descriptions of accessibility, head to my State Park Series Intro Blog where I share why it’s important to include this and how you can help make Maine State Parks more accessible for future generations.
Below is the accessibility rating for Moose Point State Park:
| Individual Aspect | Description of Accessibility | Rating |
| Parking | Generally Accessible | ★★★★ out of 5 stars |
| Restrooms | Generally Accessible | ★★★★ out of 5 stars |
| Picnic Tables | Generally Accessible*One table is fully accessible | ★★★★ out of 5 stars |
| Picnic Area | Generally Accessible | ★★★★ out of 5 stars |
| Playground | Generally Accessible | ★★★★ out of 5 stars |
| Beach | Not Accessible*Rocky shore, no sand. Path to overlook is accessible | ★ out of 5 stars |
| Bay Views | Accessible | ★★★★★ out of 5 stars |
| Trails | Generally Accessible | ★★★★ out of 5 stars |
| Group Use Area | Accessible with assistance | ★★★ out of 5 stars |
| Group Picnic Area | Accessible with assistance | ★★★ out of 5 stars |
| Overall Accessibility: ★★ out 3 stars | ||
Overall Impression:
We enjoyed visiting Moose Point State Park!
It is VERY quiet. There were only 2 other cars there when we pulled in and we saw 3 people on the trails and one other family on the playground during our visit.
We easily found the passport station for this park and then headed out for a walk on the trails.
The Big Spruce and Moose trails were nice, flat trails and very easy for our 6 year old to walk on. After we completed the 1.2 mile loop on those two trails, we headed to the gazebo for a shaded snack break and to check out the group picnic area.
The group picnic area has larger grills, a sink, and a really nice pavilion area that can fit a lot of people. Rumor has it you can rent this group picnic area for a wedding!
Finally, we made our way over to the playground so my daughter could play. I was impressed by how large the play structure was and loved the shade cover that was provided by the surrounding tall trees.
Given that Moose Point is right on Route 1, it will be a nice park to revisit/stop at again when we are making our way up or down the Maine coast and need a place to stop for a lunch break or a leg stretch…and the fact we could swing into this park while towing our camper, is a plus!
Overall, this is a really beautiful, quiet, and well maintained Maine State Park. From the easy trails to the playground and numerous picnic spots, this is a great spot for families!
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Happy Adventuring!
~Natalie