Range Pond State Park — Attraction in Poland

This review will be long, Story like, and mentioning an interaction with a Ranger and a service dog in training (SDiT)

I rated this park 5 stars many years ago when I decided to hike the area. The hiking trails were fantastic as was the park.

Today, I visited again with a completely different goal and experience in mind. I am now very much handicapped, and most of the time I am wheelchair bound.

I am currently training my dog to be a service dog, and one of the tasks she will have to do is help me with aqua therapy. So, we brought her to the pond to do some work. We went to the least most populated area we could and started introducing our pup to water, and helped her work on swimming.

We didn't see any restrictions on the website, but apparently you aren't supposed to have pups between April and the beginning of September on the beach. (We would have brought her somewhere else. SDiT have the same rights as a service dog, but we still try to be respectful as she is not fully trained).

The ranger was actually fantastic when he approached us. He asked if she was a service dog (we told him in training) and he let us continue. We didn't realize why until we saw a notice on a bulletin board when we were going back on a different trail.

The fact that the Rangers are familiar with service dog legality, and we're so nice means all the difference in the world. I am just starting to get over the grief of not being able to hike, work, and live my life independently. Going to an area I used to love to hike was hard for me... but the dignity that the Ranger treated us with was heartwarming. Not many places are as handicapped aware, and try the best they can to...

8/10/20 : Range Pond in Range State Park is an authentic gem tucked away in Poland, Maine. Easy to find, about 40 minutes from Portland, 45 minutes from Brunswick, Maine. Loads of good times at this Park!

Most of my summer time memories include picnics at the beach. Love the clean quality of this pond, out 30 feet from land, still look down and see the bottom of the pond. Several life guard chairs, usually 1 or 2 lifeguards on duty during peak weekend hours . . . Not to crowded during week days.

You'll find a few amenities at Range Park. There's a pavillion for birthday, retirement, or family parties that can be rented. You have access to the water. There's several walking trails around the southeastern side of the pond. There's a bathhouse for changing, and bathrooms. On most weekends & some weekdays there's kyacking rentals. There's also a sporadic number of picnic tables and park grills. I'd recommend bringing several camping/beach chairs and sun screen. Not too buggy.

Note: Sometimes you might see/hear the food truck (I'd call it a "roach coach") with generator . . . selling burgers, fries, ice cream, and sodas . . . abit noisy for me!

Bring your own healthy sandwiches or fruit and enjoy the day at this...

I have enjoyed our visit everytime time we go. We have enjoyed cooking on the grills and sitting around the picnic table with my 85 yr old mother and her 80 yr old friend. Plenty of shade under the trees.. The men enjoyed fishing together as well. My husband and I have enjoyed it alone relaxing and swimming. We love the fresh clean water and drying off in the sunshine. We have enjoyed it with our smaller grandchildren and they enjoyed the great swingset play area. We have enjoyed the water snorkeling and enjoying the water with our nieces and nephew. This is a great family beach park for people of all ages. The bathrooms are always clean. The paths are nicely marked so it's easy to find your way around. I high recommend this fabulous park. I'm already looking forward to the summer. Remember to pack water, food and snacks as you will find yourself staying longer than expected. Remember to take out everything you bring in to keep this park clean and safe for all to enjoy. The Rangers are super nice and will even tell you about the park and the surrounding area. The beach can get a bit busy some days but I never felt it was over crowded. So plan a day this summer and enjoy a...