The Presidents’ Day holiday found us enjoying the natural beauty of Reid State Park in Georgetown. It’s open to visitors year-round.

Before leaving Wiscasset, we checked the weather forecast, which called for partly cloudy skies and windy conditions with a midday temperature of 40 degrees. When we arrived at noontime, the sun was shining brightly with just a light breeze blowing, making a surprisingly pleasant afternoon walk.

After parking, we followed the dune path, somewhat snow-covered to Griffith Head, the highest point on the beach. It was low tide and the surf very mild under a deep blue sky. Across the aqua green waters we could see Newagen village, the southern most point of Southport and the small islands called the Cuckolds. This place is home to one of three lighthouses that can be seen from Reid State Park. The others are on nearby Seguin Island looking southwards, and at Hendricks Head to the northeast across from Five Islands.

From Griffith Head, the shoreline stretches southward along Mile Beach. Following it to its end brings you to Todd’s Point and Half- Mile Beach beyond. People of all ages were enjoying the nice weather. We counted over 40 others walking the beach and almost as many vehicles in the parking lot.

The state park encompasses over 780, mostly forested acres. Its shoreline includes the much smaller East Beach, popular with kayakers. Ocean water rushes beneath a timber bridge here into a large saltwater lagoon.

The park is named for Walter E. Reid, a Georgetown native who gave this land to the state in the late 1940s. The oceanside estate where Reid lived is now a bed and breakfast owned by his great granddaughter and her family. It’s a short distance from the park.

We also saw a dozen people cross country skiing on the wooded trails off Todds Point Road. There are several hiking trails to enjoy here suitable for snowshoeing.

A good workout is to walk the length of Mile Beach to Todds Point returning to the parking area by way of Todds Point Road, which is closed for the winter. The route carries you through a long stretch of woods and vast salt marsh. It took me about an hour when I walked the entire loop last spring.

The park offers two large picnic areas with tables and grills. One overlooks East Beach, the other is at Todds Point.

While doing research for this article, I came across an interesting story in the New York Times archives about the park. Titled, “Marines Land on Maine Beach,” it concerned a 10-day military operation dubbed “Snowy Beach” that took place here in January 1972. 

U.S. Marines in “full battle gear and carrying snowshoes landed on the snowless beaches from amphibious personnel carriers. Others arrived by helicopters,” it states. Nine hundred marines and 15,000 sailors aboard 33 naval vessels participated in the exercise carried out “to test equipment and train personnel under cold weather conditions.”

The exercise wasn’t without controversy. The article states about 100 protestors gathered at the park’s entrance to show their opposition to use of the park and the exercise’s cost, an estimated $35 million.

To visit the park, drive south on Route One from Wiscasset to Woolwich. Just before the Sagadahoc Bridge, take the Route 127 exit and continue through Arrowsic to Georgetown. At Five Islands Road, bear right onto Seguinland Road. You’ll pass a large pond on the right where ice was once cut into blocks and sold; a short distance ahead is the park entrance. 

This time of year, the park opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. There’s a small entrance fee. Dogs are permitted from Oct. 1 through March 31 but must be leashed at all times. Dog owners are responsible for removal of pet waste. Smoking and fireworks are prohibited in the park. For a complete list of rules and other information, visit www.maine.gov/dacf/parks.