The Best of Coastal Maine: Islands, Hikes, and Lobsters

The Trip

Join us for our tour of the best of Coastal Maine! Tucked into the northeastern corner of the U.S., Maine promotes itself as “The Way Life Should Be.” As most people who have visited this state know, Maine has many special features. Most visitors appreciate the slow pace of the state’s non-urban areas and enjoy the prevailing atmosphere of a step back in time. The Mid-Coast region of Maine features a deeply indented shoreline with snug harbors and long, uneven fingers of land jutting into Penobscot Bay. Every picturesque town at the end of each peninsula beckons with its que combination of lighthouses, fishing enclaves, and lobster wharves. The Bay itself is considered a sailor’s dream with five large islands and scores of much smaller islands. Ospreys and bald eagles nest in the spruces along the shore, puffins inhabit some of the islands, deer and moose forage in the woods, and harbor seals bask on rocks in quiet coves.

Our trip begins in the seacoast town of Boothbay Harbor, famous for its picture-perfect scenery. Located at the bottom of the Boothbay Peninsula, the harbor is full of working craft and pleasure yachts. It is a harbor that windjammers and fishermen have called home for over 400 years. The town itself boasts many restaurants (specializing in seafood, of course), galleries, inns, and shops. Offshore are many small islands perfect as destinations for kayak trips, and onshore one can find parks and preserves perfect for hikes and picnics. We’ll spend four nights at a waterside inn that will spoil us with its sunny deck and Downeast buffet breakfast. 

We’ll use our inn as a base for activities on the Peninsula. These will include hiking in the surrounding mountains to vistas of the Bay, a two-hour cruise on a sailboat, and a guided tour of the largest botanical garden on the coast of Maine. Since there are so many diverse and interesting activities that this area offers, participants will have one day to spend as they wish on their own: just relaxing, hiking, shopping, kayaking, bicycling, etc. Our meals will include many of the seasonal produce for which Maine is famous, such as blueberries, a myriad of fresh vegetables, and locally caught seafood, including its famous lobster.

We’ll spend the last two days of our trip on the small rocky island of Monhegan, 10 miles from the mainland and scarcely a square mile in area. There are just a few old trucks and no paved roads on the island. Most of its 75 year-round residents make their living from fishing, lobstering, or servicing summer tourists. Monhegan is undoubtedly the most famous island in Maine; thanks to its artists' colony, people have been attracted to it since 1880. Some of its well-known artists include Jamie Wyeth, Rockwell Kent, and Edward Hopper. Most of the island outside the small village is wild and protected by its 50-year-old conservation association. Its wildlife sanctuary has more than 600 varieties of wildflowers and 200 species of birds along with 17 miles of trails. Visitors appreciate the beauty of the island’s wilderness areas, its quiet relaxed atmosphere, and its unhurried pace. We’ll be staying at a historic lodge on the island. Our activities include hikes on the headlands and beaches and presentations by a local naturalist.

Day 1: Our trip begins at our inn in Boothbay Harbor in the early afternoon. Our inn is right on the harbor dock in the middle of the village. All of our rooms have harbor views. After an orientation meeting, we will take a walk around the town and enjoy our welcome dinner together at a local restaurant.

Day 2: After breakfast we’ll have a guided tour through the nearby Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. This nonprofit organization preserves more than 250 acres of woodlands, gardens, and a mile of waterfront. After lunch at the Gardens, we will take a hike by the water.  Dinner this evening will be at another tasty seafood restaurant.

Day 3: This morning after breakfast we’ll hike on a two-mile trail with quiet coves and salt marshes and another three-mile trail that borders the river. These trails require moderate hiking. The Boothbay Region Land Trust controls these trails as part of its mission to preserve more than 1,700 acres of land, including six islands.  After a picnic lunch, we’ll enjoy a two-hour sail on a historic windjammer. The captain will allow you to take a turn at the wheel, help set sail, or just relax on the cushioned cabin tops as we sail out past a lighthouse to the outer islands of Boothbay.  

Day 4: This is our free day to choose any activity you’d like on your own. Options include just relaxing, hiking, renting a bicycle, shopping, birding, etc. The trip leader will share informational resources of what’s available in the area. Breakfast and lunch are provided, but you may decide to find a restaurant on your own to sample some of the specialties of “Down Home Maine” such as clam chowder, baked beans, lobster rolls, blueberry pie, and many more. Tonight’s dinner will feature lobsters with all the fixings. 

