Once again, I am wowed by the fact that I'm still finding new trails to explore in our home city of Portland. I have explored over 150 local trails in Southern Maine, but did not know about Virginia Woods until spotting it on my updated Portland Trails map recently.
This new-to-me trail was a mere 8-minute drive from my house, so it was an easy one to fit into a busy weekday. As it turns out, these quiet woods connect to the larger network of trails at the Ocean Avenue Recreation Area and Quarry Run Dog Park. You and your dog could spend hours exploring the five miles of trails here.
The trailhead for Virginia Woods is located on Maine Street in the North Deering neighborhoods. You'll see a trailhead sign and a path leading between two houses into the woods.
There are many different routes here, but we took a left at the first junction and followed it until we reached a small hill with a stick fort at the top, built between two boulders. I always picture kids spending happy hours in the woods creating these natural structures, though anyone can make one. We once saw a grown man building an impressive stick fort in the woods behind our house. The man and the fort vanished the next day as mysteriously as they'd appeared. Then there's the massive fort in the middle of Baxter Woods, which the city repeatedly takes down, yet community members of all ages keep rebuilding. Maybe adults love stick forts as much as kids, because they're a reminder of carefree days filled with creativity and imagination. I no longer build them, but I do enjoy a good stick fort discovery during a walk in the woods.
Beyond the stick fort hill, continue left at the next junction and you'll soon arrive at a footbridge with graffiti. Cross the bridge to connect with the wide path encircling the old landfill at the Ocean Ave Recreation Center.
The packed dirt, gravel and grade make this trail wheelchair accessible. You can also cross-country ski here in the winter. On the opposite end of this loop, you'll find the Quarry Run Dog Park, a 10-acre off-leash park located off Ocean Ave/Route 9, near the Presumpscot Street intersection.
Take a right from the graffiti bridge to follow the loop counter-clockwise, and you'll soon arrive at the access trail for the highest point in Portland, Graves Hill. This area includes a network of single-track trails that are meant for mountain biking and hiking.
Here is a link to the Portland Trails map for Virginia Woods and Graves Hill. There's plenty to explore here, enjoy it!
May you find new trails to discover near your home as well. For a list of trails by town in Southern Maine, link here.
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