Windham Trails Passport encourages residents to explore outdoors

Fall is one of the best times to explore the outdoors in Maine, and Windham Parks and Recreation is giving residents an added incentive to hit the trails throughout October.

Windham's Parks and Recreation's Trails
Passport Challenge encourages residents
to explore six local parks, trails and 
preserves throughout October while 
enjoying fresh air, exercise, fall foliage
and a chance to win prizes.
COURTESY PHOTO   

The department's Windham Trails Passport, running from Oct. 1 through Oct. 31, challenges participants to visit six parks, trails and preserves around town while enjoying some exercise, fresh air and fall foliage. The program offers a fun way for individuals and families to discover outdoor spaces they may not have visited before while working toward a prize.

Passport stations have been conveniently placed at Donnabeth Lippman Park, Lowell Farm Trailhead, Mountain Division Trail, Windham Community Park, Atherton Hill Trailhead and Black Brook Preserve.

Participants can download a Trails Passport or pick one up at the Windham Parks and Recreation office at Windham Town Hall. While visiting each location, hikers search for the passport station and use the stamp provided to mark the corresponding space in their passport. If the stamp cannot be located, participants can draw the image displayed on the passport station sign instead.

The six destinations provide a variety of ways to experience Windham's outdoor spaces.

Donnabeth Lippman Park, located at 18 Chaffin Pond Road, encompasses 123 acres in the heart of North Windham. Lowell Farm, at 47 Falmouth Road in East Windham, offers more than 300 acres of wooded land to explore.

The Mountain Division Trail provides a different experience with a paved route suitable for walking and bicycling that connects Windham with Gorham and Standish. Parking is available off Gambo Road.

Windham Community Park, at 373 Gray Road, offers additional recreational opportunities with basketball and volleyball courts, a skate park and picnic pavilion.

Participants can also explore the Windham Community Forest, originally two separate but adjoining preserves, Lowell Preserve (now Lowell Farm Trailhead) and East Windham Conservation Area (now Atherton Hill Trailhead) which are owned by the town and managed by Presumpscot Regional Land Trust. The community forest contains 10+ miles of trails and is part of an over 2,000-acre conservation corridor - larger than any state park in Southern Maine.

Rounding out the challenge is Black Brook Preserve, a 105-acre property on Windham Center Road owned by the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust.

The Trails Passport can be completed over several outings during October, allowing participants to explore the locations at their own pace. That also provides an opportunity to watch the landscape change as fall progresses and peak foliage colors arrive throughout the month.

Windham Parks and Recreation is encouraging participants to take photos during their adventures as well. Trail selfies and other photos can be shared on social media using the hashtag #wprtrailpassport, with the possibility of being featured on the department's social media pages.

Those who complete the entire passport can submit it to the Windham Parks and Recreation office at Windham Town Hall to receive a prize.

The challenge is part of the department's ongoing effort to encourage residents to take advantage of Windham's parks, trails and conservation areas. With destinations ranging from paved trails to wooded preserves, the passport also provides an introduction to the variety of recreational resources that are available without having to travel far from home.

The Windham Trails Passport runs from Oct. 1 through Oct. 31, giving residents the entire month to complete the challenge. Whether the goal is to get some exercise, spend time together as a family, enjoy Maine's fall foliage or simply discover a new favorite trail, the program offers plenty of reasons to lace up a pair of walking shoes and see more of Windham this October.

No registration is required. All passports must be submitted by 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5. Visit the events page at windhamrecreation.com to download your trail passport. <