Range Pond State Park Conditions & Activities

Safety Updates for Maine State Parks and Public Lands.

Park Events

No programs currently scheduled.

Location: 26 State Park Road (off the Empire Rd. in Poland). Lat 44.038031 / Lon -70.342181

Park Hours: Open all year; 9:00 a.m. to sunset daily unless otherwise posted at the gate. Visitors are encouraged to enjoy the park during the off season by parking outside the gate, - without blocking it - on the days it is closed, and walking in during these same hours. Please be aware that facilities are closed during the off season.
Fee collected year-round at entry booth by staff or self-service station.

Located along the northeast shore of beautiful Lower Range Pond, the park amenities include a sand beach swim area, picnic facilities, a ball field, and a group shelter with adjoining resource room available by reservation.

Summer Activities Listing

(Jump to Winter Activities Listing)

Picnicking

• Group Picnic Site, Picnic Shelter and a Resource Room, are available by reservation.
• Picnic tables and grills are located near the beach, all with views of the water.

Boating

• A trailerable boat launch site adjoins the end of the beach. Boats are limited to 10 horsepower motors. Both motorized and non-motorized boats are allowed. View other public boat launch locations.

Fishing

• Summer open water and wintertime ice fishing
• Species include brook trout, brown trout, large and smallmouth bass.
• Early entry permits for on-the-pond fishing, sold at the park, allow for entry before 9:00 a.m.
• Fishing & fishing license information from Maine Inland Fisheries & Wildlife

Swimming

• Sandy beach at swimming area.
• Promenade (smooth surfaced) parallels the pond for 1,000 feet along the beach.
• Wheelchair access provided directly into the pond.
• Lifeguards, if available, are on duty mid-June to mid-August. Swim at your own risk. Learn Water Safety skills.

Range Pond State Park Trails

Almost all the park's trails are multi-use. Expect other visitors with dogs, on bikes, or the occasional horse & rider. A sign at the start of each trail will alert you to the allowed uses. We encourage everyone to share the trails and practice Leave No Trace principles.

Hiking

• Brook Trail
  (1.5 mile loop, easy to moderate): A gentle looping trail with a few small hills, roots and one bridge crossing. Location: Access is from the small dirt parking area on the opposite side of the road from the main gate.
  
• Old Camp Trail
  (2 miles, easy): This pond-side trail is our most popular hiking and snowshoeing trail. With only one small hill, this scenic walk passes by the location of the park’s original cabin and follows Range Pond’s shore to the north end of the park. At the top of the hill, the trail intersects the Railbed Trail and makes a southward loop back to the park’s flagpole. 
• Old Fields Trail
  (1.5 miles, easy to moderate): A hiking and snowshoeing trail with no hills that loops through the mixed-growth forest at Range Pond. This trail does not have a level-packed surface. In the winter it is groomed for easier walking and snowshoeing. Location: This loop trail begins and ends at the North Area gate in the far parking lot of the park.
• Railbed Trail
  (1 mile, easy): This is the park's main trail, comprised of a packed gravel base. To the northwest, this old carriage road follows beside the old railroad bed to the historic Poland Railroad Station (at the corner of Poland Corner and Plains Roads) with just one mild elevation change. To the southeast, the trail has interpretive panels that point out the park's natural features. There are a few small hills about half a mile in; at 6/10 of a mile, the trail loops onto the elevated railbed, which was the spur that brought folks to the historic Poland Spring Resort. Location: This loop trail begins and ends at the park flagpole. An alternate looping hike can be made where the trail intersects the Old Camp Trail.
• All the park's single track biking trails are open to hiking.

Biking

Five miles of single-track mountain biking trails are located on the east side of the park, opposite the gate. All the single-track biking trails are multi-use. Expect other visitors with dogs, on bikes, or the occasional horse & rider. We encourage everyone to share the trails and practice Leave No Trace principles.  Location: The bike trails are accessed from the small dirt parking area on the opposite side of the road from the main gate. You can also use the parking lot inside the main gate and bike to the trails. Please pay the park entry fee at the Iron Ranger self-service station or at the park entry booth.

All the single-track mountain biking trails start and end at the Old Plains Road Trail. NOTE: The Brook Trail is on this side of the park but it is for hiking only.

• Crossover Trail (Lavender on the map.)
  (0.2 mile, easy): This single-track trail has several ups and downs and connects the Deer and East Ridge Trails.
• Deer Trail (Brown on the map.)
  (1.5 miles, intermediate): This single-track trail has several small climbs, boulder features, roots, and short, steep sections.  It connects at the Rock Rings Trail to the Old Plains Road Trail.
• East Ridge Trail (Orange on the map.)
  (0.7 mile, easy to intermediate): This single-track trail follows the ridge above Worthley Brook before meandering through a pine forest and connecting back to the Old Plains Road Trail. Just a few sharp turns add a bit of challenge to this trail.
• Old Plains Road (Black on the map.)
  (1 mile, easy to intermediate): An out and back double-track trail that crosses Worthley Brook and serves as the trail system’s main corridor.  It has one long climb with rocks and roots.
• Inner & Outer Rock Rings Trail (Purple on the map.)
  (1.5 miles, intermediate to expert): Our most challenging single-track trails include two loops which start and end near each other. There are tight turns, frequent rocks and roots to traverse, short climbs with steep exits, and granite rocks to navigate. 

Winter Activities Listing

Hiking /Dog Walking

• Trail conditions ice up and deteriorate quickly here.  After fresh snow, please aid our trail stewardship by wearing snowshoes This will help pack the trails and keep postholing of the trails to a minimum.  Leaving deep footprints in soft deep snow creates hazards which sometimes persist for the entire winter.
• Removable ice cleats and hiking poles are recommended whenever there is snow.

Fat Biking

• (Easy, studded tires recommended): Allowed on all park trails and the frozen pond, Weather and Trail Conditions Permitting.  The trails are occasionally packed by volunteer snowshoers.
• All the park's single-track biking trails are open to snowshoeing, as well as winter biking.

Cross-country Skiing

• Skiers are welcome to use any of our trails for XC-Skiing.  Trail conditions ice up and deteriorate quickly here, so the hiking trails may be unsuitable.  Backcountry skiing is permitted when conditions allow for XC-Skiing.  Skiers should note their locations on the map to familiarize themselves with the park’s various trails, features, and boundaries when enjoying the fresh snow.

Snowshoeing

• Old Camp Trail
  (2 miles, easy): This pond-side trail is our most popular hiking and snowshoeing trail. With only one small hill, this scenic walk passes by the location of the park’s original cabin and follows Range Pond’s shore to the north end of the park. At the top of the hill, the trail intersects the Railbed Trail and makes a southward loop back to the park’s flagpole.   

• Old Fields Trail
  (1.5 miles, easy to moderate): Provides single-track skiing that loops through the mixed-growth forest at Range Pond. In the winter it is groomed for easier walking and snowshoeing. Location: This loop trail begins and ends at the North Area gate in the far parking lot of the park.. In the winter it is groomed for easy walking and snowshoeing.
• All the park's single-track biking trails are open to snowshoeing, as well as winter biking.

(Back to Trail Conditions Report) (Back to Summer Activities Listing)