cathee

My husband and I have 4 - 5 days middle of June. We love to hike, bike, beach, explore, outdoor activities. Bar Harbor and Acadia looked like the place for us----but when I checked out flights from Chicago to Bangor, they were $$$, no nonstops, and time consuming. I am wondering if we would be as happy flying into Manchester and doing Ogunquit, Kennbunkport, York Harbor? Since we've never been to Maine before, I just did some preliminary research and Bar Harbor stood out, but to those of you who have more experience in Maine, I'm hoping you help us out. Should we wait until we have more time, and go to Bangor/Acadia or do you think the alternative is as good?

zootsi

Bar Harbor and the Ogunqutit area are both great, but vastly different. The Bar Harbor area includes Acadia National Park, a land of spectacular scenery, hiking, and camping. The coast for the most part is rocky and undeveloped. There are a few small sand beaches, but the water is very cold, even in mid summer.
Ogunquit, York, Kennebunkport are beach resort towns with wide sandy beaches interspersed with some rocky and picturesque coastline. These areas get fairly crowded in the summer, but June should be ok (but probably too cold for swimming). These towns are quite scenic, with lots of lighthouses, rocky harbors and charming architecture. However they are nothing like the wild and unspoiled beauty of Acadia. You could spend a few days in each area, realizing its a long haul from Bar Harbor to Manchester.

dfrostnh

Have your checked airfare to Portland ME? That would put you about 2 hours closer to Bar Harbor. We stayed in Searsport one year mid-June but chose to only drive as far as the Blue Hill peninsula for a lupine festival. We have gone to Bar Harbor as a long weekend from the Concord NH area so if you don't mind the long drive, I would vote for BH. We love the mid-coast area so maybe Wiscasset/Bath/Rockland area would be a good compromise. Maybe on your return overnight in Portland or further south so you can spend one day at a sandy beach.

cindyj

zootsi's description of the two areas is accurate. Keep in mind that mid-June in Maine can be 50 and raining or 80 and sunny - its very unpredictable. Ogunquit is about an hour south of Portland; Bar Harbor is 3+ hours north. Consider your preferences for activities. If its not beach weather in Ogunquit/K'port there are galleries, shops, etc. Or you could come to Portland for a day - historic waterfront, shops, museum, etc. If the weather is bad in Acadia you can still hike and see the spectacular scenery driving around the park. Bar Harbor also offers shops and restaurants and a native American museum. Biking & hiking definitely much better in Acadia. You can rent cross-bikes and ride the beautiful carriage trails as long as its not pouring rain. Hope this helps and that you enjoy your first trip to Maine.

cathee

thank you all for your suggestions---based on them, I am going to try to talk my husband into a week in Maine so traveling time is not such an issue, or wait until we can. I definitely think that Bar Harbor and Acadia is what we are looking for and more "worthy" of a week long vacation, not a quick weekend getaway. It sounds like to beautiful an area to rush through. There are other places (i'm still looking) that would be a quick plane flight from Chicago.

cindyj

I don't think you would regret a week in the BH area. I know there are direct flights from Chicago to Portland and then you could see some of the coast on the drive up and maybe spend a night in our nice little city. Still not too much to do in a week as long as you don't try and see every quaint little town along the way!

cathee

Thanks Cindy for your ideas. We are going to do that--probably next July. If we were going to stop at one town along the way from Portland to Bar Harbor, which one do you think would be the best one to take in the flavor or coastal Maine?

cindyj

I would choose Camden or Rockland. Both are about half way up to BH and would make a nice lunch stop depending on your flight schedule. Camden is home to many schooners who do week long sailing trips and is a BEAUTIFUL harbor. Camden Hills State Park has hiking trails and also a road to the top of Mt Battie. Its a small 'mountain' but the views are spectacular! Rockland is a little bigger town with more of a working waterfront. It also is home to several schooners but also home to the Farnsworth which has a large collection of Wyeth paintings from all 3 generations. Belfast is also a nice town, closer to BH. At Bucksport, you will go over the new Penobscot Narrows Bridge which has a 420' observation tower which is quite spectacular. (I hear this from others but I'm too afraid of heights to check it out!) Boothbay is another nice town but is a bit off the track, down a long peninsula. Depending on whether and your flight schedule you can decide whether to drive direct from Portland to BH (Rt 95 to Bangor and then down to Ellsworth - no traffic) and then putt putt your way back along the coast, or do the reverse. Traffic on Route 1 along the coast can be bad in the summer, especially Fri - Mon. Again, a night in Portland at the beginning or the end might fit in well too. You can google all these things to get some idea of what they represent. Happy to offer suggestions as I get so much help on these forums! Let me know if you have any other specific interests.

kratochvilsbj

Been to both, and would recommend Ogonquit/Kennbunkport. We always stay at the Anchorage in Ogonquit. Beautiful view of the ocean from the great lawn. Prices fairly reasonable. There are several small towns around as well as Portland and Portsmouth in NH. Also close to LL Bean main store in Freeport.
Fly to Portland or Boston.
Joe Kratochvil