©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Maine & Acadia National Park North Maine Woods p182 Acadia National Park Inland Maine & Down East p192 p132 Western Maine p170 Midcoast Maine p96 Portland p50 Southern Maine Coast p76 Regis St Louis, Adam Karlin PLAN YOUR TRIP ON THE ROAD Welcome to Maine Eat & Drink Saco Bay & & Acadia National Park . 4 Like a Local . 36 Old Orchard Beach . 94 Maine & Acadia Activities . 42 National Park Map . 6 MIDCOAST Regions at a Glance . 46 Maine & Acadia MAINE . 96 National Park’s Top 15 . 8 Freeport . 100 Need to Know . 16 PORTLAND . 50 Bath . 102 Wiscasset . 104 Getting Around Maine . 18 SOUTHERN MAINE Boothbay Harbor . 105 If You Like . 20 COAST . 76 Damariscotta . 110 Month by Month . 23 Kittery . 78 Pemaquid Point . 113 The Yorks . 79 Monhegan Island . 114 Itineraries . 26 Ogunquit . 82 Rockland . 116 Travel with Children . 32 The Kennebunks . 86 Camden . 121 Rockport . 125 TETRA IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES © IMAGES IMAGES/GETTY TETRA © IMAGES AMOLSON7/GETTY LOBSTER BUOYS, CAMDEN P121 SUEFELDBERG/GETTY IMAGES SUEFELDBERG/GETTY © PIPING PLOVER CHICK Contents UNDERSTAND Belfast . 127 Brooklin . 158 Maine & Acadia Searsport . 130 Castine . 159 National Park Today . .. 204 Deer Isle History . 206 & Stonington . 162 Wildlife & the ACADIA Environment . 210 NATIONAL PARK Isle au Haut . 164 & DOWN EAST . 132 Machias Bay Area . 166 People & Culture . 214 Acadia National Park & Lubec . 168 Writers of Maine . .. 217 Mount Desert Island . 138 Acadia National Park . 138 WESTERN Bar Harbor . 144 MAINE . 170 Northeast Harbor . 150 Bridgton . 172 Southwest Harbor . 151 Bethel . 174 Cranberry Isles . 153 Rangeley Lake . 180 Blue Hill Peninsula . 154 Blue Hill . 154 NORTH MAINE WOODS . 182 SURVIVAL Moosehead Lake . 184 GUIDE Baxter State Park . 187 Directory A–Z . 220 INLAND Transportation . 225 MAINE . 192 Index . 229 Augusta . 193 Map Legend . 239 Bangor . 199 SPECIAL FEATURES The Best Day Trips Hiking in Acadia from Portland . 52 National Park . 134 Lazy Days on Road Trip > the Southern Park Loop Road . 136 Maine Coast . 90 Road Trip > Hiking in Old Canada Road . 194 PORTLAND HEAD LIGHT P54 Midcoast Maine . 98 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 26 Itineraries É É Bar MAINE •# Harbor ÷# E Acadia R I Camden •# National H S Park P M É •# Rockland A Damariscotta H •# W E N Brunswick É •# É É •# É Boothbay Harbor Portland•# É Gulf of Maine Ù#Ogunquit Beach York •# 1 WEEK Classic Maine This highlights-filled wander across the state takes in coastal beauty, charming small towns and fabulous seafood. Start off in picturesque York. Take in the colonial buildings that make up its histori- cal center, then drive to Ogunquit Beach for a stroll along Marginal Way. Next, head to Portland for a day of exploring the Old Port district. Continue up the coast, stopping in Brunswick for an architectural stroll among 19th-century beauties, and peruse the town’s intriguing museums. Rise early for a trip down to Boothbay Harbor, visiting the waterfront and fragrant botanical gardens. In the afternoon, drive up to Damariscotta for feast on world- famous oysters. The next day, stop in Rockland to wander the vibrant waterfront and visit the great Farnsworth Art Museum. From Rockland, drive to Camden for window-shopping and dining in one of Maine’s most photogenic towns. It’s about a two-hour drive from here to breathtaking Mount Desert Island. Base your- self in Bar Harbor and spend a day or two exploring the wonders of Acadia National Park. 27 NEW BRUNSWICK MAINE Lubec •# #÷ É Quoddy Head State Park PLAN YOUR TRIP Searsport É É •# •# •#Bar Harbor Castine É •# É Northeast Harbor É •# Southwest Harbor Rockland •#Stonington E •#•# R I É •# H Rockland Isle au Haut S P •# Breakwater IT M Freeport Bath A •# Lighthouse I H •# NERAR W Eartha E N Portland •# •#Fort Williams Park É I ES Gulf of Maine •#Rachel Carson É National Wildlife Reserve •#Kittery ÷#Fort Foster Park 1 WEEK Maritime Maine The coastal road between Kittery and Lubec is a route meant for lingering: fog-wrapped lighthouses, oceanfront picnic tables, museums and waterfront villages. Start off in Kittery, gateway to the state of Maine. Get an introduction to Maine’s coastal allure at Fort Foster Park, then continue to the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Reserve, with its wetlands, woodlands and beaches. Just south of Portland, Fort Williams Park has the ruins of an old fort, wonderful views and Maine’s oldest functioning lighthouse. From here, it’s an easy drive to Port- land, with its renowned food scene, historic port district and buzzing nightlife. Curiosities abound in Maine, and just outside of