In 1946, Governor Baxter donated Mackworth Island, located in Falmouth, Maine to the State of Maine for public purposes and to be a sanctuary for wild things.
On the island, you will find a 1.25 mile trail that encircles the island with terrific views of Casco Bay and Portland. The trail will give you access to small, rocky beaches, a fairy village, Governor Baxter’s pet cemetery, and some wooden swings to take in the beautiful scenery.
It’s a must visit!
Mackworth Island is also home to the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing which is not open to the public.
During 2024, the spring storms did significant damage on the Island. At the time of this writing, one of the beaches is off limits and the jetty is closed.
Keep reading, but don’t miss my overall impression of Mackworth Island at the end—I’m sharing an unpopular opinion!
Parking Details:
You can access Mackworth Island via Andrews Avenue off of Route 1 in Falmouth. There is a small parking lot on the Island dedicated to the Park. It can fill up VERY QUICKLY so I recommend planning to check out this state park around non-peak hours. All other parking on the Island is reserved for MECDHH.
If you are a Falmouth resident, there are several parking spots available on Andrews Avenue you will have access to.
Playground Details:
There is no playground at this Park.
Hiking Trail Details:
There is one trail available to you for walking around the Island. I prefer to go clockwise on this trail. By doing the trail this way, you will come upon my favorite beach access point first and then the fairy village. These two things are usually my daughter’s favorite parts of our walk around the island. With the trail being only 1.25 miles long and more walking trail than hiking trail, this is a PERFECT trail for kiddos.
You will also come upon Governor Baxter’s pet cemetery and some wooden swings that offer terrific views of Casco Bay doing this trail.
Mackworth Island trail is not listed as an ADA accessible trail even though descriptions on the State Park website indicate that those with wheelchairs would not experience any barriers on the trail.
I would DISAGREE with the description on the State Park website that states wheelchairs would not experience any barriers.
The Patriot Day storm of 2007 and the two recent spring storms of 2024 have drastically changed the landscape of the trail and there are tricky sections of the trail that I would have to maneuver my jogging stroller; particularly around fallen trees, water ruts, and exposed rocks.
Sidenote: Two great resources for finding accessible trails in Maine are: Trail Link and Maine Trail Finder. If using the Maine Trail Finder, click the ‘Accessible Adventure’ to pull up ADA accessible trails.
Beach Details:
There are three beach access points on Mackworth Island. Here are the small beaches you will come to when walking clockwise:
Picnic Details:
There are 2 picnic tables available near the end of the trail (when going clockwise). Oppositely, they are not too far from the parking lot if doing the trail counterclockwise. 🙂
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 off to the side of the parking lot. As of August 2024, there was NO STAMP in the station but if the ranger station is staffed, Park staff will be able to stamp it for you.
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 |
There is a ranger station/entrance station at this Park and it is sometimes staffed. Plan to bring exact change so if you need to drop your fee into the canister, you can!
*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!
Bathroom Low Down:
There is one privy at Mackworth Island and is accessible directly from the parking lot. I don’t love the privy situation here…it is well used so I’m always packing my two-in-one Oxo Travel Potty and liners for this trip!
Visitor Accessibility:
I am again disappointed to share that the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands does NOT have accessibility ratings for Mackworth Island.
Here is an excerpt from the Maine Bureau of Parks of Lands that I can only surmise is an attempt to provide some guidance on the accessibility of the park:
“The trail surface is packed soil which may be slippery when wet, and the terrain is generally level with slopes not exceeding 10%. There are no steps or other barriers to wheelchairs on the main loop except for rocks, roots, and a few waterbars, but some of the small side trails down the steep slope to the shore may be inaccessible to some visitors. Please watch children carefully around steep rocky areas.” ~ Maine State Parks and Land website (2024)
As I discussed earlier, I would disagree with this description as I think the landscape of this trail has changed significantly with the recent storms.
I shared my rationale for including accessibility ratings in the Intro Blog to Maine State Park series and the fact that Mackworth Island does NOT have official accessibility ratings just continues to highlight the need for our State to do better.
Overall Impression:
We have been to Mackworth Island countless times. The views along the trail are truly breathtaking and we really enjoy the small, rocky beaches on the back side of the island, especially at low tide. We could spend a fair amount of time collecting shells and looking at the interesting rocks on these beaches. The fairy village and the wooden swings are also things my daughter enjoys doing. If you haven’t been to Mackworth Island, it is definitely something to add to your itinerary, especially if you are in the Portland area!
While there are lots of 5-star reviews out there about Mackworth Island, I think there are two things worth mentioning here:
- The trail is a very popular trail and as a result, you will see where people have made their own trails and then others who have come after them also use those side trails. Now, these unofficial parts of the trail look very much like they belong. Signs have been put up to deter walkers from going rogue but..it’s sad to see. Additionally, the fairy village has quite expanded from its original home and you can see fairy houses all around the trail (and often made with nonbiodegradable materials).
- The parking lot. People can be very aggressive with grabbing the limited parking spots and have personal experience of being cut off from a parking spot and getting honked out for taking too much time leaving a spot (solo parent with toddler, stroller, and 128 items to pack into my car).
I don’t like to be negative about a trail, especially one as beautiful as Mackworth Island, but it’s sad to see some of the pillars of Leave No Trace really disregarded here.
We are halfway through the Maine State Park series with the final blogs to drop in November! Be sure to subscribe to get all the Maine State Parks featured in the series in your email each Monday!
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Happy Adventuring! ~Natalie