Planning the Trip to Maine

I’ve spent the last few weeks planning next month’s trip to Maine with Noreen and Mike. I have been to Acadia National Park, in addition to most of coastal Maine, on many occasions, but the rest of the state will be mostly new territory for me. We decided to start the trip on August 23 and spend a week exploring.

Selecting accommodations for three people was a bit more challenging, however. Although I could have simply chosen two rooms in whichever place we were staying, I tried to look for other options and ended up being quite successful. I found a lovely inn in Bar Harbor with a suite in its carriage house. A sitting room with two separate bedrooms was exactly what I was looking for. That would make it much easier to get together in a common living space.

A visit to Roosevelt Campobello International Park just over the border in Canada meant that we would be very close to the pretty town of St. Andrews, New Brunswick, and Noreen agreed that it would be fun to stay there. There were several options available, but Noreen was the one who made the final decision to stay at the Algonquin Resort, a grand historic hotel. Two rooms were the only option here, but that would be an okay tradeoff.

Finding a place to stay near Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument was the most difficult. I looked on every site I could think of and only came up with ordinary motel-type facilities. Then, by some fluke, I discovered the New England Outdoor Center (NEOC). The name didn’t even sound like it offered lodging, but it most certainly did. Fully equipped, lakeside cabins with multiple bedrooms and all amenities, including a restaurant, sounded perfect – the perfect Maine getaway.

I made reservations at all the properties and booked my flights. I decided to “fly” out of Fort Collins so Tim wouldn’t have to drive me to the Denver airport. Finally, I mapped out our tentative route, which was quite easy, since there were few options to connect the places we were scheduled to visit. The trip planning was complete.

Maine National Parks Trip Route Map