Evergreen Trails | Stevens Square at Baxter Woods | Best Outdoor Places Portland Maine

The Best Outdoor Activities in Portland Maine Can Be Found Right Nearby Stevens Square at Baxter Woods

The Best Outdoor Activities in Portland, Maine

Some of the best outdoor activities in Portland, Maine are simply about enjoying open green spaces. The 30-acre Baxter Woods sanctuary is one. Its history is intertwined with the development of Stevens Square 55+ Active Lifestyle community. Learn all about it in this video:

Stevens Square is AT Baxter Woods

Baxter Woods’ miles of walking paths, two ponds, open meadows, and scores of bird species offer natural distance within the community. It’s just one of the many best outdoor activities in Portland, Maine nearby Stevens Square, in the walkable Deering Center Neighborhood.

Stevens Square at Baxter Woods
Building One of Stevens Square is directly next door to Baxter Woods, near the Red Pines, Forest Home site, and the Meadow.

Evergreen Trails

Evergreen Cemetery is directly across Stevens Avenue from Stevens Square at Baxter Woods 55+ community. Established in 1854, its 239 acres is the second-largest publicly owned space in the city.

The Best Outdoor Activities in Portland, Maine, Evergreen Cemetary Across from Stevens Square
Evergreen Cemetery and the Evergreen Trails are directly across the street from Stevens Square at Baxter Woods

Evergreen Cemetery was modeled by Charles H. Rowe after America’s first rural cemetery, Mount Auburn in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its bucolic landscape design features winding carriage paths, ponds, footbridges, gardens, a chapel, funerary art, and sculpture.

Additionally, there’s an extensive trail system within its vast wooded and wetland areas. It is maintained by Portland Trails, a non profit organization that manages over 70 miles of trails in the Greater Portland area.

Birding with Maine Audubon at Baxter Woods and Evergreen

The Best Outdoor Activities in Portland, Maine, Bird watching in Baxter Woods Stevens Square
Audubon Bird Watching Excursion at Baxter Woods and Evergreen Cemetery

Mayor Baxter Woods first opened to the public in the 1920s as “Baxter Bird Sanctuary.” It and Evergreen are considered premier birdwatching refuges. Maine Audubon utilizes them for field trips. On just one recent Audubon outing forty-two species were spotted!

Stevens Square at Baxter Woods Birding
The State Bird of Maine: Black-capped Chickadee

Double-crested cormorant; Black-crowned night heron; Mallard; Solitary sandpiper; Herring gull; Mourning dove; Downy woodpecker; Hairy woodpecker; Pileated woodpecker; Northern flicker; Empidonax flycatcher; Blue-headed vireo; Blue jay; American crow; Tree swallow; Black-capped chickadee; White-breasted nuthatch; Tufted titmouse; Hermit thrush; American robin; Gray catbird; Yellow warbler; Chestnut-sided warbler; Magnolia warbler; Blackburnian warbler; Black-throated blue warbler; Black-throated green warbler; Yellow-rumped warbler; Palm warbler; Nashville warbler; Northern parula; Black and white warbler; American redstart; Common yellowthroat; Northern waterthrush; Ovenbird; Northern cardinal; Scarlet tanager; Chipping sparrow; Song sparrow; Red-winged blackbird; American goldfinch

Baxter Pines and Presumpscot Park

Stevens Square at Baxter Woods is right next to Mayor Baxter Woods and directly across the street from Evergreen Cemetery and trails. Just down the street are two more places for the best outdoor activities in Portland, Maine.

Green Space at Stevens Square in Portland, Maine | 55 Plus Condos in Maine | Over 55 Communities
Mayor Baxter Woods is directly next to Stevens Square; Evergreen is right across the street; Deering Pines and Presumpscot Park are just down the street.

Not to be confused with Mayor Baxter Woods, the 6-acre Baxter Pines was also granted to Portland by Governor Percival Baxter. The site was previously a victory garden during WWI and was acquired by Mayor Baxter and gifted to the city as a pine grove.

Baxter Pines is a lovely stand of pines for quiet contemplation just down the street from Stevens Square at Baxter Woods

 

 

Presumpscot Park is a large open space next to Deering Pines and behind Deering High School. It’s perfect for fresh air, exercise and is home to public tennis courts.

Presumpscot Park next to Deering Pines, behind Deering High School, and right up the street from Stevens Square at Baxter Woods.

Just Some of the Best Outdoor Activities in Portland, Maine

Our city has many beautiful places to enjoy open space. And some of the best outdoor activities in Portland, Maine are within walking distance of Stevens Square.

Stevens Square at Baxter Woods dog walking
Mayor Baxter Woods is a dog-friendly environment right next to Stevens Square 55+ community

Stevens Square at Baxter Woods is Portland, Maine’s first and only 55+ Active Adult Lifestyle Community. It’s a great chance to live a lower-maintenance lifestyle in modern condominiums. Plus, you can enjoy its community-based amenities like the new Stevens Square Community Center and historic gathering space in the restored historic former chapel of the Motherhouse.

 

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