Back Cove Trail

Nice trail. I like to take the dog here. I can’t run these days, but it’s still a nice place to walk and watch the birds. Nice parking lot. My wife doesn’t like it because she thinks the runners might trample her Yorkie but I can’t stand that damn dog so I bring it here for walks anyway. So far the runners seem nice though. Sometimes it’s windy and on a nice day you can smell the bean factory, I like that because there’s still some businesses in America. William B.

I have so many reasons to be thankful for Back Cove Trail, but mainly because it served as my main route to completing my first marathon. This past summer, I used the 3.5 trail multiple times a week. On the spacious trail, you can find water fountains and mile markers, which are always helpful. You will always run into other runners, adorable dogs and sometimes bikers. Sunrise and sunset is beautiful– grab a bench and soak up the view.

Back Cove is a nice walking, running, and biking trail along the Back Cove in Portland. The trail is about 4 miles around. Be careful on the narrow bits as bikers and runners are fairly likely to sneak up on you. The scenery around the cove is nice, but a little lacking when the tide is low and it gets a bit smelly. The houses around the North side are very nice and I much prefer that section. Great for dog walks as well. A great way to get some fresh air away from the insanity of downtown.

Portland has so much to offer in the way of walking paths and bike trails. Locals love Back Cove! Come here for a morning jog or after dinner stroll. Bring your fur babies or baby stroller. If you’re in need of extra exercise time, add the walk along the Eastern Promenade. I love coming here and seeing the water glittering from the sunlight. Sometimes I get lucky and spot egrets in the water.

Yet another beautiful Portland outdoor exercise, dog walking, bird and nature watching spot. So far i find it the best iin the summer. Its a 3.5 mile or 5k trail around a part of the bay that is resedential rather than commercial. Nicked named «The Boulevard» its def the best place to walk ride or run when temps soar into the 80s or above cuz at least here is always a breeze.
As Steph was saying there’s tons of sexy men and women jogging and glistening as they do laps. Great motivation to keep up the good work. There are two water fountains, one with a dog bowl but no bathrooms.
I subtracted a star cuz there should be more dog fountains and trash cans for poop bags. One trash can on a 5k walk is rediculous.

The Back Cove Trail is great. A nice path that goes around the back cove completely. You can walk, run or bike the trail. You have to be careful when it’s busy and when you are crossing over the highway, but other that that, it’s just a nice place to exercise outside.
Fun tip: Hang right (or left if you are going the other direction) to head under the bridge to go to the Eastern Promenade. You’ll have to pass by the sewage treatment plant, but it’s well worth it to see a nicer section of water (sorry Back Cove) and the Old Port.

This is the PERFECT place to train for 5Ks (or more) for about half the year. Then, it turns into an even better place to train because you’ll be forced to dodge giant puddles of ice and snow while covering your face and hands from the freezing cold.
During the warmer months, back cove is packed full of joggers and cute puppies. Sunrise and sunset are beautiful times to enjoy the view while getting some exercise. I still remember the first time I successfully completed this loop and I felt GREAT (especially because I hardly made it to 0.5 miles on my first attempt).
The only downsides as others have mentioned are the narrow areas near the overpass and the horrible conundrum you’re suddenly in if you happen to choose to run in the middle of winter and you have to give up halfway through due to the cold… and your car is 1.5 miles away on the other side of the cove.

