After launching our Canadian Coastal Quest and kicking things off with Maryland cousin time, Philadelphia, the Statue of Liberty, and Newport, it was time to point the Sequoia north toward Maine.
Maine calls itself “Vacationland,” and honestly, that felt about right the minute we crossed into the state. Early summer up here still feels like spring. The forests are packed with birch, maple, spruce, and fir. Daisies and big purple lupines line the roadsides. Wild blueberries and sweet fern fill the understory. And everywhere you walk, the air carries that sweet, spicy evergreen smell of balsam fir.
It smells like someone bottled Christmas, spring rain, and a lobster shack and sprayed it across an entire state.
Driving Maine’s Coastal Route 1
We chose U.S. Route 1 for the drive north, which is not the fastest way to move a family, a dog, a Toyota Sequoia, and a Winnebago Micro Minnie up the coast. But it is absolutely the right way if you want Maine to slowly introduce itself.
Route 1 winds past beaches, harbors, fishing villages, clapboard houses, lobster pounds, antique shops, farm stands, and little coastal towns where every turn looks like it belongs on a postcard. It takes longer. There are traffic lights. There are slowdowns. There are moments when Dad starts calculating arrival time with the grim seriousness of a NASA engineer.
But then you pass another harbor full of lobster boats, and suddenly nobody cares.
York Beach Camper Park: The Mailed Check Campground
Our first Maine stop was York Beach Camper Park in York, Maine. This campground wins the award for the most old-school booking process of the trip, because it was the only place where I had to mail a check. Not Venmo. Not online checkout. A real check, in a real envelope, sent through the actual mail.
Somehow, it worked perfectly. The place is family run by the nicest group of woman spanning generations.
We set the camper down, got ourselves organized, and then headed straight for the beach so Stella could stretch her legs. Stella had an amazing night. She ran, splashed, sniffed, spun in circles, and generally behaved like a dog who had discovered that Maine was built specifically for her.
Beach Time at York
The boys immediately started a beach engineering project, because apparently even vacation requires infrastructure. They dug a pool in the sand and routed ocean water into it like a tiny civil works project. If left alone long enough, I am pretty sure they would have applied for permitting and named it something official.
Lobster Rolls, Clam Chowder, and Nubble Light
The next day we did what responsible visitors to Maine are legally and morally required to do: we ate lobster rolls.
Our stop was Fox’s Lobster House near Nubble Lighthouse, officially known as Cape Neddick Light Station. Fox’s sits in one of those locations that makes lunch feel like part of the sightseeing plan. Lobster rolls, ocean views, and a lighthouse nearby is a pretty strong combination.
We also ordered New England clam chowder, which Cassy tasted for the first time and immediately understood. Meat, potatoes, cream, and a little seafood magic. What’s not to like?
After lunch, the boys, Mom, and Dad went for a rock scramble to get a closer look at Nubble Light. The lighthouse sits on a small rocky island just offshore, which makes it one of the classic Maine views: waves, granite, gulls, and a white lighthouse standing there like it knows it is being photographed all day long.
The Wiggly Bridge: Small Bridge, Big Entertainment
Our next stop was the Wiggly Bridge in York. It is often described as the smallest suspension bridge in the world, and whether or not anyone is out there keeping official tiny bridge records, it is definitely the smallest and cutest suspension bridge we have crossed.
Compared to the Golden Gate Bridge, the Wiggly Bridge is basically a bridge puppy.
The kids loved it, of course, because it wiggles. Parents love it because it leads into a nice little walk through the woods. Stella loved it because Stella loves anything that involves forward motion and smells.
Ogunquit and the Marginal Way Cliff Walk
From York we drove into Ogunquit and walked the Marginal Way, a beautiful coastal path with rocky cliffs, beach views, crashing waves, and enough scenery to make everyone stop complaining about walking for at least a few minutes.
The path hugs the shoreline and gives you exactly what you want from the Maine coast: blue water, dramatic rocks, little coves, seabirds, and houses that make you wonder if maybe you should have made a few different career choices.
That evening, it was back to the beach again, because Stella had made it very clear that beach time was now part of the official family schedule.
On to Acadia National Park
From York, we continued north on Route 1 toward Acadia National Park. Acadia was first protected as Sieur de Monts National Monument in 1916, became Lafayette National Park in 1919, and was renamed Acadia National Park in 1929. It was the first national park east of the Mississippi River, and it protects one of the most beautiful combinations of mountain, forest, island, and rocky coastline in the country.
Most of our time was spent on Mount Desert Island, which is pronounced “dessert” by people like me until someone politely corrects you. It is Mount Desert, as in “deserted,” although there is nothing deserted about it in summer.
It is a busy, beautiful, rocky, pine-scented wonderland.
Bar Harbor Campground and the Pool with a View
We stayed at Bar Harbor Campground, which turned out to be one of those places where the campground view becomes part of the trip. We arrived in the evening, got set up, and decided to take a dip in the heated pool.
This was not just any pool. This was a heated pool with one of the best views I have ever seen from a campground pool. Ocean, islands, sky, and happy kids all in one frame.
As far as travel days go, that is a strong finish.
Cadillac Mountain: Pink Granite and Big Views
The next major stop was Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the eastern seaboard of the United States. At 1,530 feet, it is not a giant by Rocky Mountain standards, but when that mountain rises right beside the Atlantic Ocean, it feels enormous.
