Bradbury Mountain State Park, Pownal: This is a great park with very runnable trails and a nice little mountain to run up (that you can actually run up). It is very accessible off the highway and has plenty of parking. There is lots to see out there and miles of trails to wind around without having to repeat any sections. When I think of Maine trail running, Bradbury is what comes to mind. I’ve run at Bradbury one to two times a week for 15 years and have never grown tired of it. – Bucky Love
Pleasant Mountain, Bridgton/Denmark: This mountain offers the most elevation you can get within an hour of Portland, topping out at just over 2,000 feet. With over about 12 miles of trails and 4 different trail heads there are a lot of ways to mix it up to make this small mountain feel like a big one when you’re training for something big. – Ian Parlin
Grafton Notch, Grafton Township: Although it gets busy in the spring/summer/fall and packed in the parking areas (arriving early is a must), it is well worth the adventure. There are some technical trail sections, but lots of runnable trails and hard climbs that end with fantastic views with great mountains that you can loop together. It has good options for shorter out/back mountain runs, mid-distance runs, or a longer 50K loop. – Bucky Love
Androscoggin Riverlands State Park, Turner: I prefer running at Riverlands. The trails are less beat up, and they aren’t all twisty-turny just to fit miles in. The single-track trail is serious New England technical and you feel like you are running somewhere, not just in circles. It may be my favorite place in Maine, even above the mountains with their beautiful views. – Valerie Abradi
Ragged Mountain, Rockport: Another great option if you want some good climbs with great views of the ocean and surrounding area. Most of the trails are very runnable, particularly on the downs, or if you are a strong ascent runner, then there are great, not super technical trails for that. You can link Ragged Mountain to Little Ragged for a fun loop where you can also add a run up/down Bald Mountain. Because Bald has more of a technical footing climb, I wouldn’t say many people run up or down it. They are also working on a gravel path that goes from Little Ragged to the Camden Snow Bowl that is called Round the Mountain Trail, with the plan to have it be a loop…. This gravel path is nice, fast running that can also link you to other trails in the Camden area that you can spend all day running on. – Bucky Love
Town of Falmouth: There are over 30 miles of trails, many of them inter-connected throughout the town, as well as connections to adjacent Cumberland, Westbrook, Windham, and Portland trail systems. There are many opportunities for creating fun and challenging routes for longer runs that link to different trails systems within the town and its surroundings. – Ian Parlin
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