Gym memberships are not tempting in the summer time when you can run, walk or jog on a beautiful day at the Back Cove Trail! I have always been trying to cut spending on a gym membership somehow and the Back Cove Trail was my solution. When the sun is shining and the temperature feels right for you (hot for me thanks), that’s when I’ll drive down, park the car for free and go for a brisk walk or jog. It’s a breath of fresh air for me versus being cooped up in a gym breathing body odor. The highway bridge is the best part for me! Last Friday I went for a walk and it was so hot, but once I made it to the bridge, the cool breeze made it all better. The strong winds just took my mind off the hot day and the view from the bridge is just stellar! The trail is spacious with a gravel pathway so wear sneakers. Flip fops would do you no justice!
The Back Cove Trail wraps around the Back Cove at a length of 3.5 miles. There are mile markers which I really think is cool. I see it as determination because I know I’ll want to complete the entire 3.5 miles no matter if I am running or walking. If you forget your water bottle like I do sometimes, there are two water fountains along the trail so no worries! There are portable toilets if you drank too much water located at Preble Street and Payson Park.
Bring your family, your dog and even have a picnic too! Everyone will have a grand time :)

Great walking/​jogging trail, with an amazing view! This trail is mostly flat, with a couple small hills. On weekday mornings it’s a great place to run or walk — weekends are great too, but it can get pretty busy.
The trail is well marked with mile markers at each quarter mile, which can be a great help if you’re training or want to do intervals. It is always well maintained, but can get muddy sometimes, especially on the side closest to the highway.
Perhaps I’ll see you running sometime!

If you’re looking for a good place to walk and enjoy the summer weather, look no further than the Back Cove Trail. This is always my go-​to for when I don’t want to go to the gym because it’s too sunny and awesome.
The walking path itself is really wide and well-​maintained. It is almost 3.2 miles all the way around so if you’re training for a 5K, it’s a good place to start. I’m a walker and the smooth gravel is really nice on my old lady joints. The only narrow area is going across Tukey’s Bridge but for the most part, people are courteous and will not take up the whole lane. If the weather is even somewhat decent, expect it to be packed. The nice thing is that from May to October, they close down a section of the road and make it pedestrian only. That triples the amount of room for walkers, bikers, and runners so there’s no need for traffic jams on the walking path.
Things to look out for:
— There are a ton of fundraising walks that use the trail. If you don’t want to caught up in a mass of walkers all wearing the same shirt, choose your walking time wisely.
— Parking in the lot near Hannaford can be crappy at times. In my opinion, the spots are narrow and some people just don’t know how to park. Also if the weather is nice, you may have a hard time finding a space at all.
— Every Wednesday night there is a 5K race around the trail. If you’re into running (which I’m not) it’s a fun after work activity with a competitive edge.
Overall, this is THE place to walk in the Portland area and I love it.

This is a great walk on a nice or fare day– always has smiling face and the Suttle nods of hello when you pass people (with the exception of the intense joggers or bicyclists) offers nice views of the city and the back cove area neighborhood.
Great place to spend an hour or so walking the dog or burning off some steam.
My only complaint if the lazy disrespecting dog owners who don’t pick up after their dogs– watch your step– and enjoy your walk.

Portland is located largely on a geographic peninsula and Back Cove is the large body of water that the peninsula wraps around. The ocean enters through one small inlet below a highway bridge. The sea floor is relatively shallow so during low tide the entirety of back cove is one big mud puddle. Some clever urban planner designed a walking trail along the entire circumference of it. Roughly 3.5 miles roundtrip, this path follows the roads so communing solely with nature is doubtful. One section spanning the length of Tookie’s bridge is paved and close beside a 4 lane highway. Not hugely fun, but it is the highest point if the trail. Next to the North side of the bridge you have the options of breaking off this trail on one of two paths leading towards the East End. Either way will take you there, however I prefer underneath the bridge following the East End trail network for its lovelier views. There’s a large recreational field next to the trail parking lot. It gets busy in the peak summer days. My favorite length of the trail is where you can look beyond the bay facing south and take in the delightful view of the city. the path is open to all walkers, runners, and bikers so you often can feel like you’re not alone. It’s not very neighborhoodsy, historic, or nature-​centric, though you can walk to the north Deering area from it and there are some nice house viewings to do. I like to go here and not think about much at all. A must see if you’ve got an hour to kill.

