7 Days in Maine: The Classic Coast-to-Acadia Route

Overview: How This Route Works

This itinerary runs roughly 300 miles from south to north along the Maine coast, starting near the New Hampshire border and ending in Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island. Most of the driving is on Route 1 or I-95. Route 1 is the slow, scenic spine of the Maine Beaches and the MidCoast; I-95 is faster between the southern border and Portland. From late June through Labor Day, factor 20 to 30 extra minutes on any coastal segment you read as a quick hop.

The natural shape of the trip lets you fly into Boston Logan (BOS) or Portland Jetport (PWM) on Day 1 and fly out of Bangor International (BGR), an hour from Acadia, on Day 7. If you prefer a round trip out of Portland, add about 3.5 hours on the last day for the drive back from Bar Harbor. Either way, you will need a rental car for the full week.

Day 1: Arrive on the Southern Coast

Portland Jetport (PWM) puts you about 85 miles north of the New Hampshire line, so fly in, pick up your car, and drive south on I-95 to Ogunquit. The drive is roughly 1 hour. Flying into Boston Logan (BOS) instead adds about 45 minutes and puts you on I-95 north through Portsmouth and Kittery into Maine. Either way, Ogunquit is the right first stop. Walk the Marginal Way in the afternoon: a mile-and-a-half cliff path that runs from the north end of Ogunquit Beach south to Perkins Cove, where lobster boats come in alongside whale-watch vessels. Dinner at one of the Perkins Cove lobster pounds runs roughly $20 to $35 per person for chowder, a roll, and something to drink.

Ogunquit's main beach stretches three miles and draws large crowds in July and August. Early mornings are different: quiet enough to have long stretches to yourself before the parking lots fill. The parking situation on summer weekends is real; arrive before 9 a.m. or use the town trolley. If you want a proper inn to start the week, the Cliff House Maine in Cape Neddick sits on 70 acres of clifftop above the Atlantic, about 5 miles south of the Ogunquit strip on Shore Road.

Day 2: Kennebunkport, Then North to Portland

From Ogunquit, Kennebunkport is 20 minutes north on Route 9. Dock Square has galleries and shops, but the point of the stop is the drive out Ocean Avenue to Walker's Point, where the Bush family compound sits on a rocky headland above the open Atlantic. Goose Rocks Beach, 4 miles northeast of Dock Square off Dyke Road, is the right beach pick if you want sand without the crowds at Ogunquit. Plan two hours in Kennebunkport before continuing north.

Portland is 45 minutes up I-95 from Kennebunkport. Check in, then spend the evening in the Old Port. DiMillo's On the Water at 25 Long Wharf is a full-service restaurant on a converted vessel with harbor views and a broad Maine seafood menu: good for a first Portland dinner with the group. The Exchange Street and Wharf Street corridor has enough bars and restaurants that you do not need much more of a plan than walking until something looks right.

Day 3: A Full Day in Portland

Portland Head Light is 15 minutes from the Old Port at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth. It was first lit in 1791 under George Washington and is free to walk around on the park grounds year-round. Go before 10 a.m. and you will mostly have the rocks to yourself. Back in the city, Becky's Diner on Commercial Street has been feeding the harbor since before the food scene got famous: it opens at 4 a.m. and runs lobster rolls at lunch alongside the classic diner plates. For the seafood bar experience, Eventide Oyster Co. on Middle Street does raw oysters, a brown butter lobster roll that draws lines in summer, and a tight cocktail list. The Highroller Lobster Co. on Exchange Street is the most fun of the Portland lobster roll spots: they do a roll flight with different preparations, and the outdoor beer garden fills up on a warm afternoon.

The Portland Museum of Art is worth two hours if you want a break from the waterfront. Casco Bay Lines runs ferries from the Commercial Street terminal to Peaks Island in about 20 minutes (estimate $10 to $15 round trip), and the island is a 3-mile loop by bike or foot with views back to the city. For Maine lobster in more formats than anywhere else in the state, Portland is the place: lobster mac, lobster poutine, lobster corn dogs. Duckfat on Middle Street rounds out the food scene with duck fat fries and creative sandwiches if you want something off the seafood track.

Day 4: Freeport and the MidCoast Run

Freeport is 20 minutes north of Portland on I-95. The L.L.Bean flagship is open 24 hours; the outdoor equipment section is the real draw, not the outlet cluster around it. Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park is 5 minutes from downtown Freeport on Wolf Neck Road, with easy loop trails along a Casco Bay tidal estuary: a good hour of walking before the afternoon drive north.

From Freeport, take Route 1 north through Brunswick and along the MidCoast peninsulas. Brunswick has Bowdoin College and several good cafes if you need a coffee stop. Wiscasset calls itself the prettiest village in Maine, and the traffic on the single bridge through town in summer gives you time to decide whether that is true. Boothbay Harbor is a 20-minute detour south down Route 27 if you want to see a classic working harbor on the peninsula before continuing north. Camden is 75 miles from Freeport; plan to arrive in the late afternoon and get dinner on the harbor.