Freeport you can check out Eartha, the largest rotating globe on the planet. In Freeport itself, you can pick up supplies at the headquarters of the legendary LL Bean store. You’ll leave the shopping mayhem behind in Bath, an elegant but industrious town with an active shipyard and a museum that covers centuries of seafaring in these parts. Rockland has one of Maine’s most photogenic harbors, and it’s well worth head- ing out on a sailing trip. Afterwards, stretch your legs on the 1-mile seaside walk out to Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. Further up the coast, you’ll reach Searsport, a tranquil town with Victorian mansions and the Penobscot Marine Museum. The Blue Hill Peninsula lies east of Searsport. It’s home to one of Maine’s prettiest villages, the tiny town of Castine. It’s a good base for coastal strolls, kayak trips, and wandering the town past diverse architecture and a notable archaeological museum. It’s also worth driving down to Deer Isle, where you can eat well in charming Stonington and take a boat trip out to Isle au Haut for some fantastic coastal hiking. Acadia is next. Get your fill of restaurants and shops in Bar Harbor, but don’t bypass other villages, such as elegant Northeast Harbor or buzzing Southwest Harbor. East of Acadia, the population thins considerably. You’ll have the road to yourself as you make your way to Lubec, the last stop before Canada. End this trip in Quoddy Head State Park, with its rugged shoreline trails and a much-photographed lighthouse. 28 •# Hulls Cove Visitor Center Mount Desert É Island •#Bar Harbor É É É PLAN YOUR TRIP É Sieur de Monts Spring Acadia •# É National R Park Precipice Trail Cadillac •# ÷# Mountain É •#Sand Beach Jordan Pond •# House É É É IT I É NERAR Gulf of Maine I ES Bass Harbor Head Light •# 3 DAYS Acadia National Park For adventurers, the activities here are hard to beat. Mountain hiking. Coastal kayaking. Woodland cycling. Bird-watching. When you’re done exploring, unwind by stargazing on the beach. Start at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center to get the lay of the land and pay the admis- sion fee. From the visitor center, head off on the one-way 27-mile Park Loop Rd, which links many of the park’s highlights. Nature-lovers and history buffs will enjoy a stop at the Sieur de Monts Spring area. Here you’ll find a nature center and the summer-only branch of the Abbe Museum, which sits in a lush, naturelike setting. Twelve of Acadia’s biospheres are displayed in miniature at the Wild Gardens of Acadia, from bog to coniferous woods to meadow. Afterwards, head for the trails. For something exhilarating, hit the Precipice Trail, ascending via iron rungs and along cliff ledges. A gentler option, but with no less stun- ning views, is the Great Head trail, which follows the rocky shoreline. At the end, take a breather on nearby Sand Beach. It’s home to one of the most beautiful shorelines in the park. Continue to the lodge-like Jordan Pond House, where afternoon tea has been a tra- dition since the late 1800s. Out on the lawn, you can enjoy tea with hot popovers (hollow rolls made with egg batter) and strawberry jam. Get up before dawn the next day to drive (or hike!) up to the 1530ft summit of Cadil- lac Mountain, one of the best places in Maine to watch the sunrise. In the afternoon, visit the Bass Harbor Head Light, Mount Desert Island’s only lighthouse, in the far southwest corner of the park. On your last day, spend the morning exploring Bar Harbor. Check out the fascinat- ing collection of Native American artifacts at the Abbe Museum, browse the shops along Main St, then head off on a coastal kayaking trip or a whale-watching cruise. Also con- sider hiring a bike and going for a spin along the carriage roads; some 45 miles of wood- ed vehicle-free lanes that crisscross the park. In the evening, treat yourself to a meal at one of the fine restaurants in town. 29 QUÉBEC ÷# Baxter State Park É PLAN YOUR TRIP É A D A •#Millinocket N A A S C U Moosehead Gulf Lake Hagas É •# Greenville •# •# É É É Katahdin É Iron Works K e É n IT n b É I e NERAR c É MAINE Rangeley R Lake I i É É v •# ES e r Bangor •# 6 DAYS Great North Woods Welcome to the highlands, a land of superlatives where you can hike Maine’s highest mountain, canoe its largest lake and ogle the stomping grounds of America’s spookiest author – if you dare. Start off in Bangor, the last city on the map before the North Woods. Pay a visit to the towering statue of Paul Bunyan, look for diabolical creatures near Stephen King’s house and learn about the town’s dark past at the Bangor Historical Society. Afterwards, hit the road for the 75-mile drive straight up to Millinocket.