Our second hike of the long holiday weekend was at the old Riverton Trolley Park, near the boundary of Portland and Westbrook.
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| The beginning of the trail on the Forest Avenue side. |
According to the Portland Trails website, and information from Kathleen’s grandmother, the park was the last stop on the Portland trolley system. When you arrived here, you felt like you were “waaay” out of town. The park was a recreational site for residents and included boat rides, an outdoor amphitheater and a croquet court. If you visit the Maine Memory Net website you can see pictures of the area in its heyday.
Parking for this trails is available on Riverside Street, next to the ball field. We entered from Forest Avenue, and found parking across the street from the entrance.
This trail had more hills that we had found on previous trails. The walk was beautiful and much of the trail takes you along side the Presumpscot River. You can see some evidence of the beautiful stone work that marked the entrance to this fun destination of the early 1900s.
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| Stone work at the old entrance to the Trolley Park |
Again, we enjoyed most of this walk in the woods and we spent about thirty minutes exploring this area. It would be a great place to take a picnic lunch on a hot day and we found one spot with some sturdy benches and a great view!
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| What a great spot in Portland! |
Nice job with the photos! Looks like you are getting the hang of things!
ReplyDelete-Kellie
Wow, this looks so beautiful! I had no idea this walk existed and had so much history. I definitely want to go on this one next time I'm back in Maine!! -Nicole
ReplyDeleteNice job on the blog! (Karen-- brings back memories of the Fund for Teachers blog, but I bet that when you're writing this one, you're not in a smoke-filled internet cafe!)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy hearing about the trails of Portland and getting off the beaten path!
Portland has such a rich system of trails accessible to all- thanks for writing about the details and history of your walks! I know Oat Nuts Park off Summit St. is on your list. It is such a jewel-the trail heads down to the Presumpscot River and if you go right, you come to the rapids. It is hilly, so wear sturdy shoes! Looking forward to following the rest of your journeys!
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