Not all of our adventures require low range (or even a 4wd truck for that matter); all that’s required is some curiosity to try new things and experience new places, even if they aren’t by definition “off the beaten path”. Sometimes the path is beaten because destination is breathtaking and broadly appreciated. Maine’s rocky, jagged coastline dotted with small towns and an iconic National Park is really something to behold and experience.
Becca and I made our first trek up to Maine in early August 2011. This was trip of many “firsts” for both myself, my girlfriend, and our spoiled-rotten dog Huckleberry. First long distance roadtrip (over 10 hours…), first time visiting Maine, and first multi-day camping trip for the three of us. This was high stakes for me…this trip (the camping specifically) needed to go well, or my chances of dragging Becca other places to sleep outside were in jeopardy. Obviously, the trip went OK because Becca and I are still together, and she still goes on trips/camping with me (check out our post here on our lessons learned when it comes to camping)
The Maine coastline is totally worth the all-night drive…
So, why go to Maine?
First, this is back in early 2011 when we started planning – I had recently moved back from the Virgin Islands to the DC (so we had plenty of traditional sandy beach-time under our belt). Second, DC in early August feels about like a sauna, so going somewhere cooler and less humid was a big plus for us. Third, neither of us had been to Maine, but had seen some really cool trip reports and photos on other blogs and sites and though it’d be a great way to get away for a week.
We definitely didn’t plan the trip to be a remote “overland” trip. Instead, we mixed it up! We camped some nights and stayed in hotels on other nights, and we were almost always in well-populated, non-remote areas. Our main objective was to relax, explore, and spend time quality time together – not to “get off the grid”. Not for this trip anyways.
We left for Maine around midnight on a Friday, took turns driving through the night, and arrived in Freeport around noon on a Saturday. Given the lengthy drive, we had reserved a room at the Harraseeket Inn (http://www.harraseeketinn.com/) which is right on the main drag in Freeport. Besides being conveniently located for exploring the town, the Harraseeket in is a pretty charming place to stay.
We stayed at the Harraseeket Inn right in downtown Freeport, ME
Freeport is the home of LL Bean, which makes it worthy of a stop in its own regard, but it was also a good stopping point before we headed North to our ultimate destination, Mount Desert Island (home of Acadia National Park). Freeport was also our first introduction to the lobster roll…make sure you grab one and some bisque from the Lobster Cooker! Delicious!
Yummy, touristy (we have no shame) lobster rolls and lobster bisque in Freeport, ME
- On our second night in Freeport we booked a waterfront campsite at Recompence Shore Campground (www.freeportcamping.com), which is a pleasant, scenice family run campground just outside of town. Our waterfront spot allowed us to get some great views of the large tidal differences up in Maine. The campsites were fairly close together but with plenty of trees and respectful neighbors so we never felt disturbed.
- Views from the Recompence Shore Campground outside Freeport, ME
- We had fun exploring around the shoreline at Recompence Campground
- Following our second night in Freeport we packed up the gear and headed a couple of hours North to our ultimate destination, Acadia National Park/Mount Desert Island.
- We spent 3 nights camping in the Blackwoods Campground in Acadia. The campground was completely full, but it not unpleasant. Our only gripe was hearing a couple of loud kids early in the AM a few campsites down (what ya gonna do?).
- The Acadia NP campgrounds fill up fast in the Summer; make your reservations in advance!
Acadia was completely amazing and we could have easily spent a week there just exploring and taking it all in. The weather was generally cool (60’s-70s during the day, colder at night) and gray/misty, which was great compared to DC heat we left down South. There are a few things that we did that we would highly recommend for anyone making the trip to Acadia:
1. Watch the sun set from the top of Cadillac Mountain; the views are breathtaking!
Views from Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park
2. Bring (or rent bikes) and ride the carriage roads crisscrossing Mount Desert Island. These roads are bike-only graded gravel roads; with basic ability ride a bike and a minimal level of fitness this is something most folks can do. We aren’t huge bikers, but we logged ~20 miles in one day just exploring the scenery. Fun at the time, but we were down for the count afterwards…
On the bike path with an unruly trailer-passenger in Acadia National Park
3. Hike the Bee-Hive trail. We didn’t get to do the whole thing because our little pooch Huckleberry just wasn’t going to be able to do it, but the little bit we did before turning around was a lot of fun.
Steps carved into rock on the Bee Hive Trail in Acadia National Park
- 4. Eat some popovers at the Jordan Pond House (www.thejordanpondhouse.com/). The best part about the Jordan Pond House is that is it situated on Jordan Pond! Spectacular views, and you can enjoy it while eating some tasty local fare.
- Enjoying Jordan Pond; some of the best views and photos from the trip!
5. Drive the park loop road. You can do this in a couple of hours and see a lot of the island.
Views from the Park Loop Road
6. Check out Thunder Hole. This is a neat place where you can really feel the power of the incoming ocean waves as they are compressed into pockets carved into rock-face shoreline, shaking the ground and creating thunder-like sounds.
Thunder Hole in Acadia National Park
7. Spend some time exploring Bar Harbor, the “main drag” on Mt. Desert Island. Plenty of shops and restaurants worth checking out.
Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island, Maine
We took an entire week’s vacation to experience coastal Maine, and to be honest, could have easily spent another week there and still not seen/done everything. Additionally, Maine is a huge state filled with all kinds of remote beauty. In the future, I’d love to return to Maine, but instead of focusing on the coast head into the North Maine Woods, a remote, vast area of logging territory filled with countless mountains, lakes, and remote gems that only a few get to experience.
While not much, we did find a little bit of dirt while on Mount Desert Island…
Awesome place indeed. Got engaged here in 2012, can’t wait to go back!