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!
Trip Highlights
- 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!
Premiere Inns
Camden Harbour Inn (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 (3 nights): Overlooking Frenchman Bay, this luxury lodge in downtown Bar Harbor offers numerous amenities. (pool, spa, tennis)
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).
* Includes a shuttle
2013 Dates & Pricing*
FAMILY TRIPS
- 6/24-29 Price: $3198 pp dbl. occ., (+ $1240 for sgl. occ.)
- 7/1-6 Price: $2998 pp dbl. occ., (+ $1240 for sgl. occ.)
- 7/15-20 Price: $3198 pp dbl. occ., (+ $1240 for sgl. occ.)
- 7/29-8/3 Price: $3098 pp dbl. occ., (+ $1240 for sgl. occ.)
- 8/5-10 Price: $2998 pp dbl. occ., (+ $1240 for sgl. occ.)
- 8/12-17 Price: $3198 pp dbl. occ., (+ $1240 for sgl. occ.)
*Prices may change. Once you book your trip, your price is guaranteed.
Recommended Kids Ages
Minimum Ages:
- Recommended minimum age for the trip: 6 years
- Minimum age restriction to ride own bike: 7 years
- Minimum age restriction to kayak and rock climb: 5 years
General Info on Minimum Ages:
We strongly encourage families to join our Family Trips, designed with kid- and adult-friendly features. Please note that we have a minimum age requirement of 1 year for all Inn trips and 2 years for all Camping trips. Other than that, we do not restrict trips to a minimum age except in the rare case of a hotel age restriction. We do, however, recommend minimum ages based on the following criteria:- 12+ amount of cultural appreciation, difficulty of activities, routes
- 9+ difficulty of activities/activity age restrictions, routes
- 6+ several longer dinners; routes are difficult for pulling a Burley and therefore not appropriate for younger children; difficulty of activities/activity age restrictions
Guest Trip Reviews
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