Boating:Ī number of lakes and ponds on Mount Desert Island permit boating. Popular areas for this activity are Sieur de Monts Springs, Bear Brook and Beaver Dam Pond, Precipice, Otter Point, Seawall Picnic Area, Wonderland and Ship Harbor, Schoodic Peninsula, and Cadillac Mountain. Bicycling is not permitted on hiking trails. Cyclists share these roads with horses and pedestrians. Bicycling:Ĭarriage Roads that wind through the park have crushed rock surfaces that are ideal perfect for bicycling. The lighthouse has short trails on either side that provide spectacular views. Save the slow-going on Rt 1 for a trip when you have more time to poke along without worrying when you'll get there.Bass Harbor Head Light is the only lighthouse on Mount Desert Island. (Google Penobscot Narrows Bridge Observatory for info and photos).įor the best coastal views, concentrate on getting from Boston to Bar Harbor as quickly as possible and spend your time seeing Mt Desert Island and Acadia National Park. Along that stretch, you'll get a few glimpses of the ocean, a fantastic opportunity to visit the Penobscot Narrows Bridge Observatory - a glassed-in observation deck built into one of the towers of the suspension bridge carrying US 1 over the Penobscot River just south of Bucksport.

If you absolutely 'must' see part of Rt 1, at least stay on I-95 as far as Augusta, then take Rt 3 to Belfast and Rt 1 from there to Ellsworth. In addition to a large volume of tourist traffic on a Saturday morning in August, you're also going to be sharing the road with all the 'locals' out running their Saturday morning errands at the grocery store, hardware store, etc. And it is the primary highway connecting numerous smaller communities on the peninsulas and mainland to the communities that provide services like supermarkets, dry cleaning, shopping etc. In others words, Rt 1 is often 'near' but seldom 'on' the coast. If you look at the palm of your hand, your fingers would represent the peninsulas of the Maine coast, while US 1 would run along the row of knuckles closest to your wrist. Best bet - stick with I-95 and get on the road early.Īs already noted, US 1 in Maine isn't a 'coastal road' in the sense of Highway 1 in California. In general, there are alternate routes around the tolls, but since the one in New Hampshire is the primary route to the New Hampshire beaches and the one around the York toll in Maine is the primary access to numerous outlet malls in Kittery and to the beaches in York, Ogunquit and Kennebunk, the alternates will take you as long or longer as waiting in line at the tolls. If you can make yourself get up that early, heading north as early as 5:30 or 6:00 would give you a huge advantage at the tolls. As you go north from there, things get better. Second worst is at the Maine Turnpike's York Toll Plaza, the one closest to Boston. The worst back-ups are at the Hampton Tolls in New Hampshire because you're dealing with traffic headed to New Hampshire's White Mountains as well as Maine destinations. Historically, the heaviest traffic flows, and thus the longestg back-ups at the toll booths are northbound (Boston toward Maine) on Friday nights and Saturday mornings, and southbound Sunday afternoon and evenings as all those same folks head home. Once you are in Bar Harbor and Acadia you will have all the magnificent scenery you could want.Īs someone who makes the Maine- Boston trip fairly regularly, I'd say you got it exactly right when you said 'The earlier I leave the better.' But at least in that area Highway 1 becomes more scenic.Īll in all, your best bet is to stay on I-95 to Bangor and then take 1A and 3 to Bar Harbor. Highway 1 is also a huge bottleneck as you go through Camden, Maine, well north of Portland. You will be dealing with lots of tourist traffic. Highway 1 between Portsmouth and Portland will be especially crowded because it serves the highly popular resort towns of York, Kittery, Kennebunkport, and Ogunquit.

As you travel Highway 1, you do not go out on those peninsulas and thus are not seeing ocean scenery but instead crossing bridges over inlets where the peninsula begins on the mainland. The Maine coast is made up of peninsulas, jutting out into the ocean. Nor would you be seeing much great scenery along highway one. Just getting through Kittery, with the outlet malls, would be troublesome. If you take Highway 1 from Portsmouth you will be going through every little town which will take more time than stopping for the tolls. No, I don't think that is the best way to go.

Boston to bar harbor