Our 3-week driving trip through New England started from Freeport, Maine where we drove into from Boston.  We took the coastal route towards Acadia National Park and then moved west towards the Rangeley Lake region.

Maine is the biggest state in New England and driving distances are large. Often, it takes longer than expected because of traffic and speed restrictions. We were there in September – a bit early for the lovely autumn colors.

Here’s a map of our driving route and the highlights of what we saw in the 6 days in Maine.

DAY ONE

Giant’s Stairs Trail and McIntosh Lot Preserve

About an hour’s drive from Freeport is this gem with dramatic coastal scenery.

The route 24 crosses the unusual Cribstone Bridge to reach Bailey Island in Harpwell. This narrow bridge, built in 1927, is made of large granite blocks stacked on each other. It is listed as a historic civil engineering feat.

Giant’s Stairs trail is a short route that begins from Bailey Island near Harpwell. Watch out for the trailhead marker. The trail runs hugging the coast and provides beautiful views of Casco Bay, and further on a clear day.

The coastal walk meanders around large uneven rocks and loops back to the entry point. Gradual erosion has created interesting shapes – the huge giant-sized stairs – which Geologists have named ‘Intrusive volcanic dike’.

It is a quiet, almost desolate, spot where you can just watch the waves hitting the rocks throwing up sea spray.

We drove further towards the Land’s end where there was a huge bronze statue of a ‘Maine’s fisherman/ lobsterman’. Caution, there are signs to stay away from Poison Ivy plants here and there. A peaceful place to watch the boats go by and admire the rugged coastline.

Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse

An hour and half from Giant stairs is this unusual experience with a lighthouse!  Walk out to sea without getting your feet wet!

The lighthouse is located at the end of an almost mile-long breakwater path. On a clear day when you can see the path and when it is not submerged in water, visitors can walk to this lighthouse and also climb to the top to get great views.

It was windy and visibility was not good when we landed there, and we were unsure whether we should do it. What if the path got submerged on our way out! Anyway, we did start the walk. The path had uneven large stones with big gaps between them,  was slippery and we had to walk carefully.

About half through the walk, we decided to turn back. Took some pictures and enjoyed views.

DAY TWO

Acadia National Park

National Park?  Well…..To us it seemed to be more of a tourist resort than a national park.  It was chock-a-block with people and cars when we went there, and it was not even high season! Nevertheless, we found things to do in this park.

Drive the 27-mile Park Loop Road and enjoy the views of the rugged Acadia coastline.

The loop road is the best way to do a quick tour of Acadia. – Drive to Thunder hole or Otter cliff or anywhere you can park (not easy!) and hike along the ocean path to explore granite rock formations. There are several hiking choices for hiking enthusiasts.

GPS is definitely spotty here, so picking up a map is useful.

The visitor center is full of cars! A number of visitors prefer to leave their cars here and take shuttle buses to various destinations within the National park. Of course, there is an entry fee and a ticket to drive your own car in the national park.

The Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

It is a landmark and a must-see.

The Bass Harbor Head lighthouse, constructed way back in 1876, is the most photographed and visited lighthouse in Maine.

Located at the southernmost tip of the Mount Desert island south of the popular Bar Harbor, it is fenced off and involves a short walk from the parking lot. You can stand right next to the bell and the lighthouse.

There is another trail into the woods and along a boardwalk and stairway leading to some rocks from where you can get a different perspective of the lighthouse.

Due to the high popularity and depending on the season, there are huge queues here. 

Bar Harbor

It is a tourist town you can visit on your way back from the national park. It is very busy with shoppers and visitors and it is probably best to just drive through the town to get an idea of what is there to see and do.

Jordan Pond nature trail

This is a great trail for families. The Jordan Pond House and restaurant are popular and located on a hill overlooking the pond.

Prospect Harbor and Gouldsboro Pier

Located in another part of the peninsula are the less popular Prospect Harbour and Gouldsboro Pier. It is totally peaceful with literally very few visitors and offers the same kinds of views as the Acadia National park.