Windy and loud and sometimes crowded but a nice view. Back cove is a nice flat and wide gravel pathway around a bay of water. Cars are constantly driving by though, and sometimes you have to be dodging other people

Love the Back Cove Trail. Awesome place to run, walk, ride bikes, walk your dog, walk with the kids, whatever! There’s lots of parking areas along the trail so you can start wherever you like. It alternates between going along a busy road, along a bridge, through a field, next to the ocean, etc… lots of variety. And it’s a little over 3 miles around, so great exercise. Win!

When I visit someplace new I always want to check out the jogging/​trail paths in the area. Why? Because most of the time the popular local runs offer the beat scenic routes!
Back cove trail is home to many local running events– and no wonder! The view of the area is amazing!

I always wanted to be a Back Cove jogger. One of those sexy girls listening to indie-​dance-​radio on Pandora while glistening and effortlessly bounding around the trail like a graceful deer (if you’ve ever seen me run you know that, yes, while I am the one singing along to indie-​dance music whilst jogging I a) am not sexy while doing it, b) do not glisten, but mega ooze sweat, and c) grunt and huff and puff because it ain’t easy for this girl to move her 5’2″ frame as fast as she would like… oh, to have long legs!).
Seriously, though, how can you not LOVE Back Cove (except maybe late at night when a whole different cast of characters call it home)? The plethora of wildlife, the gorgeous views of Portland that span from East to West end, the smell of the ocean, the glimmering water, the abundance of trees and flowers, the amazing people watching…
Back Cove is one of the most perfect places in the whole entire world.
… so why did I only give it four stars?
Because of the damn mile markers.
While some people find the ¼ mile markers around the trail encouraging (as if, while you’re running, they’re saying: «C’mon champ, you’re at 1 ¾ miles… just ¼ mile to go and you’re at 2! You can do this! I believe in you! YOU believe in you!»); I do not. I find them emotionally and psychologically draining… who knew an inanimate object could torture me so?. They don’t push me forward, they taunt me: «You think you’ve been running for a long time?! YOU’RE ONLY AT ½ A MILE!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA. LOSAH!»
Will that stop me from going every. single. day? No. But I will wish every. single. ¼. mile. that those stupid markers would suddenly disappear. Presto-​whamo-​gone like.
If you’re looking for a safe place to walk, jog, or bike (or take photos, bring a picnic lunch, or run through a field of seagulls) and aren’t too offended by 14 different mile mockers (see what I did there?) — Back Cove is definitely the place for you!

Awesome views, well-​manicured trail, and just long enough to get your blood flowing. My only gripe is that it’s not really wide enough and I’ve really enjoyed the quiet, peacefulness that the partial closure of Baxter Boulevard has brought to the experience. Unfortunately, the work will be completed and the traffic will resume. But for the period of time it was closed, people made good use of the road for biking, dog walking and running so one always had enough space. I also realized that there is a tiny beach near the Cheverus part where you can take your dog for a dip. Speaking of dogs, as much as I like the idea of walking my dog here, it gets very stressful when encountering other dogs. The most stressful part of this certainly is the Tukey’s bridge stretch. Honestly, there is nothing keeping you safe on either side of the bridge. Semis and other vehicles careen past you while there is not really any barrier on the bridge and it’s really hard to hear the bikes coming up behind you so you have to be very cognizant of your surroundings. Once past this blip in an otherwise perfect walk, the path is much narrower and, again, dog walking becomes stressful. I love the hardscaped areas towards the end that is near the playing fields. And it warms my heart to see so many different people enjoying this open space. Don’t be surprised to be seeing an assortment of international lads playing soccer or families making good use of the obstacle course. And you can always nourish yourself at a food truck strategically placed near the parking lot facing Hannaford’s. One summer day, there was a boat building festival taking place at the northern end of the the parking lot. Be sure to wave and say hello to the gentleman who practices tai chi near the hardscape garden.

Gorgeous 3.5mi running/​biking/​walking loop trail for whole family, dogs and strollers!