My Trip to Coastal Maine

This was an insanely restorative vacation- from the sweetest airbnb, to the magical hikes, to finding the most amazing antique stores, everything was perfect! I stayed in Northern coastal Maine (above Acadia) for 4 days/3 nights at the end of August 2021. I had a few general ideas of what I wanted to do, but I really just took it day by day. As with any trip I take, I aim to steer clear of touristy areas and find the hidden gems. Sharing all my itinerary here!

Travel & Lodging

I flew into Bangor Airport and rented a car. At first, I was a little surprised by how pricey the rental car was, but Summer is Maine’s peak season for the Acadia explorers, so it made sense. It wasn’t totally outrageous, it came out to about $130 per day. I stopped at a health food store to load up on snacks, then drove nearly 2 hours northeast to Jonesport where my Airbnb (linked here) was. I can’t recommend this place enough- the pictures don’t do it justice! It’s located on an unpaved road right on the water. The shingle sided houses are separated from each other by flower fields and mini forests of birch trees, so there is a ton of privacy. I was greeted by my hosts, Michael & Percy, an older couple who showed me to my room and repeatedly invited me over for wine. The suite is located above their garage, so its completely separate from their main house. It has everything you need- a full bathroom, kitchenette, table & chairs, a bed looking out onto the balcony, and a million dollar view. I woke up every morning at sunrise to watch it from the balcony, and fell asleep each night to the moonrise reflecting off the water. PLEASE stay here and tell them I sent you!

Hiking & Nature Sights

The entire reason I planned this trip was because I saw a picture of a trail in Cutler, ME on Pinterest and had it saved for years. It’s called the Bold Coast Trail and it did NOT disappoint. You begin the hike through a foggy, mossy forest, and the deeper you get into the forest, the every tree becomes an Evergreen and it smells like Christmas. Once you make it to the coastline, you see dramatic jagged rocks and mist rolling off of them over a teal blue ocean. Cutler is a tiny town about an hour north of the Airbnb.

Further north in Lubec is the Quoddy Head State Park. This is the furthest north you can go before hitting Canada and it’s beautiful!

Closer to the Airbnb, I visited the the Great Wass Island Preserve and Rogue Bluff State Park both were stunning with easy level hikes along the coast.

I did venture down to Acadia on my way back to the airport. I didn’t have time for any real hiking but I drove out to and explored Raven’s Nest which is little known but well worth it!

Antiquing

Another big reason I wanted to make this trip was to check out the antique shops- Maine has the best ones I’ve been to! Here’s a list of some of my favorites:

The Old Creamery – Ellsworth
1A Relics– Ellsworth
Big Chicken Barn Books– Ellsworth
The Clutter Shop– Lubec
Antiques and Fine Arts– Machias
Higgins Antiques – Southwest Harbor (this was a bit pricier)
Sweet Retreat– Sullivan (this is the name of the ice cream shop, I can’t find the antique shop online, but it was right next door!)

Towns Visited and Other Sites

Acadia:

Southwest Harbor (quiet, cute houses, lighthouse)
Northeast Harbor (same as above)
Somesville (iconic bridge)
Winter Harbor (right outside of Acadia and a good bakery)
Ellsworth (antiques and restaurants)

Up north:

Cutler (for hiking)
Machias (antiques & restaurants)
Lubec (furthest northeast point is US, borders Canada, interesting history, lighthouse & cute Victorian houses)