Hi Guys,

I'm trying to plan a nice bike trip.

I recently came into some free time (laid off!) so I want to travel a distance and do a nice bike trip.

I'm looking at Maine. I want to spend about 5 days in Maine and do 3 rides, each being about 50 - 60miles in length. I'd love to try a century ride but I don't think i have it in me yet.

I'm thinking Acadia National park but don't really know routes, i'm also open to doing 1 ride in each part of the state as i'm flexible and will jsut drive to other parts of the state.

I've looked and theres a wealth of resources on this (too much!) and i'm overwhelmed so i thought i'd ask you guys who do these rides weekly.

what are some great scenic rides in maine that are not to be missed?

please and thank you. I'll be driving there from Toronto.

Not sure if the bike you bring will handle the carriage roads of Acadia, but that's one of my favorites. I can easily do a 30 mile loop but you pretty much need a road bike with a minimum of a 27/28mm tire to feel comfortable on the gravel. That would make a great half day ride, then extend to the park loop road, and/or extend down to South West Harbor and a loop around Seawall Rd. then maybe a detour up Cadillac Mt. Another BH ride is back up towards Ellsworth on Rt's 233/102 and 3 then east on Rt 1 and down to the Winter Harbor loop, then take the ferry back from WH to BH. FWIW, Rt 1 west of Ellsworth sucks for bikes but there's generally less traffic heading east.

Then a few hrs east is Lubec and Eastport. If you bring a passport you can head out to Campobello Island (Canada) then hit assorted ferries to extend. Takes time and timing is all. Pretty area down east, not much traffic, but bring a rain jacket as it can get cold and foggy in a damned hurry.

Personally though ?, I'd skip the long drive to Maine and head instead to Lake Placid, NY. Lot's of road loops and ton's of scenery.

As BTW, Toronto to Bar Harbor is 14 hrs driving. Lake Placid is 7

thank you!

I LOVE Lake Placid and have only been there in the winter, but there's something about Maine that is drawing me. I think maybe it's the coast i'm not sure.

so while, Lake Placid is much much closer, I'm pretty set on visiting Maine....unless there's a better part of New England you know of?

Tons of killer riding up here. Acadia is beautiful and some great restaurants and places to stay. My wife and her girlfriends are headed there tonight as a matter of fact. Carriage trails are more suited for a mtn or cx bike but the roads are a blast.

We ride a lot in the western mountains near Bethel and Sunday River. The "notches", Grafton, Evans, etc. would give you a good challenge (a bit hilly), some spectacular views, and there's usually wildlife (moose and deer) if you're out early. If you're not adverse to moving once or twice while you're up here, I might suggest the Bethel area for a day or 2, then head over to No. Conway NH for a couple. Plenty to do with some great places to stay. The guy that runs the Pearl Izumi outlet in No. Conway is a great resource for that area - he's worth a call.

Give these folks a shout or drop me a note. Happy to help if I can. If you have no time restraints, I would come in September when the traffic backs off and the foliage is spectacular!
https://www.bikemaine.org/

I fully understand as while I pretty much spent my youth hiking and canoeing the Dak's, I now camp every year in one of the terrific state parks scattered through out Maine. I really do love Acadia and Mt Desert, currently my favorite vacation spot.

Note though that you say "coast". Be aware that pretty much all the coast, especially south of Camden, is private and you can do a LOT of driving along the "coast" and never see water. This is why I spend time either at Mt. Desert or east along the down-east coast. Prettiest views in my mind.

this is all great info. Thanks guys.

Get this used for less than $10

https://www.amazon.com/25-Bicycle-Tou...rides+in+maine

It will give you some options.

Just past Acadia is the Schoodic Peninsula. Really nice, you can do a loop around the peninsula.
One of the other posters mentioned Winter Harbor, which is on the Schoodic Peninsula.

If you go to Acadia start your ride at the Jordan Pond Tea House. Afterwards have the lobster chowder and popovers.
Trust me, it's the only way to do it.

The Lighthouse Loop is a nice ride (just outside Portland) (it's in the book)

I came up with a ride. You park in the Kezar Falls post office. Ride 160 to Brownfield to Center Conway Rd.
Stop and have a coffee or lunch in Conway. Then take 153 south, turn onto Andrew Hills Rd so you go through Freedom NH.
That dead ends into 25 which takes you back to the start. About 50 miles.

Another option is to stay in the Blue Hill area, and ride around that area.

Edit... you could stay in North Conway, NH for a while. From there you could do my Kezar Falls ride (starting in conway).
There is also a ton of good rides in the area. My favorite is Bear Notch loop. One really hard ride is to take the
back roads to 113, then up to Gorham NH. Past Mt Washington and down to Conway. Stop and have a bite
at Pinkham Notch.

There is, btw, a bunch of nice hikes in New England. From Pinkham Notch you can climb Mt Washington.
There is Mt Cadillac at Acadia, you walk, drive or bike up. Driving in easy, the hike isn't hard.
But doing it on a bike is brutal. It's been listed as one of the top 50 cycling climbs in the country.
I've never done it. It's a long hard climb that gets much steeper shortly before the finish.

Really ?, Top 50 ?, never heard that. My Ride with GPS profile shows 3.4 miles and +1004 ft., so 5.6% plus the ramp at the top. I guess that's steep, it's just a somewhat shorter climb compared to stuff out west, or even Ascutney, Washington or Whiteface, all almost double the gradient. Plus lot's of Vermont gaps are long and hard so Cadillac seemed easy if only as it was over quicker. Good view once you get passed the buses.

I write for my audience, and my guess is that he'd find it hard.

He didn't ask about climbs, so that was just an offhand remark.

Check out the Maine rides listed at

https://www.bikenewengland.com/

There are a few rides around Acadia and Mt Desert Island

There is some really beautiful riding in and around Acadia

Maine DOT publishes a nice book of rides, available at their visitors centers. Here's a link to the rides:

https://www.exploremaine.org/bike/

The park loop road around Acadia is one of the prettiest rides I've made.

As previously noted, I haven't found much along the Maine coast south of Bar Harbor where you can see any water, with the exception of a short stretch in York. Coastal New Hampshire is much better in this regard, although the entire coast is only about 17 miles long.

Acadia is really great to ride. But if you have the time try Sunrise Trail. It's a packed gravel/dirt trail that goes from Ellsworth up to Calais. That's about 85 miles one way. Also there's several cutouts along the way so you can head into one of the towns along the route and grab some lunch. It's doable on any type bike, but it works out best with a CX bike or at least wider tires. You share the trail with ATV's. I've ridden it several times during the week and never encountered another vehicle. https://www.sunrisetrail.org/ Weekends do tend to be busy with ATV 'tour groups'.
If the ferry from Bar Harbor to Winter Harbor is still running (June-Sept) do the park loop, catch the ferry to Winter Harbor ($30 round trip), then do the Schoodic Point Loop. Stop by Fisherman's Inn to grab some lunch.
If you need more info let me know. I've been going there for several years and know 'Down East' pretty well.

this is all great info. Thanks guys. haha