DAY THREE

Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Observatory

This visit has historical and engineering marvels to learn about and admire.

The historic site of Fort Knox is one of the well-maintained coastal defense structures from the mid-1800s. It was built during the civil war to defend Maine but never saw action. We spent a few hours looking around and exploring the entire structure and grounds, plus the one-room museum about the fort’s history located right on the water edge. There are good views of the town of Buckport and the huge Narrows bridge from the fort’s parapets.

Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory look impressive. We took the elevator up 420 feet for sweeping views of 360 degrees from the top of the Bridge observatory – that included the Penobscot bay, mountains and forests around 100 miles.

This is a must-visit for history buffs, engineers and photographers too.

Bangor

We drove up to the famous Bangor waterfront and enjoyed the views of the deep blue Penobscot River, boats and bridges. It is also a place that has cruise ships and a heavy vessel dock facility.

The waterfront offers walking trails, picnic tables and benches and a good parking lot too. Bangor is a good place to stop by if you are passing through.

DAY FOUR

Smalls Falls

Located on the route 4 going north from Farmington, watch out for the sign as it is not very big. The sign says ‘Smalls Falls Resting Area’. Drive into the turn off as far back as you can where you take the steps down to the bridge across Sandy River.

Smalls falls is totally worth a stop. There is a gorge where the falls drop.

We came across a bunch of adventurous young boys diving into the gorge from the rocks above!

Daggett Rock

Maine’s largest Glacial Erratic is located off the Wheeler road in Philips from the main route 4.

Drive slowly along the road watching out for the sign – which, as usual, is hidden behind leaves and not prominent. There is parking for about 4 cars.

A glacial erratic is a piece of rock (of various sizes) which had been carried away by glacial ice to a place far away.  When the ice melted the rock stayed in the new location. Daggett Rock, which is about 80 feet long, 30 feet wide and 25 wide and weighing some 8,000 tons is considered to be the largest glacially transported erratic in Maine.

We saw similar erratics called Glacial Boulders in the Flume gorge in New Hampshire.

Once you have found the signpost and parked, walk along a dirt path that leads to the rock. It is a good half hour to 45 mins walk on a moderately steep path. When you finally see the rock, it is fascinating and giant sized. The rock is split into two on the side. You can walk around it and take pictures.

DAY FIVE

Height of Land

One of the top attractions that is worth stopping along the Rangeley Lakes Scenic Byway is the ‘Height of Land’. This spot some provides magnificent panoramic views and stunning overlooks. The spectacular views of the blue Mooselookmeguntic and Richardson lakes, and also the White Mountains in the background make it the perfect setting for photographers, tourists and artists.

We walked around, took in the views and took some photographs. There are some educational signposts with a lot of information on hikes, and adequate parking.

Coos Canyon and Gorge

Located on the route 17 in Byron a bit further to Height of Land on our way back.

We parked on a dirt track and walked to the canyon. This place is not very well maintained and lacking signage. The gorge and the cascade waterfall can be viewed best from the bridge.

There are tables outside a restaurant cum store across the road – where we had some hot chocolate.

DAY SIX

Rangeley Lakes Scenic Area

The Rangeley Lakes area is a 52-mile stretch of road with gorgeous scenery and stops along the way. Route 17 is the best way to take rather than the route 4 which we found passes through some rough terrain that needs a four-wheel drive.

Beyond the Height of Land, the road takes you all the way with Mooselookmeguntic lake on the left and Rangeley lake on your right. If you are an adventurous hiker, this place provides a number of hikes– easy and challenging, including the legendary Appalachian trail. In spite of the weather being cold, the sun can be quite strong here.

We had a good meal at Portage Tap House. Good parking lot, excellent service and a great choice of food.

Overall, we had a great 6 days but thought there was a significant lack of good signage in Maine for visitors. In most of the places including in route 17 and 4, there is little or no mobile connectivity making the tourists unaware of where they are and how far the destination is. Yes, a good old-fashioned map might be the solution.

On day seven, we drove out of Maine to the granite state of New Hampshire for the next part of our 3-week New England tour.

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