You Need To Know Why Some Trees In Maine Are Painted With Purple Stripes

Maine people are known to love the outdoors for a variety of reasons. Whether it's hiking, hunting, snowmobiling or something else, we find ourselves spending a lot of time in the great outdoors. And speaking of great, Maine is a great big size, with lots of land to explore for all of those activities. But it's important to remember that not ALL land in Maine is free and clear to visit, and there's an extremely important warning sign that you absolutely should be aware of.

Shared on Facebook by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, if you're enjoying the outdoors in Maine and stumble across a tree, fence post or rock that has a purple stripe painted on it, it's time to turn around. That purple stripe indicates that not only is this private property, but it's private property that requires permission to use. You can see an example courtesy of this post by Steve Beckwith on Facebook.

Maine does operate under a law of implied permission that most other states in the country do not. That implied permission allows people to use private property if there are no signs posted otherwise. Which is why it's vital if you're a hiker, snowmobiler, hunter or explorer of any sort that you know and understand what purple stripes mean.

Be safe and be smart when exploring Maine.