Reminder: Hunting season has started in Maine. For your safety, we recommend wearing blaze orange during your visits to BMMCA.
– Deer, fall wild turkey, bird season: September 7 – December 14, 2024

Updates: Please consider checking the status of our parking lot at bmmparking.com before making your trip. Once our parking lot is full, we turn away additional vehicles as part of our management strategy.

Also, before you hike, check the tide chart for Fort Popham at US Harbors. The road across the marsh at BMMCA can flood on tidal heights of 9.5′ and greater. We typically plan for there to be water on the road approximately an hour before and an hour after the time of high tide.

The Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area comprises some 600 acres of permanently protected salt marshes and coastal uplands, extending from the Sprague River to the Morse River and to the upland edge of Seawall Beach. It is private property owned by the Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area Corporation, a non-profit corporation with members from the St. John Family (which originally conserved the area), Bates College, and the general public. The Nature Conservancy holds conservation easements on the property. Bates College manages the area for research and educational purposes.

Seawall Beach and a portion of the Sprague River back dune area are the property of the Small Point Association, whose mission is to preserve the wild, unspoiled character of the beach, its ecology, and its endangered species habitat.

Click here for a PDF version of the map.

Conservation and Preservation

Bates College and the Small Point Association cooperate with The Nature Conservancy and Maine Audubon to preserve the natural communities within the area. These include the nesting sites of the endangered piping plover and the least tern as well as numerous rare and fragile plants, mosses, and lichens.

Education and Research

Each year, over 1,000 students from regional grade schools and colleges utilize Bates-Morse Mountain for environmental studies, leadership development, athletics, and school picnics. In addition, Bates College and affiliated institutions conduct ongoing environmental research throughout the area.

Public Use

Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area is a popular site for hiking and beach-going. During the 8- month gate-keeping season, nearly 20,000 people hike to Seawall Beach. The area is open all year, from dawn until dusk. Visitors must park in the designated parking lot and enter on foot only. Dogs are not allowed in any season. Click here for more information about visiting BMMCA.