Mackworth Island

Along Isle Mackworth's sunlit shores/Its sea-lapped marge of wrack and sand/The blooming tide flings far and wide/Its flotsam reft from reef and strand. So wrote James Phinney Baxter of this 100-acre island, connected to Falmouth across the mouth of the Presumpscot River, with views of various lighthouses, Casco Bay islands, and Fort Gorges. A former farm and Civil War camp, it now hosts a pet cemetery, fairy houses, adventurous summer swimmers, and the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf. Clocking in at about 20 to 30 minutes, it's no wonder this loop got dubbed Best Place to Walk -- it's perfect for after-work decompression or a Sunday morning pick-me-up.