Your honest guide to Maine
Where to eat lobster straight off the boat, which coastal towns are worth your nights, when to come for leaf season, and how to do Acadia without fighting the crowds.
Seven ways to do Maine
The Maine Beaches
The southern coast from Kittery to Old Orchard Beach: long sand beaches, the resort towns of Ogunquit, Wells, and Kennebunkport, and the first lobster of any road trip up Route 1.
Greater Portland & Casco Bay
Maine's biggest city and its working waterfront: the Old Port, one of the best food scenes in the Northeast, the Casco Bay islands by ferry, Cape Elizabeth lighthouses, and the L.L.Bean flagship up in Freeport.
MidCoast & Islands
Peninsulas, harbors, and windjammers from Brunswick to Camden: Boothbay Harbor, the art town of Rockland, the Camden Hills, and ferry-out islands like Monhegan and the Fox Islands.
Downeast & Acadia
Mount Desert Island, Acadia National Park, and Bar Harbor, then the quieter Schoodic Peninsula and the far Downeast coast out to Lubec and the easternmost point in the country.
The Maine Highlands
The North Woods around Bangor, Moosehead Lake, and Baxter State Park, where Mount Katahdin anchors the northern end of the Appalachian Trail and moose outnumber traffic lights.
Western Mountains & Lakes
Maine's ski-and-lake country: Sunday River and Sugarloaf for winter, Bethel and Rangeley for summer, Sebago Lake near Portland, and the longest single-state stretch of the Appalachian Trail.
Aroostook / the County
The vast farm-and-forest north on the Canadian border: potato fields, hundreds of lakes, snowmobile and ATV trails, and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.
First time in Maine?
Start with the basics: when to come, which airport to fly into, how the coast actually connects, and where to base yourself.
Plan your trip