what about inland Maine?

There is so much excellent advice here about the coast of Maine! My sweetheart and I are coming to Maine Sept 19-20. While we definately want to check out the coast and Acadia National Park, I am also a passionate lover of rivers, lakes and mountains. Could some of you Maine experts recommend an interior route - maybe someplace to stay for a couple of days in the mountains, or a touring route through the interior? Thanks so much in advance :)

what about inland Maine?

Inland lake/moutain destinations that might work include Rangeley, Moosehead/Greenville, and Bethel.

If you provide more info on where you%26#39;re flying in/out, etc I am happy to suggest specific routing.

what about inland Maine?

We are flying into Portland on the 19th and leaving the 29th. If possible I want to go to either Quebec or Nova Scotia (depends on costs mostly). Thanks, Kathy

In addition to the areas HD recommended, I would also add the Fryeburg area, particularly for the Saco river. I drove through via route 5 today up into Gorham, N.H. via 302. Doing so will take you into the White Mountains of N.H. and past Mount Washington.

Ten years ago we visited Maine and took the Cat from Bar Harbor to Nova Scotia. Very glad we did but it was more a trip over, have lunch, and the trip back and it has gotten more expensive. You can go to New Brunswick and drive to Nova Scotia but this would require lots of time.

We too enjoyed seeing more of the state than just the coast and did so on our trip back them. This year we will be in Maine from Sep 18 thru Sep 29. Still not enough time but we will make the most of it. We enjoy county fairs and will be going to the Common Ground Fair in Unity on Sep 19th. It runs thru Sep 21st. You might like to visit their web site at www.mofga.org.

I%26#39;m interested in how the leaves are turning this year. I%26#39;ve heard its early this year. We will be driving Hwy 9. Is this a good route? For those of you that offer guidance out there...its much appreciated.

I promised a suggested routing but I hope others will chime in.

I am in the ';stick w/ Maine...not enough time to include Canada too'; camp. But the ferry from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth,NS is an option.

I would continue north up the coast to include Eastport/Lubec/Campobello area. Continue to Calais and St.Stephen and return via Rte 9 thru Bangor.

From there lots of options (e.g. Rte 27 to Stratton, Rte 4 from Farmington to Rangeley).

Can continue down Rte 16 thru NH White Mts or down Rte 5 thru Newry and Bethel.

Then 302 east to Bridgton, Sebago Lake area and then back into Portland.

Just a quick ';heads-up'; if you%26#39;re considering the option of taking ';The Cat'; high-speed ferry to or from Nova Scotia. Within the past week or ten days, they%26#39;ve announced they%26#39;re curtailing their schedule due to high fuel costs and are eliminating some of their usual schedule -- cutting back to a few days a week.... Be sure to check their website for their latest schedule before counting on using them....their sailing dates may or may not match up with the schedule you want.

For planning purposes, from the Bangor, ME area to anywhere meaningful (more than ten miles inside the border with New Brunswick) in Nove Scotia can take the better part of a day if you%26#39;re driving. My wife went to college in Nova Scotia and we used to plan on about six-to-seven hours of straight driving time between Bangor and Halifax, NS....remember, Nova Scotia is in a different time zone, so you automatically lose an hour at the international border.

Within Maine, I%26#39;d echo previous suggestions regarding Fryeburg, Bethel, Rangeley areas -- all can be fantastic destinations...but accommodations do fill up fast during late September....might decide on two or three different destinations, then see where you can get a reservation. If all else fails, consider staying somewhere in Central Maine Augusta/Waterville/Skowhegan and taking day trips to one or more of the mountainous destinations....most are within a hour or so driving time.

If you still want to go to Canada, I would put in a vote for Quebec City. It%26#39;s gorgeous and has a very European feel. On your way up through Maine, you could go to the beautiful Belgrade Lakes area and/or Moosehead Lake. The straight-through drive from Portland to Quebec City would be around 5-6 hours.

A place to consider staying with a view of Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park is Five Lakes Lodge. Website: http://www.5lakeslodge.com/

Have a great trip.

Our trip is from Portland, Unity, Eastport, Alma, New Brunswick/Bay of Fundy, and back to Bar Harbor and then Portland. It is about the same time frame as you are planning. Will be a long day from Portland to Eastport with 2 1/2 hours at the fair in Unity.

Two Countries, One Bay Art Studio Tour is the weekend of Sep 20 and 21st. This is the Eastport, Calais, St Stephen, St Andrews, Campobello, Lubec area.

We found what you can easily drive in the Heartland

(midwest) is not so in New England. And it seems houses are a lot closer to the road. :)

Ladyfeathers.... Not sure what route you%26#39;re planning to take to get from Unity to Eastport, but if your goal is simply to get there, you probably will do better time-wise using Maine Route 9 out of Bangor rather than US 1 along the coast through Ellsworth, Machias, etc. You may already have thought of this, but thought I%26#39;d point it out in case you hadn%26#39;t. Depending on the time of year and level of tourism, I could save you as much as an hour%26#39;s driving time between Unity and Eastport. Once you get on Rt 9, you can either take Rt 191 down to Machias and follow Rt 1 from there (much less congested the further east you get), or stay on Rt 9 until it joins US 1 in Woodland, then come south on US 1 (through Calais) until the turnoff to Eastport.

Mainer, thanks for your suggestions. I do think we will be trying to save time in our trip from Unity to Eastport. Not being familiar with the roads and how early it gets dark can be a concern.

If we plan to leave the fair at 2:30pm would this give us enough time to reach Eastport by 6:00 to 6:30pm? Would there be a restaurant open at that time or should we eat earlier? I%26#39;ve learn from an earlier forum that Helen%26#39;s in Machias has great pie!

I%26#39;ve been torn between driving Hwy 9 all the way over versus going down through Machias. I really would appreciate you helping me make this decision.

2 from SD and 2 from MO (sisters and husbands)excited about our Great Maine and Beyond Adventure.