Scarborough Marsh

Maine’s Largest Salt Marsh

Scarborough Marsh covers more than 3,100 acres of tidal salt marsh, making it the largest salt marsh in Maine and one of the most significant estuarine systems on the New England coast. The marsh stretches across much of Scarborough’s lowlands, fed by the Dunstan, Nonesuch, and Libby Rivers before they empty into the ocean at Pine Point and Scarborough Beach.

The Maine Audubon Society operates the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center on Pine Point Road, which serves as the primary access point for visitors. From the center, you can walk a nature trail, rent canoes and kayaks, join guided tours, or simply sit and watch one of the most productive wildlife habitats within fifteen minutes of Portland.

Salt marshes are among the most biologically productive ecosystems on Earth, generating more organic material per acre than most forests or agricultural land. Scarborough Marsh filters pollutants, absorbs floodwater, buffers the coast from storms, and provides critical nursery habitat for fish, shellfish, and migrating shorebirds.

Paddling the Marsh

The best way to experience Scarborough Marsh is from the water. The Audubon Center rents canoes and kayaks daily from 9 AM to 4 PM during the summer season, with rentals priced at $25 per hour, $35 for 1.5 hours, or $45 for 2 hours ($55 daily maximum). Each rental includes a paddle, life jacket, and a map of the navigable waterways.

The tidal creeks wind through the marsh grass in meandering channels that open into broader pools before narrowing again. At high tide, the water fills the channels and you glide at eye level with the marsh grass, surrounded by the sounds of red-winged blackbirds, marsh wrens, and the occasional splash of a great blue heron taking flight. At low tide, mudflats emerge and the channels narrow, revealing fiddler crabs, snails, and the rich, pungent smell of productive mud.

Maine Audubon also offers guided paddles throughout the summer, including sunset tours and full moon tours. These are led by naturalists who know the marsh’s ecology and wildlife. They sell out quickly, so reserve in advance through the Maine Audubon website.

Nature Trail

The Scarborough Marsh Nature Trail begins at the Audubon Center and follows an accessible path along the marsh edge for about one mile. Interpretive signs explain the ecology of the salt marsh, the role of spartina grass, the tidal cycle, and the wildlife that depends on this habitat. The trail is flat and suitable for all ages and abilities.

A viewing platform along the trail provides an elevated vantage point over the marsh. Bring binoculars to scan for herons, egrets, and raptors from the platform.

Wildlife

Scarborough Marsh is one of the top birding destinations in southern Maine. The marsh and its surrounding uplands host more than 100 species of birds across the seasons.

Spring and summer bring nesting red-winged blackbirds, marsh wrens, saltmarsh sparrows, and willets. Great blue herons, snowy egrets, and glossy ibis feed in the shallows. Osprey nest on platforms throughout the marsh and are a constant presence from April through September.

Fall migration peaks in August and September when shorebirds gather on the mudflats. Semipalmated sandpipers, least sandpipers, greater and lesser yellowlegs, and short-billed dowitchers can appear in significant numbers. Raptor migration brings harriers, merlins, and the occasional peregrine falcon.

Winter is quieter but not empty. Rough-legged hawks hunt the marsh edges, snowy owls occasionally appear on the dunes at Pine Point, and waterfowl congregate in open water.

The marsh also supports muskrats, river otters, white-tailed deer, and a healthy population of striped bass and bluefish in the tidal rivers.

When to Go

Practical Notes

The Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center is at 92 Pine Point Road, Scarborough, ME 04074. From US Route 1 in Scarborough, turn east on Pine Point Road (also marked Route 9), and the center is 0.8 miles on the left.

Trail access is free and trails are open dawn to dusk year-round. The Audubon Center is open seasonally, typically May through October, with kayak and canoe rentals available daily 9 AM to 4 PM. The nature store carries field guides, binoculars, and local natural history books.

Parking is free. Restrooms are available at the Audubon Center when it is open. Cell service is reliable throughout the area.

Packing List

Getting There

From Portland, take I-295 south to Exit 2 (Scarborough/Route 1). Follow Route 1 south through Scarborough, then turn east on Pine Point Road. The Audubon Center is less than a mile on the left. The drive from downtown Portland is about 15 minutes. From Bangor, the drive is approximately 2.5 hours via I-95 and the Maine Turnpike.

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