Maine's beauty lies in its rawness. Tart wild blueberries. Hills rising from Camden's rocky shores. Centuries-old roads that hug the shoreline, connecting village to village. Morning mist on Penobscot Bay. Even a delicacy like Maine lobster still involves shells and claws. It's raw. It's true. It's Maine.
Days 1-2 Pedal amid the majestic fir and towering spruce of Somes Sound on beautiful Mount Desert Island | The arched bridges and tranquility of Acadia’s carriage road system, a gift from John D. Rockefeller, Jr., make for lovely riding | Pounding surf collides with rugged coastline while lush boreal and hardwood forests blanket glacier-scoured hills in Acadia National Park | In the mood for a challenge? Bike to Cadillac Mountain’s 1,532-foot summit, the North Atlantic Seaboard’s highest point and reputedly the first US location to see the rising sun.
Day 3 Ride through Down East Maine, pedaling along Penobscot Bay and past classic 19th-century New England cottages | Relish the sublime harborside setting and wealth of historic architecture of Camden.
Day 4 Bike quiet roads into the heart of Rockland, home of the Farnsworth Art Museum, nationally recognized for its rich collection of Wyeth family paintings | Pedal on to reach the picturesque Owls Head Lighthouse or return to Camden to browse the local shops and bookstores | A fabulous farewell dinner awaits at our inn’s elegant award-winning French restaurant.
Day 5 This morning, enjoy one last scenic spin through the countryside around Camden and Lake Megunticook, stroll through Camden Harbor or linger over coffee on the wraparound porch.
This trip exceeded all of my expectations! The bike routes are in very scenic locations, especially Day 2 through Acadia National Park, which was absolutely glorious. I'm sure it helped that we had beautiful weather the entire week. Our guides and support staff - Derrel, Cameron, and Mariah - worked so hard to ensure everyone in the group had a great vacation. The biking in Maine is quite hilly so it was definitely a challenge, but at the end of the day I felt a great sense of accomplishment and was able to relax at the two beautiful hotels on this trip. You won't be disappointed if you take this trip. Thanks Backroads!- Atlanta, GA
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Spectacular views and elegant accommodations await at this luxury boutique hotel on Frenchman Bay. (pool, spa)
An award-winning restaurant, exceptional hospitality and plush amenities come together to create a "refined stylishness that balances classic with contemporary," says Andrew Harper. Travel + Leisure World's Best. A Relais & Châteaux member. (spa)
There's no better way to find out about Backroads than by hearing it from the people who have traveled with us. For more about the Backroads Experience, read our Guest Testimonials.
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REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviews(based on 7 reviews)
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of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Reviewed by 7 customers
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Comments about Maine Bike Tour:
This trip exceeded all of my expectations! The bike routes are in very scenic locations, especially Day 2 through Acadia National Park, which was absolutely glorious. I'm sure it helped that we had beautiful weather the entire week. Our guides and support staff - Derrel, Cameron, and Mariah - worked so hard to ensure everyone in the group had a great vacation. The biking in Maine is quite hilly so it was definitely a challenge, but at the end of the day I felt a great sense of accomplishment and was able to relax at the two beautiful hotels on this trip. You won't be disappointed if you take this trip. Thanks Backroads!
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
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Amy in Acadia
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Comments about Maine Bike Tour:
Would definitely recommend this trip to anyone who really wants to visit Maine!
Comments about Maine Bike Tour:
THe leaders were awesome. We stayed at beautiful hotels and ate the best food. Loved it.
The biking was challenging. Lots of hills and a few busy roads. I was grateful for the support vans.
Comments about Maine Bike Tour:
Outstanding blend of fitness, culture, and cuisine. First class accommodations and tour leadership made this an experience not just memorable but all the more worthy of re-living the memory.
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
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Cruising through Camden
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Comments about Maine Bike Tour:
We went on Backroads for our honeymoon. Aside from newlywed bliss, we were so happy with Backroads taking care of all the coordination, choosing fantastic food and accommodations, and providing top quality guides. I am a novice biker and my spouse is an experienced biker. We were both very satisfied with our rides.
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
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Images shared by The Honeymooners
Images shared by The Honeymooners
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Comments about Maine Bike Tour:
This was our first trip with Backroads and we had an incredible experience.
First rate all the way from the leaders to hotels and restaurants - they took care of every detail.
We can not wait to book another!
Comments about Maine Bike Tour:
First class in every way. The leaders were extremely capable as well as fun and friendly.
Displaying reviews 1-7
The earlier you book, the more choice you'll have and the lower your price. And you can always change your mind—you won't be charged to transfer to a different trip before your final payment is due.
Please click on a date below for specific pricing and possible itinerary variations.
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AVAILABLE TO BOOKi GOING FASTi CONTACT USi PRIVATE TRIP - RESERVEDi
Interested in a Private Trip? Check out the Make It Private tab for private dates available, or call us at 800-462-2848.
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.
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| 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 | 20 | 1100 | ||||||||
| 2 | 14 | 800 | 22 | 1500 | 29 | 2500 | 40 | 3500 | ||
| 3 | 21* | 1600 | 28 | 2000 | 36 | 2400 | ||||
| Optional Afternoon Kayaking | ||||||||||
| 4 | 16* | 1300 | 27 | 2100 | 44 | 3000 | ||||
| 5 | 19 | 1400 | ||||||||
Note: 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). Maine's landscape is characterized by constant rises and valleys, and the continuously rolling terrain can make routes feel more challenging than the mileage may suggest.
