Professional funny guy Dave Barry once suggested that Maine's state motto should be "Cold, but damp."
Cute, but true. Spring tends to last a few blustery, rain-soaked days; November has Arctic winds that alternate with gray sheets of rain; and winter brings a character-building mix of blizzards and ice storms to the fabled coast and rolling mountains.
Ah, but summer. Summer in Maine brings osprey diving for fish off wooded points, gleaming cumulus clouds building over steely-blue rounded peaks of western mountains, the haunting whoop of loons echoing off the dense forest walls bordering the lakes. Summer brings languorous days when the sun rises well before most visitors; by 8am, it seems like noon. Maine summers offer a measure of tranquility; a stay in the right spot can rejuvenate the most jangled nerves.
The trick is finding that right spot. Those who arrive here without a clear plan may find themselves regretting their decision. Maine's Route 1 along the coast has its moments, but it's mostly an amalgam of convenience stores, tourist boutiques, and restaurants catering to bus tours. Acadia National Park can be congested, Mt. Katahdin's summit overcrowded, and some of the more popular lakes have become de facto racetracks for jet skis; but Maine's size works to your advantage.
Maine is roughly as large as the other five New England states combined. It has 5,500 miles of coastline, some 3,000 coastal islands, and millions of acres of undeveloped woodland. In fact, more than half of the state exists as "unorganized territories," where no town government exists, and the few inhabitants look to the state for basic services. With all this space and a little planning, you'll be able to find your piece of Maine.
One of the greatest challenges of planning a vacation in northern New England is narrowing down the options: Where to start? Here's an entirely biased list of destinations, the places I enjoy returning to time and again. Over years of traveling through the region, I've discovered that these places are worth more than just a quick stop when I'm in the area; they're worth a major detour.
