As a family who lives so close to the city forest I think we take it for granted. We probably visit the city forest weekly letting our little ones let their "steam out". We especially find this to be a great place to go snowshoeing in the winter/ early spring. Given that we live in a highly populated town, we don't have a bunch of land for our kids to roam on so this is a great way to get a heavy dose of nature.
The idea of making this a "Pick of the Week" almost sounded boring to me since the City Forest is probably a 5 minute drive from my house. However, I ran into a nice couple from Machias when I was Quoddyhead State park this summer and they had pointed out to Billy and I what a great place the Bangor/Orono City Forest was. These people would drive two hours just to hike on our trails! With that said I thought over how two of my daughters friends loved it at this location so much they hosted birthday parties there ( in the summer and early fall).
There are many trails that are only accessible in the winter due to them being marshy in the spring, summer and fall. This is a great chance to explore, get lost and have some fun. With that said if you don't have a good sense of direction I highly suggest a GPS. If you do have a GPS another fun thing to do is geocaching ( bringing the city forest to a while new level). With this said -- I plan on having geocaching as a fun homebound activity at some point this summer . If you know what it is for now, know that is always a fun options for your kiddos. If you don't know what geocaching is, I will be making a point give you more info soon.
Our favorite trails to go on when the snow is out are Grouse, Moose and Quinn where the stones, roots and wetness are a non-issue. The kids like the feeling of being "lost in the woods" and we like the idea we can always follow our tracks back if we truly are lost. The volunteers do a nice job marking if my opinion. The maps are very clear and easy to navigate.
I realize there have been a lot of negative reports about vandalisms and theft at some of the parking locations. But, my grandmother used to speak in proverbs. Often times I can recall her using these phrases in similar situations "If people knew better, they would do better", " Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" and " don't throw the baby out with the bath water". Overall, I choose not to let others negative interactions with individuals effect my visiting patterns aside from being aware and not keeping valuables in sight.
The idea of making this a "Pick of the Week" almost sounded boring to me since the City Forest is probably a 5 minute drive from my house. However, I ran into a nice couple from Machias when I was Quoddyhead State park this summer and they had pointed out to Billy and I what a great place the Bangor/Orono City Forest was. These people would drive two hours just to hike on our trails! With that said I thought over how two of my daughters friends loved it at this location so much they hosted birthday parties there ( in the summer and early fall).
There are many trails that are only accessible in the winter due to them being marshy in the spring, summer and fall. This is a great chance to explore, get lost and have some fun. With that said if you don't have a good sense of direction I highly suggest a GPS. If you do have a GPS another fun thing to do is geocaching ( bringing the city forest to a while new level). With this said -- I plan on having geocaching as a fun homebound activity at some point this summer . If you know what it is for now, know that is always a fun options for your kiddos. If you don't know what geocaching is, I will be making a point give you more info soon.
Our favorite trails to go on when the snow is out are Grouse, Moose and Quinn where the stones, roots and wetness are a non-issue. The kids like the feeling of being "lost in the woods" and we like the idea we can always follow our tracks back if we truly are lost. The volunteers do a nice job marking if my opinion. The maps are very clear and easy to navigate.
Billy Snowshowing with baby in tote.
I realize there have been a lot of negative reports about vandalisms and theft at some of the parking locations. But, my grandmother used to speak in proverbs. Often times I can recall her using these phrases in similar situations "If people knew better, they would do better", " Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" and " don't throw the baby out with the bath water". Overall, I choose not to let others negative interactions with individuals effect my visiting patterns aside from being aware and not keeping valuables in sight.
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