Bristol, Maine Walking Trails in Fall: Where to Walk

The new trail work in Bristol this year went to Keyes Woods and La Verna. Both preserves allow hunting. Once Maine's firearms deer season opens on November 2, Bristol's reliable walking options are two short Pemaquid River trails that never closed to anyone and a hunting calendar with Sundays left out.

That runs against how most people would rank Bristol's outdoor places. The well-known stops sit on the water and run on a summer clock. The newest upgrades are inland. The trails that stay the same all year get the least attention. Each item below adds one piece to a November walking plan.

The Summer Clock Runs Out First

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. under the town's 2026 Parks & Recreation fee schedule. Admission is $4 for ages 12 and up, $1 for ages 5 to 11, and free for children under 5. The Friends of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse list tower climbs from Memorial Day weekend "through Indigenous People's Day in October." That date falls on October 12 this year. The page doesn't print a year, so check with the Friends before planning around it.

For Pemaquid Beach Park, the town lists hours for June through September only. June and September run 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and July and August run 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The schedule gives no October closing date.

Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site keeps the longest off-season hours of the three. The state says the museum, the replica fisherman's dwelling, the Fort House and the forts are open daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day. After that, the grounds stay open from 9 a.m. to sunset with the buildings closed. Day-use admission at the site is $3 for Maine-resident adults and $4 for non-resident adults. Children under 12 get in free. The fort grounds overlook the water at Pemaquid and stay open after Labor Day. In late fall, closing time moves earlier every week as sunset does.

So by mid-October, Bristol's waterfront stops are mostly closed for the season or limited to their grounds. Walking moves inland to the preserves, and that's where the November question begins.

Two Upgrades, Both Finished in the Past Year

Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust announced on September 9, 2026, that its new 0.3-mile accessible trail at Keyes Woods Preserve in Bristol is complete. The trust says the trail meets or exceeds Architectural Barriers Act standards for forest trail accessibility. It loops from a van-accessible parking area through hemlock-shaded woods to an overlook high above a stream, where there's a bench. With Keyes Woods, the trust now has three fully accessible trails in its service area. The other two are the Rhoda and Lee Cohen River Trail in Damariscotta and the trail at Castner Brook Community Forest, which opened in fall 2025.

La Verna Preserve on Route 32 got a new, larger parking lot in October 2025, on the same side of the road as the trailhead. Fewer visitors now have to cross Route 32 to reach the trail. The old lot stays open for overflow on busy hiking days. The preserve has also grown. The former owners sold the trust a 10-acre property next door in 2022, which made room for the lot. Neighbor Rebecca Bell later donated 13 acres, which connects La Verna to other Coastal Rivers land nearby. In February 2026, the trust said a new kiosk and interpretive panel would go up "later this winter." It also planned two years of work hardening wet sections of trail. The trust hasn't publicly confirmed that the kiosk is in, so check for it on your next visit.

Coastal Rivers lists both preserves as places where hunting is allowed.

How the Trust Handles Hunting on Its Land

Coastal Rivers keeps its public preserves free and open all year. Hunters are asked to notify the trust before hunting on its land. Temporary stands and trail cameras need permission. Target shooting and predator hunting are banned. Hunters must also follow Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife rules.

So the preserves stay open during deer season. Hikers and hunters may use the same woods on the same days. Here is how the trust classifies the preserves in Bristol and nearby that it covers:

The trust says it closes some properties to hunting because of risk to people, such as places where it runs education programs, or because a landowner or donor asked.

The Calendar That Redraws the Map

Maine IF&W's 2026–2027 season table sets the dates. Regular archery season for deer began October 3 and runs through October 30. The youth deer hunt is October 23 and 24. October 31 is Maine Resident Only Day. The statewide firearms season runs November 2 through November 28. A statewide muzzleloader week follows from November 30 to December 5.

The same table says hunting is banned on Sundays. This year the firearms season opens on a Monday and closes on a Saturday. That works out to four Monday-through-Saturday weeks, with Sundays on November 8, 15 and 22 in between. On those three days, every hunting-permitted preserve in the table above is open to walkers with no hunters in the woods.

IF&W requires hunters to wear a solid orange hat and an orange garment on the torso during firearms and muzzleloader deer seasons. Its separate safety advice suggests that other people outdoors wear at least one orange item. The orange rule is a legal requirement for hunters only. For a dog walker at La Verna on a Tuesday in mid-November, it's safety advice.

The River Trails That Never Change

The two Bristol trails Coastal Rivers closes to hunting are both on the Pemaquid River, and neither is on most visitor lists.

The Bristol Recreational Trail is an easy-to-moderate loop beside the tidal Pemaquid River, behind Bristol Consolidated School. The trust's description mentions river views, benches, some fine old red oaks and bridges over a winding stretch of the trail.

Hatchtown Preserve is a short, gentle hike along a quiet section of the Pemaquid River. A small pull-out lets you reach it by canoe or kayak.

From early October to early December, these two trails keep the same rules on every day of the week. A weekday plan for the season could look like this:

1. Monday through Saturday, November 2 to 28: the Bristol Recreational Trail or Hatchtown Preserve, with orange worn anyway.
2. Sundays, November 8, 15 and 22: Keyes Woods for the accessible loop and stream overlook, or La Verna using the new lot on the trailhead side of Route 32.
3. Any day before sunset: the grounds at Colonial Pemaquid, with the buildings closed for the season.

What Comes Back in Spring

The one new year-round outdoor space in Bristol is still being built. The Lincoln County News reported on October 3 that work will start later this fall on a playground beside the ballfield at Pemaquid Beach Park. It's named for Sandra Lane, a longtime Bristol resident who served 13 years on the Bristol Parks Commission. Parks Commission chair Clyde Pendleton told the paper that a more accessible playground was Lane's goal. Right now, the only playground in town is at Bristol Consolidated School. The commission started taking bids on September 17, after more than eight years of planning.

Lane drove a school bus in Bristol for 46 years and was grand marshal of Olde Bristol Days in 2022. "At her memorial service, she probably had driven 80% of the people in the room," Bristol Parks and Recreation Director Shelly Gallagher told the paper.

The new playground will be open and accessible year-round, located next to the ball field at Pemaquid Beach Park. According to the Bristol Parks Commission, the playground will be completed no later than May 2027.

Pendleton said all proceeds from the Pemaquid Beach Triathlons go to the playground and no tax money will be used. Gallagher said donations are welcome. The article lists 563-1800 and bristolmaine.org for more information. The Parks Commission meets October 6 and October 27 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

A beach park with hours posted only through September will soon have a corner open all twelve months. Next fall, the off-season list will include the Lane playground alongside the Colonial Pemaquid grounds and the river trails.

For more on the villages around these trails, see our Bristol neighborhood guide and our look at everyday coastal living on the Pemaquid Peninsula.

If you own land that borders one of these preserves, or you're wondering how being near La Verna, Keyes Woods or the Pemaquid River trails affects your home's value, Marsha DeCosta can walk through it with you. Start with a free home valuation, and we'll factor in what a year-round trail nearby means for your property.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.