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Best Riverside Hikes near Portland

The directory currently contains 5 quality-checked routes matching this guide near Portland. Their average mapped distance is 5.9 km and average recorded ascent is 117 m (384 ft); the longest route in the set is 13.7 km.

This subset represents 13% of the 38 quality-checked routes near Portland. Its average distance is 5.9 km, compared with 4.6 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 117 m (384 ft), versus 48 m (157 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

These routes carry the river tag. The tag does not establish how much of the mapped line follows water or whether crossings are safe. Within this set, 1 routes (20%) are rated easy, 0 (0%) are rated hard or expert, and 0 (0%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 5 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

0.8 km

Long Creek Trail

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

0 m

Fore River Trail

5 of 5 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

0 recorded loops

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

Plan the return journey →

Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

Trails

Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
22 m
Typical duration
12 min
  • River
Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
13.7 km
/ 8.5 mi
Elevation gain
212 m
Typical duration
3 hr 10 min
  • River
Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
1.8 km
/ 1.1 mi
Typical duration
22 min
  • River
Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
6.2 km
/ 3.8 mi
Elevation gain
188 m
Typical duration
1 hr 34 min
  • River
Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
7.1 km
/ 4.4 mi
Elevation gain
163 m
Typical duration
1 hr 44 min
  • River

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Long Creek TrailMaine0.8 km22 m12 minModerateApril to October
West Side TrailMaine13.7 km212 m3 hr 10 minModerateApril to October
Fore River TrailMaine1.8 km0 m22 minEasyApril to October
Presumpscot River TrailsMaine6.2 km188 m1 hr 34 minModerateApril to October
Mill Brook Preserve TrailMaine7.1 km163 m1 hr 44 minModerateApril to October

Long Creek Trail, Fore River Trail, West Side Trail currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

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