* Includes shuttle.
Learn more about how we determine our activity levels and fully support a range of abilities and interests.
Please note that our distance and elevation figures come from Ride with GPS. Other sources (such as Map My Ride and Garmin devices) may give differing elevation figures due to different GPS and mapping technologies. Readings from a Garmin or a smart phone are influenced by other factors such as air pressure.
This is the only biking trip that combines Acadia National Park, famed for its rugged cliffs and carriage roads (the legacy of John D. Rockefeller, Jr.), with seaside rides winding along Penobscot Bay through charming towns like Camden. It helps that our Trip Expert was born and raised in Bar Harbor: weaving together diverse experiences, from a chat with a local lobsterman to dinner at Primo – the state's most exclusive restaurant – we introduce you to the real Maine.
In Maine you head off each morning after choosing among several expertly designed routes—all with detailed directions, mileage and shuttle options. Unlike trips with one fixed daily route (or worse, one guide that everyone's obliged to follow), you're free to enjoy the best of the region at your pace, stopping wherever you want to explore further.
Choose a Backroads Custom Titanium or Custom Electric Assist bike—both are included in your trip price. Maybe a Specialized carbon-fiber pro model is more your speed or go for double fun on a tandem. Our fleet is the best in active travel, so you don't have to roll the dice on this vital trip component. Learn why our titanium bikes are ideal for most riders. See the bike options for this trip.
Your ride comes equipped with a Garmin Edge Explore 1000, the best bike-touring GPS device on the market. This is a Backroads exclusive, and it's included with your bike in Maine. If you prefer to bring your own device, we also have downloadable GPS files and of course, our good old paper directions are always available. Read more on why our navigation options are the best.
Backroads has the best-qualified people to lead your trip in Maine, and our guests back that up, rating our Trip Leaders an average of 9.75 out of 10 for all-around quality of performance. Get the facts (and no fluff) on how we recruit and develop the very best people for your trip.
On this trip featuring Premiere Hotels, you can count on the best lodgings Maine has to offer. In fact, the hotels we've chosen in this region have higher retail room rates than those offered by any other active travel company—even when their trips cost more.
We design and support our Maine trips to suit mixed abilities and varied interests—so you can set your own pace, then change things up as the day unfolds. And all guests are free to do the same, traveling together or apart, with no one cramping anyone else's style. Which sounds easy in theory, but it's hard to pull off. Here's more on how we do it.
Backroads is the only active travel company providing two support vans in Maine—because we know it's essential to ensure a truly great travel experience. It doubles our ability to be there when you need us to offer hydration, lighten your load or give you a lift if it's time to take a break. Read more on why two vans make all the difference.
Guests rave about our picnic spreads. Enjoy a welcome break in a scenic spot, or a quick refuel stop if you don't want to lose momentum. And because we have two vans, one can host lunch while the other is out providing support along the route.
Our Trip Leaders in Maine live in the area and are deeply engaged in their communities, giving them unique inside knowledge they're happy to share in making your experience that much richer. They'll introduce you to people, customs and parts of town you'd likely never encounter on your own—and teach you a few local phrases to help break the ice.
For nearly four decades we've worked to earn and maintain our right to call Backroads the world's #1 active travel company. In pursuing that vision on behalf of our guests, we believe we've set the standard for our industry—captured in the Backroads Quality Guide, which clearly sets out the benchmarks of excellence, choice and support that we live by
With Backroads you won't end up with kids on what you thought was an adult trip; we have exclusive departures for families, so they're off having their own adventures. As you browse our unrivaled selection of trips and dates, you can count on finding a trip in Maine that's geared exclusively to your choice of traveling companions.
Under our Book with Confidence policy, your Backroads trip will run even for one or two people (or a family of three or four), subject to a nominal extra fee. Or transfer to another trip, and we'll give you a credit. It's all part of our trademark commitment to treating guests with integrity, transparency and total accountability. Read all the details.
Since 1979, Backroads Founder and President Tom Hale has shown that staying #1 means constantly evaluating our performance using the best possible source of information: our guests. As we systematically analyze your feedback on our trip consultants, leaders, hotels, meals and on-trip activities, we never stop working to make a great company even better.
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Gather your favorite people to share a Backroads adventure on a ready-to-book Private Trip - featuring all the legendary Backroads hallmarks from expert leaders to unforgettable activities. You can pick from the selection of dates below for your group; some dates are only available for 16 or more guests while other dates are available for 8 or more guests. If your party has fewer than 8 guests, or your preferred date is not available, we'll create a departure just for you. Call or email us to reserve your date.
Click on a date below for specific pricing and possible itinerary variations.
8 AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR 8 OR MORE GUESTS 16 AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR 16 OR MORE GUESTS RESERVED
Don't see your ideal travel date? Make a Date! i
Invite your family and friends on an adventure that's entirely your own - for your group of 8 or more. Find out more
I simply can't imagine a better way to immerse yourself in the life of a region, to explore hidden corners and appreciate nuances while enjoying the benefits and enormous satisfaction of traveling under your own power. These are experiences you cannot have behind the wheel of a car, or on a train or a tour bus. Active travel is, at its heart, a way of connecting more authentically with the world. Sure, Backroads provides amazing leaders, superb accommodations and meals, and opportunities you could never arrange on your own. But all of our comprehensive planning and support is aimed at something far simpler: bringing you the immediate, highly personal satisfaction of discovering a new world on your own terms.
— Tom Hale, Founder & President
