Maine Family Biking New!
- Discover the understated beauty of Maine's coastline
- Pedal under towering firs and past pristine crashing surf at Acadia National Park
- Seaside Camden, brimming with galleries, museums and shops
- Rock climbing at Otter Cliffs - the kids will be talking about it for weeks!
From Woods to Seashore in Acadia National Park & Penobscot Bay
Beehive Mountain. Egg Rock. Otter Cliffs. Oreo cows. Cranberry Isles. Just hearing the names makes you smile. And wait 'til you get here. There's so much to smile about. Incredible views of Penobscot Bay from Cadillac Mountain. Historic lighthouses. Scaling granite! Picking wild blueberries. Cycling through charming New England fishing villages and past rocky coastlines. A bald eagle soaring overhead. Pedaling by the crashing Atlantic. And even time to sneak off for a spa treatment.
Days
1-2 Enchanting Camden, brimming with galleries, museums and shops, and often called Maine's prettiest seaside village 
Cycle to Rockport, stopping to visit the children's chapel and Andre the Seal statue Adults enjoy a leisurely ride through the undulating hills around Camden while kids visit a farm and get up close and personal with Belted Galloway cows.
Day
3 Discover the understated beauty of Maine's coastline 
Spin to picturesque Belfast, passing charming 19th-century cottages along the way Experience the unique summer community of Bayside, described as a "refreshing reminder of a simpler time," by The Washington Post Admire the Acadia-inspired artwork of our local friend during a visit to his workshop in Hulls Cove.
Day
4 Pedal under towering firs and past pristine crashing surf at Acadia National Park The arched bridges and quiet roads of Acadia's carriage road system, a gift from philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr., make for superb biking Donning harnesses and helmets, youngsters go rock climbing with expert guides at oceanside Otter Cliffs - an experience they're sure to rave about for weeks!
Days
5-6 Hop on a ferry locally known as the 'mail boat' for Little Cranberry Island While kids check out a lobster museum and get their hands wet at Mount Desert Oceanarium's touch tank, adults bike amid the majestic firs and towering spruce of Somes Sound and the beautiful northern portion of the island You may prefer to browse Bar Harbor's shops or simply relax at our hotel Revel in a classic Maine culinary experience: a lobster pound!
Guests Reviews About This Trip
To give you an idea of how much we enjoyed our latest Backroads trip, let me just say this: on our drive home from the airport, we planned two more! We were reminded, after about a year and a half gap between trips, how much we really LOVE traveling with Backroads. Looking forward to many more adventures with you in the future.- Winter Haven, FL
Backroads continues to be my tour company of choice. The attitude of your leaders is what sets you apart.- Everett, WA
Premiere Inns
Camden Harbour Inn
Camden (2 nights) A Travel + Leisure favorite, this stylish 1800s inn offers exceptional hospitality and commanding views of the boat-dotted harbor. (spa)
The Harborside Hotel, Spa & Marina
Bar Harbor (3 nights) Overlooking Frenchman Bay, this luxury lodge in downtown Bar Harbor offers numerous amenities. (pool, spa, tennis)
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This Trip Is Rated Level 1-3
Routes For All Abilities
Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of
interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one
day to the next-and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat
from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each
day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.
| Daily Route Options | ||||||||||
| Day | EASYGOING | ACTIVE | AVID | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | ||||||
| miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | |
| 1 | 4 | 100 | 10 | 500 | ||||||
| 2 | 8* | 200 | 25 | 1000 | ||||||
| 16 | 800 | |||||||||
| Hiking (2 miles; 800` elevation gain) | ||||||||||
| Optional afternoon kayaking (2 hours) | ||||||||||
| Kids: Aldemere cow farm visit | ||||||||||
| 3 | 10* | 300 | 23* | 500 | 32 | 800 | ||||
| Walking (3 miles; 100` elevation gain) | ||||||||||
| 4 | 14* | 300 | 27 | 500 | 34 | 1700 | 49 | 2200 | ||
| Kids: Rock climbing at Otter Cliffs (3 hours) | ||||||||||
| 5 | 3 | 200 | ||||||||
| 17 | 500 | |||||||||
| Kids: Mount Desert Oceanarium visit (2.5 hours) | ||||||||||
| 6 | 5 | 500 | 12 | 700 | ||||||
To make for the most comfortable ride to this particular trip, we've outfitted our titanium road bike with slightly wider tires. You'll appreciate this on those stretches of the route with hard-packed dirt (approximately 20% dirt and 80% paved).
On this Family Trip, our routes follow rolling terrain. Liberal van shuttling is incorporated into the itinerary to facilitate our activities and mileage is kept moderate to enable you to spend more time exploring on your own.
* Includes a shuttle
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For 34 years, Backroads has been perfecting the art of active travel. We are the Maine tour experts. See our award-winning USA biking tours, USA walking and hiking tours and USA multisport tours.
