1st trip to Maine

[hillman1]

Going to the Portland area for the 1st week of August, wondering about some help with camping/hiking/things to do/points of interest. Would like to try and do as much as possible, I heard there is an Island you can hike out to in low tide? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated, and thank you in advance...

 

[Artex]

Hi Hillman! I live about 25 miles outside of Portland. It's a terrific area! Lot's to do around here. How far are you willing to drive?

Some immediate thoughts are Bradbury Mountain, Wolfsneck State Park, Popham Beach (has an island you can walk out to at low tide, not sure if it's the same one you were thinking of), Parsons Beach... that's just a few. Others who know the area much better than I do will add more, I'm sure.

Portland itself is a neat city, particulary the Old Port.

Enjoy the trip!

-Jamie

 

[Klutz]

Going to the Portland area for the 1st week of August, wondering about some help with camping/hiking/things to do/points of interest. Would like to try and do as much as possible, I heard there is an Island you can hike out to in low tide? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated, and thank you in advance...

Well.....where shall I start? Camping around Portland, uh not.....you'd have to go at least 20+ miles away from Portland inland for that, unless of course you don't mind looking at the overweight, Frenchmen/women in speedos down to OOB, which is still about 10 miles south of Portland.

Hiking, again, you'd have to go inland for that as well or you'd could do some urban/island hiking in and around Portland. There are a few nice, short hikes around the area for island hiking and/or you could do some biking around Portland. There are some pretty good bike routes in and around Portland.

Now for things that are possiblities in Portland. There are many good seafood resturants in what is referred to as the "Old Port" in Portland. This is located on the waterfront. There are many curio shops, bars, coffee shops, historical sites, and of course there's people watching in the Old Port. The Caso Bay Lines, ferry terminal is located in the Old Port, here's a link: http://www.cascobaylines.com/passenger_fares.htm
This is a must do if your in Portland, take the longest mail run and you'll get your money's worth. You don't have to get off, if you don't want or you can get off most Island's and take a later boat back. You'll get to see a few lighthouses in the bay, as well as, seals at seal rock, maybe even see them right from the dock in Portland, they like to hang out there for fish. People fish right off the dock.

Man I just could go on about the Old Port and Portland, but there is a lot to see and do there. Here's another link: http://www.ci.portland.me.us/

I grew up across the bay in South Portland and lived in both Portland and South Portland and love the area. One of the best things I love about the area is the smell of the ocean, especially when it's raining or the fog, it just brings the smell out even more.

Good luck, I hope this helps. If there's anything else you want to know, I'd be glad to tell you.

 

[hillman1]

We're bringing the bicycles for getting around and those are some good ideas so far. I would really like to try and make a day trip to Acadia, but I don't know how that will work out.

 

[uphillklimber]

Acadia is a 3 hour ride from Portland, give or take according to traffic. Long day. Good accomodations are available reasonable there, as well as camping. I lived there 16 months. All I can say is wow. Very easy to make your own fun. Pick up a guide book called "A walk in the park". It's spirtal bound and very accurate. You gotta do Jordans Pancake house in downtown Bar Harbor.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

I'm fond of an area just south of Portland called Cape Porpoise. Great beach area, secluded, plus a small commercial wharf for fishing if you're so inclined or have little ones who might be interested. Great little hotel/motel called the Tides Inn.

Portland's a bit of a stretch if you really want to be in Acadia, but it's do-able.

 

[hillman1]

Going to Portland to visit someone. I'm just trying to have a few days outside enjoying what the area has to offer. The people we're visiting are not the outdoor type. They are no help.

 

[hillman1]

Scratch all that--I talked my girlfriend into going to Acadia. I'm pretty stoked. We'll just pass thru portland now and say "hi".

 

[uphillklimber]

That's a great idea, Hillman1! Acadia has some really great biking trials! The Carriage trials are awsome! Man, I can't believe we haven't been up there in a couple of years....trying to talk, hubby into going sometime after Labor Day, when the crowds die down , that's a good time to go, when it's not so crowded.

Make sure that you do a drive by the Old Port area, if times allows for it. If you friend is familair with the Old Port and Munjoy Hill, he can give you a route to be able to see a couple of lighthouses from the top of the hill that's ocean side. You can at least see Bug Light and Fort Preble(both visable across the bay towards South Portland), possibly Portland Head Light(on a clear day, which is the next town over from SP). These can all be seen at a vantage point on Munjoy Hill(aka Eastern Prom) called Fort Allen Park. From where the cannons are up there you can also see a lot of the islands that are ferried by Casco Bay Lines(Peaks Island, Long Island, Little Diamond, Big Diamond, etc.)

