"Why go West," asked legendary writer Henry David Thoreau, "when Maine has everything?" The Pine Tree State is indeed blessed with an abundance of natural splendors, creating the perfect landscape for families to explore. Discover the region's history, along with its rocky coastline, granite cliffs and pristine beaches. Breathe crisp, clean air and delight in weathered fishing villages, where life still rings with old New England charm. Bike to hidden coves and along quiet country lanes. Kayak on an idyllic lake, surrounded by verdant forests and lined with stretches of sand. Savor fresh lobster caught by local fishermen, followed with homemade blueberry pie. The magic of camping in this scenic wilderness, punctuated by the occasional call of the loon, will stay with you for years to come.

MARITIME RETREATS : Deluxe Camping

Smuggler's Den Campground (3 nights): The perfect place for a refreshing swim or a game of soccer during your free time.

Camden Hills State Park (2 nights): Situated near Mount Battie, just minutes from Camden, this park offers commanding views of Penobscot Bay and its many islands.

Daily Mileage Options & Cumulative Elevation Gain

Day 1

• Level 1 2 Route Options Available
• Hiking 4, 5 miles
• 500 - 1000 feet elevation gain

Day 2

• Levels 1 to 3  3 Route Options Available
• Biking 15, 19, 33 miles
• 500 - 1500 feet elevation gain

Day 3

• Level 1 2 Route Options Available
• Walking 3.4 miles
• 500 - 1000 feet elevation gain
• Hiking 3.5 miles (adults)
• 500 - 1000 feet elevation gain
• Rock Climbing (kids) 3 hours

Day 4

• Level 1 2 Route Options Available
• Biking 6, 14 miles
• 0 - 500 feet elevation gain

Day 5

• Levels 1 to 2 2 Route Options Available
• Biking 15, 27 miles
• 0 - 500 feet elevation gain
• Sea Kayaking 2.5 hours  

Day 6

• Level 1 1 Route Option Available
• Walking 3 miles
• 500 - 1000 feet elevation gain

On this Family Trip, our routes follow gentle terrain with no significant gain or loss in elevation. 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.

Trips 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.

Activity Level	Average Time	Average Distance
		Biking	Walking & Hiking
Level 1	2-3 hours	10-20 mile	2-5 miles
Level 2	2-4 hours	21-30 miles	5-7 miles
Level 3	3-5 hours	31-40 miles	7-9 miles
Level 4	4-6 hours	41-55 miles	9-11 miles
Level 5	5-7+ hours	56-75+ miles	11-13+ miles

2008 DATES

FAMILY TRIPS

• 7/28-8/2Price: $1998 pp dbl. occ., (+ $100 for sgl. occ.)
• 8/4-9Price: $1998 pp dbl. occ., (+ $100 for sgl. occ.)
• 8/11-16Price: $1998 pp dbl. occ., (+ $100 for sgl. occ.)

2009 DATES

FAMILY TRIPS

• 7/13-18Price: $1898 pp dbl. occ., (+ $0 for sgl. occ.)
• 7/20-25Price: $1898 pp dbl. occ., (+ $0 for sgl. occ.)
• 7/27-8/1Price: $1898 pp dbl. occ., (+ $0 for sgl. occ.)
• 8/3-8Price: $1898 pp dbl. occ., (+ $0 for sgl. occ.)
• 8/10-15Price: $1898 pp dbl. occ., (+ $0 for sgl. occ.)
• 8/17-22Price: $1898 pp dbl. occ., (+ $0 for sgl. occ.)
• 8/24-29Price: $1898 pp dbl. occ., (+ $0 for sgl. occ.)

Reserve early for the best available price. Prices may change during the course of the year--if they do change, the best prices are available earlier. Once you book your trip, your price is guaranteed.

Recommended Kids Ages

Minimum Ages:

Recommended minimum age for the trip: 3 years

Minimum age restrictions:

• Kayaking: 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+ cultural appreciation, difficulty of activities and route
• 9+ difficulty of activities and route
• 6+ several long adult dinners; parent may not be able to pull a Burley and/or there may be multiple activity restrictions
• 3+ riding is on bike paths, making it great for young kids; Burley and Piccolos are available; there are few or no activity restrictions; and no long dinners (or we offer alternatives)

Please note that a trip may feature an activity with an older age requirement than the minimum age recommendation for the trip. Younger kids are still welcome on the trip and while they will not be able to participate in the activity, the leaders will suggest an alternate activity. For safety reasons, children under 7 may not ride their own bikes and are required to ride on a Piccolo or in a Burley. For certain destinations, children must be 9 or older to ride their own bikes.

Trip praise

This was a great trip and wonderful experience for us all. We had a great time and did more hiking and biking than we thought we could. I was impressed with how well the activities were balanced throughout the week for both kids and adults. The leaders were wonderful! So sweet, personable and professional--also a hard balance to strike, but each of them did a superb job.

Rachel Weinstein - Pennington, NJ

Our family had a wonderful vacation with Backroads! Our leaders were great, the campgrounds were very clean and comfortable, and the activities were exceptional. The kids' rock climbing, kayaking (with rock jumping), and boat ride were highlights.

Cathy Lefar - Atlanta, GA

I love that I can call Backroads and in less than five minutes have a vacation planned.

Michelle LaRoche - Highland Park, NJ