As a guy who grew up in Mississipi, I felt right at home in Maine. This trip was Bethany’s and my first trip to the Vacationland. The rural areas of Maine are heavily wooded and full of slow-moving water. It really brought me back to my roots of camping and fishing. Plus, the fall colors could not be beaten!
We set up our base camp in a hotel in downtown Porltand within walking distance of Casco Bay. So we had our fair share of lobster and drinks. It was a great location to explore the Old Port district. Still, it was also very convenient for ventures outside the city.
Besides stopping and enjoying random bits of the countryside, our ventures included two small hikes. The first was the Morse Mountain to Seawall Beach Hike. The trail is essentially a maintained road. Some private property was converted into a conservation area, and with the land’s beauty, I could understand why. We did come across an overlook where we disturbed a science class having a little outdoor classroom.
At the end of the roughly 2-mile hike, we were greeted with Seawall Beach, another conservation area. I just remembered saying, wow. Assuming you can walk a total of 4 miles, I would recommend this trail to anyone! Plus, you can stop at the L.L. Bean Headquarters, which is nearby in Freeport, Maine.
Acadia National Park was a bit of a drive for us, but rural Maine is gorgeous. Most of my drone shots came from random locations. This was the peak season for the park, and it was incredibly crowded. If anyone plans on going, please plan! Get your passes early and register your car. We didn’t, and luckily we didn’t need to to get to Jordan Pond. We barely manage to get a parking spot, though.
Jordan Pond is one of the Park highlights, and it takes a little hike to get it. Though I believe the backside may be accessible with a car. I recommend hiking, though. We traversed down the mountainside on the Bubbles trail. Acadia has much to offer, but I wouldn’t pass up on Jordan Pond. We got the full Acadia and autumn experience here. Even with just one hike, we left pretty satisfied. Also, I recommend traveling on Hwy 1, whether to or from the national park. It will take you through some of the prettiest countryside and historic towns.
Back to Portland, besides all the restaurants and pubs, you have to take a ferry to Peaks Island. I knew it would be neat, but this really ended being one of my favorite parts of the trip. Peaks island is mostly residential, but it does offer some restaurants and stores. The real treat here is the bike rentals. We grabbed our bikes and explored the whole island. While I did say mostly residential, it also has a large conservation area, plus the backshore area. Hidden within the conservation area is old Battery Steele from WW2. We found a small hike trail that led to it for some urban exploration.
That’s pretty much the short version of the trip. But if you’re planning a trip and have some questions feel free to give me a shout! I journaled the whole experience, so I know exactly everything we did, where we went, what food and drinks we had, etc. You can reach me at [email protected] or send me a message on Facebook Messenger!