I know from experience, it's a long ride from Portland to Acadia(at least 3 hours), well it seems long anyway. Now that we're in NH, it's going to be about 4.5-5 hours.

Well, enjoy anyway, whatever you do. There's a lot to see and do in Maine.

 

[uphillklimber]

Whoops, I just posted under my hubby's name. Hate when that happens. That would be Klutz, that just posted.....

 

[BorealChickadee]

Scratch all that--I talked my girlfriend into going to Acadia. I'm pretty stoked. We'll just pass thru portland now and say "hi".

Good choice Doug!

We'll be going up to Acadia mid August and we always take our bikes for the carriage roads. I LOVE those downhills. There are some awesome loops to be done and stopping mid-ride in at the Jordan Pond House for a cold drink/ice cream/Whoopie Pie is great.


Two years ago my bike carrier broke, it took me 45 minutes to fiddle with the broken Thule locking mechanism and get the bike off the car . I was so flustered I left the bike chain key in the car. Rode down the island, ate at the Jordan PH , went out to unlock the bikes and whoops...no key ...and it is dusk. Car at Eagle Lake, bikes at JPH, we're on foot. Got on an Island Explorer bus, one of the last runs and when I asked to be let off next to a point that I figured was the shortest whack through the woods to pick up another carriage road to get back to the car the driver was so nice he grinned, turned the bus the wrong way on route 3 and drove us to Eagle Lake. He didn't want us walking out through the woods, not on a trail, in the dark. The buses are GPS monitored and he figured that dispatch would think he had gone just a little loony. Heck of a nice guy.

Are you camping at Seawall? Nice walk in sites. If you do, tell Dave and Dawn at the showers that Judy and Paul say hi. We've known them since they bought the place and they're used to getting strange messages.Some years we don't get up to later in August and he always tells me they were getting worried that we weren't coming.

Enjoy Acadia, you're going to love it.

 

[hillman1]

Not sure where we're camping. I was hoping to drive up and just find a site, but it looks like I may need reservations???

 

[Klutz]

Not sure where we're camping. I was hoping to drive up and just find a site, but it looks like I may need reservations???

Yes you would need a reservation at Black Woods Campground, this could be a tough one to get into, but if you try early enough, it's a possibility. Seawall is another one, but hubby seems to think that's another one tough one to get into. Then there's Bar Harbor Campgrounds which does not take reservations that you can "always" get a site at. Link: http://www.barharborcampgrounds.com/bar-harbor-campgrounds.htm

My husband just informed me about another one we almost always stay at which is Hadley's Point, which does take reservations: http://www.hadleyspoint.com/ Very nice place. This is located off Route 3

Hope this helps you. Have a great time.....We want pictures.

 

[uphillklimber]

My wife insists I chime in here. So: Go, you'll love it, blah, blah, blah....

Seriously, though. There are a few things that you may want to check out. Pretty much every trail brings you over a bald mountain top, with great ocean views and breeze. There is something for everybody there, the super rich all the way down to us. A sand bar appears at low tide in Bar Harbor, hence the name. Sometimes, folks get trapped on the island...... Thunder Hole is awesome if there is a storm out to sea. You want to get there a couple hours before hig tide. It will thunder. Wanna see a fox? Drive the perimeter road around otter cliffs about 45 minutes or more after sundown. He'll be scavenging for road kill. (Not much in the way of deer or moose).

The Precipice trail is either open or the perigrine falcons are nesting and raising young. It's a great view at the top, and can be accessed from the other side. Park near the Tarn on Rt 3 after leaving Bar Habor and klimb uop Champlain Mtn. We went up and napped on the top of the cliff, Klutz awoke and saw the falcons soaring right out off the cliff from us. What an awesome site!!!

It's all day hiking in Acadia. No overniting inside the park boundries. (I have seen it happen though....) It's all good!!

 

[hillman1]

Thanks a ton for the info--I hope the weather is nice while we're there.

 

[yardsale]

If you are still interested in the Island you can walk to in the Portland area, it is called Richmond Island, off Rt. 77 South of Portland. No people, just sheep last time I was there. You can only walk there at somewhere near high tide, however. so I would hang out on Cresent Beach State Park a few hours before high tide to see when the isthmus to the island is exposed, then travel to the island knowing you have an equal amount of time after high tide to get back!