Planning A Trip To Maine

Maine as a travel destination is all about hopping between picturesque towns along the rugged Atlantic coastline and visiting Acadia National Park. The northern part of the state is home to Mt Katahdin (the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail), tons of lakes and freely roaming wildlife, but almost every tourist sticks to the coastal areas, including us.

We’ve driven between Acadia and Portland with a stop in Boothbay Harbor, but we’d love to go back and spend a relaxing week meandering down from Old Orchard to the New Hampshire border.

In this Maine travel guide we show you the most popular tourist areas to explore, along with an example road trip itinerary and when to visit.

Photo of Mark and Kristen Morgan from Where Are Those Morgans standing together on a rocky summit with evergreen trees behind and far reaching views over coastal Maine on a sunny day
Here we are at a trail summit in Acadia
Photo of a white church on a hillside covered in trees with fall colors under a cloudy sky and behind a burnt red field of vegetation

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New England Fall Road Trip Itinerary

Our favorite places to visit along with itinerary examples for 5-14 days.

Acadia

The only place we can begin talking about travel in Maine is its truly awesome flagship destination – Acadia National Park. Since the covid lockdowns ended, Acadia has received around 4 million visitors each year which makes it the 7th most visited national park in America.

We absolutely love Acadia, it’s one of our favorite US national parks. Why? Because it’s not an overwhelming place to visit, it’s incredibly picturesque, it has the lovely town of Bar Harbor on its doorstep and has most importantly – Acadia’s hikes are fantastic.

But it does have some downsides. The park is very small so it gets overcrowded, parking at trailheads can be a real issue and it’s not a cheap place to visit because Bar Harbor is a ritzy coastal town. There are other places to stay near Acadia, but Bar Harbor is by far the best and most convenient.

We highly recommend driving up Cadillac Mountain for sunrise with this permit. Our favorite hikes include Beehive Trail, Acadia Mountain, The Bubbles, Beech Mountain and most of all Precipice Trail. Finally, the sunset at Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse is amazing.

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Bar Harbor

If we’re being honest, we’d given little thought to Bar Harbor because we were so concerned about planning an effective Acadia itinerary. So what a nice surprise it was to arrive into the quaint, high end town of Bar Harbor and check into our hotel for 3 nights.

We explored town with every spare minute we had outside of the park, eating breakfast and dinner each day in new cafes and restaurants, and really getting a great feel for the place. The hotels are expensive, but eating out is just like anywhere else in the states.

Our trip to Acadia in the fall was just a few days after the local whale watching tours ended, which was a shame, but the colors were amazing, even in Bar Harbor. Also, we never made it across the Bar Island Land Bridge because the tide was always out when we were in the park!

Portland

Portland is Maine’s most populous city with far more going on than the other sleepy coastal towns. It’s home to parks, lighthouses, waterfront areas, historic buildings, Victorian architecture and a fantastic food and drinks scene.

Our main purpose for visiting was to photograph Portland Head Light at sunrise. The weather was cloudy and the seas were rough, so although we didn’t get the photos we wanted, it was still cool to see.

But we got to spend two days eating, drinking and walking through town. We also visited Bug Light Park, had a slow walk on Willard Beach and took a ferry to Peaks Island. It’s by far the most built up and busiest place along the Maine coastline, so it’s a better vacation spot for a more vibrant atmosphere.

Maine Coastline

Maine’s rocky Atlantic coastline is a popular road trip route because it’s a quiet, calm and beautiful maritime region dotted with quintessential sleepy New England towns. It was late fall when we drove the coastal roads, so we had to imagine what it would be like on hot days in the summer!

We stopped in Boothbay Harbor for a relaxing night in-between Acadia and Portland, and although it was super quiet, we enjoyed the tranquility. With more time we would have made stops in Camden and Rockland, both of which look lovely.

That said, next time we’ll definitely do the towns between New Hampshire and South Portland instead. Our route would include stops in York, Ogunquit, Kennebunkport, Old Orchard Beach and Cape Elizabeth.

Away From The Coast

So far everywhere we’ve talked about has been on the coastline. But where else can you go in Maine? Well, the central and northern areas are remote and sparsely populated, but there are some real off the beaten path nature areas with mountains, lakes and wildlife.

The two places we’d consider including in a vacation to Maine are the gorgeous Baxter State Park for hiking in the summer and the popular Sugarloaf Mountain area for skiing in the winter.

Mount Katahdin is the tallest peak in Maine and the north end of the world famous Appalachian Trail, and it’s located in Baxter State Park. This area is filled with lakes and mountains, but very few people so it would be a real off grid experience.

10 Fun Facts About Maine

  1. Maine has 3,478 miles of coastline (more than California).
  2. Acadia is one the smallest but busiest national parks.
  3. The moose is Maine’s state animal.
  4. Maine’s residents are the first to see sunrise each morning in the US.
  5. Around 90% of Maine is covered in forests.
  6. Maine is the only US state with one syllable.
  7. There are around 4,600 islands of the coast of Maine.
  8. Author Stephen King owns a scary looking mansion in Bangor.
  9. Around 90% of America’s lobster supply comes from Maine.
  10. And 90% of the country’s toothpicks are also made in Maine.

Road Trip Itinerary

If we wanted to take a slow coastal road trip in Maine, this is how we’d plan a relaxing 8-day itinerary starting on the border with New Hampshire and ending in Bar Harbor:

South Maine Coastline – Days 1-2

  • Visit York, Ogunquit and Kennbunkport
  • Hug the coastline stopping at beaches
  • Visit Old Orchard Beach and Cape Elizabeth

Portland – Day 3

  • See Portland Head Light
  • Visit Willard Beach and Bug Light Park
  • Walk around town
  • Take a ferry to Peaks Island

Boothbay Harbor – Day 4

  • Stop in Freeport to see the flagship LL Bean store
  • Go to Brunswick for lunch
  • Spend the rest of the day in Boothbay Harbor
  • Take a whale watching tour

Rockland and Camden – Day 5

  • First half of the day in Rockland
  • Walk out to Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse
  • Second half of the day in Camden
  • Hike up to Mt Battie Tower

Acadia – Days 6-8

  • Drive to Bar Harbor and spend a full day in Acadia
  • Then spend 2 more days ticking off the top hikes

This is exactly how we’d do a Maine coast road trip if we had 8 days spare and wanted to spend a good chunk of that time hiking in Acadia. We’d only stay in Acadia for 2 days if we didn’t plan to hike because that’s what takes up the most time.

When To Visit

Maine’s touristy season lasts from June to August, with shoulder season months being May, September and October. It doesn’t really have a big touristy ski resort, so the low season lasts from November through April.

We drove US-2 from Mt Washington to Bangor and Acadia, before driving the coast down to Portland in October. The fall foliage colors were amazing, but the weather was cool and it was very quiet. The whale watching season lasts May-October but is best in the summer months.

If we were to plan a Maine coast road trip, we’d probably do it in early June or late September to avoid the worst of the summer crowds, keep costs down and still enjoy good weather with whale watching still in full swing and lobster season firing on all cylinders.

Keep Exploring

Are you planning a longer trip with stops in more states? Once you’re finished reading our travel guides for Maine, keep exploring nearby areas by heading over to the following pages:

Photo of rolling hills covered in trees surrounding a lake with the words New Hampshire overlaid
Photo of a massive urban city skyline with the words New York overlaid
Photo of trees with colorful leaves and a twisting road taken on a drone from above with the word Vermont overlaid

We hope our Maine travel guide helps with planning your vacation to the American northeast!

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

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