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The paved Back Cove Trail rings its namesake tidal basin and offers lovely views of the Portland skyline. Look for great blue herons or other birds along the tree-lined waterfront.
About the Route
A good place to begin is Payson Park, on the cove's north shore, where there is parking and the Longfellow Arboretum, which is worth checking out before starting the trail. On the south side of the bay, Back Cove Park offers several athletic fields.
Connections
At Sewage Plant Road under Tukey's Bridge, the trail connects to the Bayside Trail and the East Promenade Trail.
The Back Cove Trail is a loop around Back Cove in Portland, ME.
Parking is available at:
These are not official addresses, please visit the TrailLink map for all parking options and more detailed directions.
Back Cove Trail is short, but sweet. The hard packed dirt is perfect for a jog, walk, or quick bike ride.
I started at 8:00 on an exceptionally still, brisk, mid October Sunday morning. The water was like glass and provided a perfect reflection of the downtown Portland skyline.
Other photo ops of the cove, wildlife, and beautiful classic homes were revealed to me as I made my way around the loop.
At only 3.6 miles, be sure to combine this with the also interesting Eastern Promenade Bike Trail for a total of nearly 8 miles between the two.
(Don't bother including the Bayside Trail which also connects to Back Cove and Promenade. It doesn't go by a bay and is about as appealing as riding down an alley)
Interesting to be able to see the entire loop from the starting point. Only one real incline at the overpass. We added an out and back on Eastern Promenade Trail to get 9.9 total miles.
This is a 3.6 mile loop around the bay. The trail gets a lot of use, which makes it very safe. Only one hill. Great trail for bikers, runners, or walkers.
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