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A 6-day one-way drive up the Maine coast on Route 1, from Portland's working harbour through the classic Midcoast towns to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.
RoutebookThis is the East Coast's great coastal drive: roughly 165 miles of Route 1 from Portland to Bar Harbor, unhurried over nine days so the lighthouses, harbours and lobster shacks get the time they deserve. The driving is gentle, with short legs of under an hour and any car coping easily, but there is plenty to fill the days. You start in Portland's cobbled Old Port, climb to the panorama on Mount Battie above Camden, ride the lift up the Penobscot Narrows Bridge, and finish on Mount Desert Island, where Acadia National Park stacks granite summits, carriage roads and a 27-mile scenic park road against the open Atlantic. It works as relaxed sightseeing or, with the optional hikes at Camden Hills and Acadia, as an active week outdoors.
Best time: September to mid-October: foliage, fewer crowds
3 overnight bases · 1 day trip · 2 stops on the way
Day trip from Portland
On the way
On the way
Scenic Drive
Drive the Park Loop Road
Acadia's 27-mile loop strings together Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Otter Cliff and the Cadillac Mountain summit road.
Viewpoint
Sunrise on Cadillac Mountain
From the 1,530-foot summit, one of the first places in the US to catch the sunrise in autumn. A vehicle reservation is needed in season.
Viewpoint
Portland Head Light, Cape Elizabeth
Maine's most photographed lighthouse, first lit in 1791, on the rocks of Fort Williams Park just outside Portland.
Food & drink
Lobster rolls and popovers
Work through the coast's signature plates: a lobster roll in the Old Port and warm popovers at the Jordan Pond House.
Viewpoint
Penobscot Narrows Bridge Observatory
Ride 420 feet up the world's tallest public bridge observatory for views over the Penobscot River and Fort Knox.
Where to stay
Base two nights in Camden
The Midcoast's best hub, with harbour walks, Mount Battie and easy day trips to Rockland's museums and lighthouse.
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