July road trip-too ambitious?

We are planning a 9 day trip from Ohio in July. Will be driving ';leisurely';...this is a trip to relax and unwind. This will be our first trip to Maine. I found this map online, and am wondering if you think this is too ambitious-we would probably have 3-4 days to do this route, and we hope to just stop for the night when we decide we are ready for a break! Are hotel reservations a must in July? Thanks so much.....map link-

rd.com/images/…MaineCoast.pdf

July road trip-too ambitious?

I think it%26#39;s way too much unless you just want to stay in your car and drive. Each of the peninsulas shown at the southern end of the mid-coast (like Boothbay) take 20 or 30 minutes to go all the way down. You%26#39;d then have to come back up. I%26#39;d pick one or two spots and spend some ';quality time'; there.

As to reservations being necessary, that depends: Can you handle it if you have to keep driving a while past where you wanted to stay if there%26#39;s nothing available? July is peak summer season.

July road trip-too ambitious?

Thank you for your quick feedback. Sounds like I need to do some research and narrow down our destinations, as we definately DON%26#39;T want to just stay in the car! We are mid-50%26#39;s, but active, and looking forward to hiking and exploring. Any suggestions for itinerary would certainly be appreciated! :-)

In my totally biased opinion, your map misses the most beautiful spot in Maine and that%26#39;s Acadia National Park. I would skip the Stonington portion of your trip and head to Acadia. Plan to spend two nights up here so you get some time to explore and enjoy the park. And yes, I would make a reservation somewhere. Check out B%26amp;B%26#39;s in Bar Harbor at sleepbarharbor.com.

I%26#39;d also pick a B%26amp;B for a couple days in either Boothbay Harbor or the Camden/Rockland area.

My husband and I once spent 9 hours driving from Bar Harbor to Portand (a 4 hour trip) because we took Rt 1 and turned off and drove down every peninsula. Most of the view is of wooded areas and rural houses - not the beautiful coastal views you may be hoping for.

We travel to Maine at least once a year and have a ';routine'; that we follow. We arrive at the southern border at Kittery early in the morning and spend a good portion of the first day in the southern part of the state up to around Portland or Freeport.

Along the mid-coast (the area where your map starts to north of Camden), we have spent a day (or sometimes less). It depends on how many of the peninsulas you want to explore. As a previous poster said, it is quite a drive down each one and back.

We have been down to Bailey Island, mainly to photograph a fishing shack. In my opinion, there are other peninsulas that are more worth the trip.

We traveled to Boothbay once; while it is a picturesque town with a pretty harbor and downtown, there are other areas that have become our favorites, so this is not a must-visit stop for us.

Most of our choices are driven by lighthouse viewing. We always make the drive to Pemaquid Point to see the light and watch the waves from the rocky coastline. There is a nice gift shop by the light that also has a good restaurant.

Next stop for us is Port Clyde and the Marshall Point lighthouse, which is my favorite. It is such a peaceful and relaxing spot.

We also enjoy Camden, which has a beautiful little park with benches overlooking the harbor (behind the park is the prettiest library I have ever seen). Camden or Rockland are a great stopping point for the night (the Hampton Inn in Thomaston is really nice).

The drive down to Deer Isle is OK if you have extra time you%26#39;re looking to fill, but I would definitely also recommend passing it by for Acadia. If you%26#39;ve gone this far, you can%26#39;t not go to the Bar Harbor area. There is little that matches the beauty of Acadia National Park. So much exploring to do - rocky coastline, mountains and hiking to meet all experience levels. We usually spend 3 to 6 nights. Makes me wish I was there today!

Have fun planning your trip.

Thank you SOOOO much for the info! This is exactly what I am in need of.......there seems to be so much to see and do, its kind of overwhelming for a newbie! Keep those suggestions coming, please!

I agree totally with Chalupamom. Pemaquid Point, Pemaquid Light, AND New Harbor will make for a gorgeous day. After that, charming Port Clyde and the photogenic Marshall Point Light (the eastern end of Forest Gump%26#39;s trans-USA run) are well worth at least another half day.

Hi Juleecat,

If your trip is to relax and unwind, I would stay in one place. I would chose Bar Harbor.

There is much to do on and around Mt Desert Island. Yes, around. There are many small islands around that, for me, is what Maine is. Lulu Lobster Boat is one of the many choices.

For trails you have the Shore Path in Bar Harbor. Acadia is full of trails. Otter Clifts along Frenchman Bay, Wonderland and Ship Harbor down to ocean. There are also many trails inland.

View the sunrise form Cadillac Mt.

Rent bikes and ride the carriage roads.

If you are intrested, more information on teh Bar Harbor area and Acadia NP can be found at:

http://www.acadiamagic.com/

http://www.nps.gov/acad/

Maine is a great place to relax. Enjoy your trip!

I recognized the map you linked to as being from Reader%26#39;s Digest%26#39;s ';The Most Scenic Drives in America,'; which I%26#39;ve been enjoying in book form. The reason they didn%26#39;t include the Bar Harbor/Acadia National Park area on this particular ';Maine Coast'; scenic drive is that (in the book, anyway; I don%26#39;t know what the website has) they devote a separate scenic drive to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park called the ';Mt. Desert Island'; drive. Your map takes you almost all the way there, and I agree with the suggestions of others that you arrange your schedule to spend some time in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. There%26#39;s a lot to see and do there.