Day 5: Camden, Rockland, and the Drive Downeast

Spend the morning in Camden. The trailhead for Mount Battie is at Camden Hills State Park at the north end of town; the road to the summit costs roughly $5 to $8 per vehicle, or you can walk up in about 45 minutes on the Summit Trail. The view takes in Penobscot Bay, the schooners below in the harbor, and on a clear day, Isle au Haut well offshore. A windjammer sail out of Camden Harbor is the right way to understand why people have been coming to this stretch of coast since the 19th century: two-hour afternoon sails run roughly $55 to $90 per person on the classic schooners, and most operators run through September.

Rockland is 8 miles south on Route 1 and worth a lunch stop. The Farnsworth Art Museum has one of the largest collections of Andrew, N.C., and Jamie Wyeth work in the country and takes a solid two hours. The Samoset Resort in Rockport, just north of Rockland on Warrenton Street, sits on Penobscot Bay with an 18-hole oceanside course and direct water views: a good choice if you want to split the drive to Bar Harbor across two nights and give Camden a proper extra half day. If you push through to Bar Harbor in one shot, it is 2 hours from Rockland on Route 1 through Ellsworth, then Route 3 across the causeway to Mount Desert Island.

Day 6: Acadia National Park

The timed vehicle reservation for Cadillac Summit Road is the most time-sensitive logistics item on the whole trip. Reservations release in two windows: a batch 90 days out and the remaining spots two days ahead. The two-day window fills within minutes in July and August; set a phone reminder and be ready at 10 a.m. Eastern. The summit sits at 1,530 feet and on a clear morning is the first place on the East Coast to catch sunrise. The Park Loop Road is 27 miles and passes Sand Beach, Thunder Hole (best at mid-incoming tide when the swell drives air into the cave), and Otter Cliffs: plan 3 to 4 hours if you are stopping at pull-offs. Jordan Pond House is the classic mid-loop stop for tea and popovers, a tradition going back to the 1890s; expect a wait in summer but it moves.

The 45 miles of carriage roads in the interior of the park are closed to motor vehicles and are the best way to see Acadia without competition for parking. Bike rentals in Bar Harbor run roughly $25 to $45 per day; start from the Eagle Lake or Witch Hole Pond carriage road entrances and you will have the stone bridges and forest largely to yourself by mid-morning. The free Island Explorer shuttle runs from late June through Columbus Day and connects Bar Harbor, the campgrounds, and park trailheads: with some planning you can leave the car at the inn for the full day.

Day 7: Bar Harbor Morning, Then Home

At low tide a gravel bar appears between the Bar Harbor town pier and Bar Island, and you can walk across it. The walk back gives you a clear view of the town and the Acadia mountains behind it. Check tide times the night before; the bar is passable for about 1.5 hours on each side of low water. The town pier area has a covered market and a cluster of cafes: a last lobster roll here, then load the car. If you have extra time and want to keep exploring the coast on a return trip, consider the Maine Lighthouse Tour, which ties together Portland Head Light, Pemaquid Point, and Marshall Point on a separate dedicated leg.

Bangor International Airport (BGR) is 1 hour from Bar Harbor on Route 1A through Ellsworth and handles flights on the major carriers. Portland Jetport (PWM) is 3.5 hours from Bar Harbor in typical summer traffic. Boston Logan (BOS) runs closer to 4.5 hours. If you flew into PWM at the start of the week and are doing a round trip, leave Bar Harbor by 10 a.m. to hit the Freeport outlet strip for 30 minutes and still make a 3 p.m. departure comfortably.

Where to Stay

The cleanest base structure is two nights near Ogunquit for Days 1 and 2, two nights in Portland for Days 3 and 4, and three nights in Bar Harbor for the Acadia finish. The Cliff House Maine in Cape Neddick sits 5 miles south of Ogunquit on Shore Road with ocean views and spa facilities: rooms run roughly $250 to $500 per night in peak summer. Portland has a full range of options; boutique hotels in the Old Port start around $150 to $200 per night, and chain hotels near the Jetport run cheaper with free parking.

Bar Harbor is the tightest lodging market in Maine. The main village books out by March for July and August arrivals. If the village is sold out, check Northeast Harbor and Southwest Harbor: both are on Mount Desert Island, 15 to 25 minutes from Acadia's main entrances, and noticeably quieter. On the MidCoast leg, the Samoset Resort in Rockport on Penobscot Bay is a natural stop between Camden and Bar Harbor if you want to stretch Day 5 into a proper resort night before the Acadia push.

Book These Ahead

The Cadillac Summit Road timed vehicle reservation is the most critical advance booking on this list. Grab the 90-day window or the two-day-ahead window and be ready the moment it opens in summer. Bar Harbor hotel rooms go fast by March for peak-season arrivals. Windjammer sails out of Camden fill weeks in advance during July and August. Bangor (BGR) and Bar Harbor Airport (BHB) have limited service on a small number of carriers, so check flights early if you plan to fly out at the end. For the full picture of how to sequence the coast, see the Maine Coast Road Trip or start your planning at the Maine Travel Guide.