This Easy Cliff Walk In Maine Will Clear Your Head

There’s never been any shortage of outdoor places to explore in Maine. Inland or coastal, northern or southern, Maine offers some great options for easy adventures that put you in the path of fresh air. We love giving you hiking trails to check out, but realized that we haven’t written about our favorite cliff walk. If you’ve tried lots of trails and are ready for something new, check out Prouts Neck Cliff Walk.

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Prouts Neck is home to a beautiful coastline, as well as some wonderful history. It's home to the nearby Winslow Homer Studio, where the artist lived and worked. In fact, visitors might recognize a number of views from the walk as they've been immortalized in various paintings by the artist.

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Many people begin this walk by parking at Ferry Beach or Scarborough Beach and walking to the start of the trail. These two beaches bookend the actual cliff trail and add to the beauty of the overall trail. If you choose to add in the beach portion, you're looking at a walk of about 4 miles. Either way you'll be heading towards Black Point Inn. Once there, look for a stone building to the left of the Inn. Behind this building is the trail head. It's not especially well-marked, so keep an eye out. The start of the trail is stone and will lead you in the right direction.

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If you know the area, it will come as no surprise that much of this walk meanders very near the palatial homes of some well-known people. The NFL Commissioner has a home here. Because the trail isn't marked, it may feel as through you're walking on private property. Rest assured that the trail itself is public.

Lucky for us! This public trail allows for some of the best views that Maine has to offer. Visitors will be treated to the rocky coast that Maine is famous for. You'll experience this even more if you time your visit with recently rough weather.

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There's a ton of nature to be appreciated here as well. You'll find sea birds like Eiders, seagulls and Piping Plovers all along the walk. Plus, there's no shortage of sea plants either.

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While most of the trail will involve only walking, you'll have the opportunity to scramble down the rocks to explore the actual coastline. This is great for kids, but be careful about surprise waves. Always be mindful of the sea and rocks around you.

Another interesting feature of the Prouts Neck Cliff Walk are the many shingle-style homes designed by John Calvin Stevens.

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Once you've finished the hour (or so) walk, grab a meal or drink at Black Point Inn. While it's quite luxurious for a stay, you can experience the property for less than an overnight stay by only committing to this post-walk meal or drink!

Their address is: 510 Black Point Rd, Scarborough, ME 04074. Give them a call at 207-883-2500.

Black Point Inn / Facebook

One of the secrets to exploring this area – and what makes it so wonderful – is the parking situation.

While it’s not as easy as some other hiking trails, it’s not impossible. One option is to head to Ferry Beach or Scarborough Beach and make the walk from there to the start of the trail. If you get there before 9am, you won’t need to pay a parking fee and you’ll be more likely to grab a spot during the busy season.

Another option is to park at Black Point Inn and access the trail from near the property. While we’ve never gone that route, we’ve heard alternating reports of its ease. Some say you can park for a fee, some say you can park with no fee and others recommend you eat at the inn if you’re going to use their parking lot. We recommend either giving them a call ahead of time to ask, or simply trying your luck and see what feels like the best thing to do. During the off season, things should be significantly easier overall.

But, if you look on the bright side like we do, this means you won’t be walking with a throng of people!

There are so many wonderful cliff walks in Maine and we’re working on a larger list. Is this something you’d like to see? If so, what would you include as your favorite?