Kennebunk Plains Preserve

Maine’s Hidden Prairie

Kennebunk Plains Preserve is one of the most unexpected landscapes in Maine. Surrounded by the suburban sprawl of southern York County, a thousand acres of flat, open grassland spread out under a wide sky, looking more like a remnant of the Great Plains than anything you would expect to find thirty minutes south of Portland. This is sandplain grassland, a globally rare habitat type, and Kennebunk Plains is the largest remaining example in New England.

The Nature Conservancy protects the property and manages it with prescribed fire, the same natural process that maintained these grasslands for thousands of years. Without periodic burning, the plains would eventually succeed to forest. Fire keeps the woody vegetation at bay and promotes the grasses, wildflowers, and blueberry that define this landscape.

The preserve sits on a deposit of sandy glacial outwash, sediment left behind by melting glaciers roughly 12,000 years ago. The sandy, nutrient-poor soil drains quickly and supports a community of drought-adapted plants that cannot compete in richer soils but thrive here. The result is an open landscape of little bluestem grass, poverty grass, wild blueberry, and a scattering of pitch pine and scrub oak at the margins.

The Grasshopper Sparrow

Kennebunk Plains is the last reliable nesting site in Maine for the grasshopper sparrow, a small, secretive bird that depends on large, open grasslands for breeding. The species has declined sharply throughout the northeast as grasslands have been developed, converted to agriculture, or succeeded to forest. In Maine, the grasshopper sparrow is listed as endangered.

The sparrow is named for its insect-like song, a thin, buzzy trill that sounds more like a grasshopper than a bird. Males sing from low perches (fence posts, tall grass stems, small shrubs) in the early morning and evening during breeding season, roughly May through July. They are difficult to see even when singing, as they tend to drop back into the grass between songs.

Sections of the preserve are closed during nesting season (approximately May through August) to protect the sparrows and other ground-nesting birds. These closures are clearly marked with signs and barriers. Visitors must stay on designated trails and paths during the nesting period.

Wild Blueberry Picking

In August, after the bird nesting season ends and the closures are lifted, The Nature Conservancy opens the plains for wild blueberry picking. This is the event that draws the biggest crowds to Kennebunk Plains, and for good reason, the berries are abundant, free, and flavor-packed in a way that commercially grown blueberries cannot match.

The blueberries at Kennebunk Plains are wild lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium), the same species harvested commercially in Washington County’s blueberry barrens. They grow low to the ground in thick mats, and a single square foot of ground can yield a surprising quantity of small, intensely flavored berries.

Wildflowers and Rare Plants

The sandplain grassland supports a diverse wildflower community that blooms in waves from spring through fall. Northern blazing star (Liatris scariosa var. novae-angliae), a globally rare plant, blooms in late August and September, its purple spikes standing above the grass in dramatic clusters. Other notable species include stiff aster, pinweed, and several species of goldenrod.

The pitch pine and scrub oak at the preserve margins represent another fire-dependent community. These trees have thick bark and the ability to resprout after fire, and they mark the transition zone between grassland and the surrounding forest.

Walking the Plains

The preserve has about three miles of mowed paths and old roads that crisscross the grassland. There are no formal named trails, the paths follow the network of management roads used by TNC for prescribed burning and monitoring. The walking is flat and easy, suitable for all ages, though there is no shade anywhere on the plains.

The open landscape and wide sky give Kennebunk Plains a distinct feel that is unlike any other hiking experience in Maine. In summer, grasshoppers and butterflies are everywhere, meadowlarks sing from the grass, and the wind moves across the plain in visible waves. It is surprisingly beautiful for such a flat, unassuming landscape.

Planning Your Visit

Getting There

From the Maine Turnpike (I-95), take Exit 32 (Biddeford). Turn left onto Route 35 north toward Kennebunk. After about 3 miles, turn right onto Route 99 (Webber Hill Road). The preserve entrance is on the left about 1 mile ahead, marked with a Nature Conservancy sign. The drive from Portland is about 35 minutes. From Bangor, allow about 3 hours via I-95 south.

The parking area is gravel and holds approximately 15 to 20 vehicles. It can fill during peak blueberry season in August.

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