Day 5: This morning we take a small ferry from Boothbay Harbor to Monhegan Island. This 1.5-hour ferry ride will give us a view of the quintessentially Maine coast -- a rugged coastline lined with pine and spruce, islands galore, and recreational boaters and lobstermen. Since before John Smith visited it in 1614, Monhegan Island was known to Native Americans as a prime fishing area. Today its year-round population hovers around 65 and is increased by visitors who appreciate its isolation, slow pace, and its reputation as a magnet for artists. After we check into our historic hotel and eat our picnic lunch, we take an orientation walk around the tiny village and then a hike to the rocky shore to climb one of the headlands. We will enjoy dinner at our hotel.

Day 6: We will take another hike on the island in the morning followed by a visit to the local museum. After lunch there will be free time to wander around the island on your own, sampling artists’ galleries, hiking, or just looking at the view from the shore. Our farewell dinner will be at one of the restaurants on the island.

Day 7: After breakfast at our hotel we’ll take our last hike on the island together. We’ll depart on the 2:45 p.m. boat back to Boothbay Harbor, arriving at 4:15 p.m. We’ll say our goodbyes to our new friends and depart for our homes. Please do not make travel flight arrangements before mid to late evening that day, or you may consider making them for the next day.

All hikes and programs are subject to change depending on a variety of factors, including weather, trail conditions, and availability of speakers.

Getting There

The trip starts in Boothbay Harbor, ME. on Monday, Sept. 23, at 2:00 p.m. The nearest airport is in Portland, Maine (PWM), 1.5 hours driving time to Boothbay Harbor. Rental cars are available at the airport.

It is recommended that trip participants carpool to Boothbay Harbor from the Portland airport. The trip leader will send registrants contact information of the other trip participants to facilitate carpooling, if participants wish to do so, but are unable to organize carpools because of Sierra Club’s liability issue.

The trip leader will be happy to suggest additional nearby destinations for those wishing to extend their stay in Maine after this trip. 

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

Vegetarians will be accommodated and special diets will be considered. While we are staying in Boothbay Harbor, we will eat breakfast at our inn and dinners at local restaurants. Some of our lunches will be at restaurants and some will be picnic lunches prepared by local restaurants. During our stay on Monhegan Island, our breakfasts will be served at our hotel, lunches will mostly be picnics, and dinners will be either at a restaurant or at our hotel.

Trip Difficulty

This trip is suitable for folks who enjoy hiking and boat trips. Our hikes will average two to six miles roundtrip with an elevation gain of up to 800 feet. 

Equipment and Clothing

Temperatures are expected to be in the 60s during the day and 50s at night. The weather in New England is notoriously fickle. Participants should be prepared for hot, cool, sunny, foggy, and rainy weather conditions.

References

Map:

• AAA Club, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont map

Books:

• Ackerman, R. and Buxton, K., The Coast of Maine Book.
• Conkling, P.W., Islands in Time: A Natural and Cultural History of the Islands of the Gulf of Maine.
• Curtis, J., Curtis, W., and Lieberman, F., Monhegan: The Artists’ Island.
• Curtis, W., Maine Off the Beaten Path.
• Dawson, L.B., Saltwater Farm.
• Dwelley, M.J., Summer and Fall Wildflowers of New England.
• Gibson, J., 50 Hikes in Coastal and Southern Maine.
• Kendall, D.L., Glaciers, and Granite: A Guide to Maine’s Landscape and Geology.
• Nangle, Hilary, Moon Handbooks Coastal Maine.
• Wass, P.B., Lighthouse in My Life: The Story of a Maine Lightkeeper’s Family.

Websites:

• www.mainetourism.com
• www.visitmaine.com
• monheganwelcome.com

Conservation

Some of the current pressing environmental issues facing Mid-Coast Maine include the apparent warming of Penobscot Bay and increased development along the shoreline. 

For years the Sierra Club has been advocating for the creation of a permanent conservation easement on Sears Island, the largest undeveloped island in Penobscot Bay. Sears Island has been the proposed site for many industrial projects over the past 40 years from a nuclear plant to an aluminum smelter, a coal-fired plant, and a liquefied natural gas terminal. It is the largest mostly wild island in Maine that is accessible from the mainland with five miles of public shoreline. It provides critical habitat for a variety of plant and animal species. There have been 168 bird species identified on the island, which is a stopover on the migratory routes between the Arctic and South America. Currently, this island is at risk of the establishment of a huge cargo port to be built on it. 

Since any traveling leaves a carbon footprint, the Sierra Club offers information about carbon offsets at https://content.sierraclub.org/outings/carbon-offsets.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.