Touring - Need help planning a 5-6 day no-camping tour within 400 miles of Portland, Maine

Hi,
I am looking for ideas. I have made a list of places. I have never been to some of them. I have heard the Gaspe Peninsula is very pretty, but I bet there is some reason you don't hear about cyclists going there much. PEI is a place the girls want to go, but it's flat and windy. I'm not a big fan of flat. Deer Isle...this would prob start in Orland and do a loop around the peninsula. It's a small area for a big trip.
The 'rent-a-van' idea...We rent a van and go somewhere we can drop it off, like Burlington. Then we ride home on the backroads. A practical choice would be start in Portland, ride to Fryeburg.Day 2 would go up Evan's Notch and then Rte 2 to Gorham NH. Day 3 would take us to North Conway. And Day 4 would go somewhere like Cornish Me.Day 5 would be Cornish to Portland. Anyway, I could use some suggestions for where to ride, or even some place that could be a nice part of a trip. We like to ride, but 40 to 50 miles a day is our limit on a multiday tour. A bit less in the mountains. Thanks.

I have heard the Gaspe Peninsula is very pretty, but I bet there is some reason you don't hear about cyclists going there much.

Gaspe is wonderful, I did a road trip around the peninsula about 2 years ago with my old university roommate and it is a beautiful place. I remember reading that one of our Bike Forums members from Quebec cycling it, so do a search. The only reason I could imagine people avoiding Gaspe is due to the weather; I was there in early spring and it snowed for much of our two-week trip. The people are great; the food was good and the scenery simply divine.

Late: I've hiked all 281 miles of Appalachian Trail thru Maine...and i've bike all the NE states.

Awesome scenery: Grafton Notch, Bigelow Preserve, Sugarloaf, Saddleback Mt, Abol Bridge (Katahdin/Baxter Park). Towns with nice & cheap! hostels: Andover, Rangely, Stratton, Caratunk, Monson. (Gorham, NH also has 2 hostels) I've been to all the above areas and towns via the AT and I would love to go back and bike the nearby roads... All in Northwest Maine except Katahdin. You'll be surround by gorgeous Maine peaks and forest so you can't go wrong with any of these places. Plenty of hiking opps too!

Hi,
Have you ever been in the middle of Baxter State Park. Most never get much beyond the periphery or the AT. My favorite trip is 2 or 3 days in the middle of the park (there is a tiny cabin on a tiny island on a lake which is something really special) and then head up the backside of the mountain chain. The shelter on the backside of Pamola (it's been years, I think Katahdin's sister is Pamola) is also very nice. I will take a look at the area you suggest. The distances and lack of bike shops may prove prohibitive in areas like Rangely. Isn't the AT shelter on a pond just south of Rangely nice!

If you dont like the flat you will love the Gaspe Peninsular. The villages are at sea level, while the roads between go via the clifftops. I believe Michel Gagnon has ridden this way, and maybe Sheldon Brown.

Hi,
Andrew, I need info on biking the Gaspe. Like is it possible without tents? Are there any bike shops? ANy stores in between towns?Is there a topo map I could get? That sort of thing. Thanks