Popham Beach State Park is a public recreation area covering on the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
in the town of
Phippsburg,
Sagadahoc County,
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...
.
[ It is the state's highest volume day use State Park. ][ The state park occupies a dynamic shoreline landscape that has created a peninsula between the mouth of the Morse River and the Atkins Bay portion of the Kennebec River. The park is managed by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
]
Geology
The area is subject to significant changes in the landscape including dune destruction and rebuilding, loss of forest lands, and tombolo
A tombolo is a sandy or shingle isthmus. A tombolo, from the Italian ', meaning 'pillow' or 'cushion', and sometimes translated incorrectly as ''ayre'' (an ayre is a shingle beach of any kind), is a deposition landform by which an island becom ...
breaching.[ Efforts made to stop the erosion have included placing large boulders designed to hold off the surf.][
]
Activities and amenities
The park is used for swimming, kayaking, fishing, picnicking, and hiking.[ The peninsula also is the site of historic Fort Popham, historic Fort Baldwin, and the remnants of the ]Popham Colony
The Popham Colony—also known as the Sagadahoc Colony—was a short-lived English colonial settlement in North America. It was established in 1607 by the proprietary Plymouth Company and was located in the present-day town of Phippsburg, Ma ...
.[
]
References
External links
Popham Beach State Park
Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Beach Scraping at Popham Beach State Park
Maine Geological Survey
Migration of the Morse River into Back Dunes at Popham Beach State Park
Maine Geological Survey
Seawall and Popham Beach Dynamics
Maine Geological Survey
Setting the Stage for a Course Change at Popham Beach
Maine Geological Survey
Storm and Channel Dynamics at Popham Beach State Park
Maine Geological Survey
Tombolo Breach at Popham Beach State Park
Maine Geological Survey
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Beaches of Maine
State parks of Maine
Protected areas of Sagadahoc County, Maine
Landforms of Sagadahoc County, Maine
Popham Colony