Cadillac Mountain is made of beautiful pink granite that formed deep underground in a magma chamber millions of years ago. Over time, uplift, erosion, glaciers, rain, and wind helped expose the rock we see today. The result is a giant granite summit with sweeping views of Frenchman Bay, the Porcupine Islands, forested ridges, and the surrounding coastline.
The boys went straight into bouldering mode, scrambling over the granite like mountain goats with snack crumbs in their pockets. We walked the summit loop, took in the views, visited the gift shop, and tried to keep everyone from wandering into someone else’s family photo.
One important Dad note: if you want to drive Cadillac Summit Road during the busy season, you need a vehicle reservation in advance. Also, no RVs or trailers are allowed on the summit road, so leave the camper at camp and take the tow vehicle.
Sand Beach to Thunder Hole
That evening we hiked from Sand Beach toward Thunder Hole. This is one of those Acadia walks that makes you understand why the park is so famous. On one side you have forest and mountain. On the other, cliffs and the Atlantic. Below you, waves roll in and explode against the rocks.
Along the way, we met a new friend, peered over rocky cliffs, and watched the coastline shift from quiet and peaceful to loud and dramatic depending on what the waves were doing.
At Thunder Hole, the waves push into a narrow rock inlet and, when conditions are right, create a deep booming sound. We stood there listening to the water clap and rumble against the rocks, which is basically nature’s version of a sound effect machine.
Sunrise at Bar Harbor Campground
The sun rises very early this far north. On this part of the trip, sunrise came around 4:48 a.m., which is a time usually reserved for airport departures, sick children, or dogs making suspicious noises.
Dad and Stella got up anyway.
We took a quiet walk at Bar Harbor Campground to watch the sun come up over the bay. The campground has excellent water views, and for a few minutes the whole place was still. Just the water, the sky, the islands, one tired dad, and one very pleased dog.
After that, a mid-morning nap was not optional. It was a medical requirement.
Visitor Center, Ranger Badges, and Souvenir Hunting
After the nap, we headed to the Hulls Cove Visitor Center, which is the main Acadia gateway visitor center. We grabbed park information, worked on Junior Ranger activities, picked up badges, and then mixed in some antique shopping for souvenirs.
This is a good family travel rhythm for us: big outdoor adventure, official park stop, snack, random roadside shop, repeat until someone needs food or a bathroom.
From there, we headed toward the quieter southwestern side of Mount Desert Island.
Lobster, Wonderland, and Ship Harbor Trail
Lobster is huge business in this part of Maine. We saw traps, boats, buoys, docks, and signs for fresh lobster everywhere. You really cannot get much closer to the source, so we made a second lobster stop at Rodick’s Takeout in Southwest Harbor for more lobster rolls and haddock.
At this point, I considered counting lobster rolls as a regional educational activity. Geography, economics, marine biology, and lunch all in one.
After eating, we hiked the Ship Harbor Trail, which leads through forest and out toward the water. The boys raced along the trail. Stella pulled Mom and Dad like she had been hired by the National Park Service as a sled dog. We stopped along the way to take in the ocean views and enjoy the quieter side of Acadia.
We also explored the nearby Wonderland Trail, which has one of the best trail names in the park. If a trail is called Wonderland, you pretty much have to go see what it is about.
Bass Harbor Head Light
With rain in the forecast, we made our way to Bass Harbor Head Light Station for one more classic Maine lighthouse view. The lighthouse marks the entrance to Bass Harbor and Blue Hill Bay on the southwest corner of Mount Desert Island.
Maine has dozens of lighthouses because this coastline is beautiful but tricky. Rocky shores, islands, fog, and narrow harbor entrances made lighthouses crucial for fishermen, merchant ships, and naval traffic. Today, they still help guide boats, ferries, and tour vessels, while also giving road-tripping families one more reason to climb over wet rocks for a photo.
Bass Harbor Head Light is one of the most photographed spots in Acadia, and it is easy to see why. The lighthouse sits above the rocks with the ocean below, looking exactly like the lighthouse scene you hoped Maine would deliver.
Saint Croix Island International Historic Site
On the drive from Acadia toward Fundy National Park in Canada, we stopped at Saint Croix Island International Historic Site, located near the U.S.–Canada border in Maine.
This site tells a hard but important story. In 1604, Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons, Samuel Champlain, and a group of French colonists established a settlement on Saint Croix Island. The island sits in the river between what is now Maine and New Brunswick. The French were trying to establish a permanent presence in the region they called Acadia.
But the winter of 1604–1605 was brutal. The settlers were trapped by ice, cut off from fresh water and game, and many suffered from scurvy. Of the 79 men, 35 died. Those who survived did so in part because of trade and assistance from Native people of the region, including the Passamaquoddy, whose connection to this land goes back thousands of years.
The big lesson from Saint Croix Island was simple and severe: do not settle on an island without reliable fresh water, and do not underestimate a northern winter.
As a family stop, it was short, thoughtful, and worth doing. It also served as a perfect transition point. We were leaving the United States, entering Canada, and stepping into a region where French, Indigenous, British, and North American history all overlap.
Next Stop: Canada
And with that, it was time to brush up on our French, pull out the passports, make sure Stella’s rabies paperwork was ready, and head for the St. Stephen border crossing.
Maine gave us beaches, lobster rolls, lighthouses, granite mountains, balsam fir forests, early sunrises, and the kind of rocky coastline that makes every photo look better than you expected.
Next up: Canada, Fundy National Park, big tides, and the next chapter of our Canadian Coastal Quest.
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