Maine has lengthy been a getaway for vacationers attempting to beat the summer time warmth and bask in contemporary seafood like lobster rolls and uncooked oysters. The northeastern-most state has 3478 miles of superb shoreline on the Atlantic Ocean, with a beautiful mixture of flat sandy seashores and dramatic rocky cliffs dashed by whitecaps.
Whereas it’s true that the ocean water here’s a little chilly for some folks’s sustained consolation, Maine additionally has beautiful lakes to spare, with calm our bodies of hotter water surrounded by hushed pine forests and, for those who’re fortunate, moose.
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Talking of which, the native sightseeing is unparalleled, from iconic lighthouses and all method of labor and leisure boats to aquatic creatures like seals and sea stars – even whales, up close to the Canadian border. Carry some binoculars, lay out a towel and luxuriate in Maine’s greatest seashores.
What to pack for a Maine seaside journey
If you’re packing solar safety, like sunscreen, hats, gentle layers, umbrellas and seaside tents, for vibrant summer time enjoyable in Maine, you also needs to contemplate layers, like rashguards for youngsters and even wetsuits for anybody who plans to spend so much of time browsing or splashing within the ocean.
Even at peak heat in August, most of Maine’s coastal southern waters hover round 60°F. For those who make it to one of many nation’s easternmost seashores – similar to Mowry Seaside Protect in Lubec, the place you possibly can wave to Canadians throughout the Lubec Narrows – the summer time highs are solely round 50°F.
1. Mom’s Seaside, Kennebunk
Greatest seaside for all ages
Seaside Avenue is much from a meaningless identify in Kennebunk: the road is house to Mom’s Seaside, Center Seaside and Gooch’s Seaside, all in a row.
Permitted parking is proscribed, however Mom’s is a good wager for all ages, due to its sizable playground, seasonal lifeguards and a woven polyester mat laid out from the parking space that enables simpler entry for individuals who use mobility aids. You may also hire a large-tire seaside wheelchair via the Kennebunk Parks & Recreation Division.
And if these three seashores aren’t sufficient, Colony Seaside supplies a scenic, rocky shoreline with idyllic boat views simply throughout the mouth of the Kennebunk River on Ocean Avenue.
2. Fortune’s Rocks Seaside, Biddeford
Greatest seaside for solitude and sea glass
With its restricted parking and facilities – in excessive season there is likely to be a conveyable bathroom and maybe a gelato or hot-dog cart – Fortune’s Rocks Seaside in Biddeford is right for the beachgoer in the hunt for some solitude. (For extra motion, take a look at close by Center Seaside or Biddeford Pool.)
Lifeguards are on responsibility right here from late Could via early September, watching over Fortune’s Rocks’ beloved 2 miles of white-sand coast, clear water and delightful rock formations that host fascinating tide swimming pools. Excessive tide brings first rate waves for surfers and bodyboarders, whereas low tide reveals hard-packed sand for walkers and joggers and treasures for sea-glass and sand-dollar hunters.
Previous Orchard Seaside will be the closest Maine will get to the Jersey Shore © Michael Orso / Getty Photographs
3. Previous Orchard Seaside
Greatest seaside for a success of nostalgia
Step again in time at Previous Orchard Seaside, identified regionally as OOB, a seasonal cease on the Amtrak Downeaster practice’s scenic coastal route. The resort city on 7 miles of comparatively sheltered Saco Bay will be the closest Maine will get to the Jersey Shore, full with a boardwalk-like pier and nostalgic pleasures, like fried dough, seafood shacks and mini golf, plus arcade video games and amusement-park rides at Palace Playland.
The flat, sandy seaside has lifeguards and stays busy all season, due to sunbathers, paddleboarders, surfers and even jet skiers and parasailors. You possibly can hire gear for all this and extra at close by outlets, like Previous Orchard Seaside Water Sports activities & Leases.
Crescent Seaside is lower than 10 miles from Maine’s largest metropolis © Alexey Stiop / Shutterstock
4. Crescent Seaside State Park, Cape Elizabeth
Greatest seaside for white sand and wild blueberries
A deal with for many who like tender white sand and grassy dunes, Crescent Seaside, within the Portland suburb of Cape Elizabeth, is without doubt one of the many awe-inspiring seashores lower than 10 miles from Maine’s largest metropolis. You’ll discover a playground right here, in addition to seaside wheelchair entry and generally a meals truck or two.
If you want a break from the solar, have a picnic at tables geared up with charcoal grills in shady wooded nooks alongside paths lined with wild Maine blueberry bushes – forage for the famously scrumptious fruit when it ripens in late July and August.
Planning tip: On weekends in July and August, you possibly can skip Crescent Seaside State Park’s $8-per-person entrance charge by pre-booking a paddle board or sea-kayak rental or kayak tour with Portland Paddle.
5. Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth
Greatest seaside for good pictures
A small swimming space at Ship Cove is bounded by spherical stones in regards to the measurement of tennis balls. These make it tough however entertaining to clamber to the water’s edge, the place flat sand and mild waves meet on the base of imposing cliffs. This seaside isn’t too busy, regardless of the recognition of Cape Elizabeth’s Fort Williams Park itself, the place folks flock for photos of Maine’s oldest and most photographed lighthouse, Portland Head Gentle.
Stroll southeast from the Ship Cove car parking zone (the place there are grills, picnic tables and a conveyable bathroom) towards the lighthouse alongside a large, gently hilly cliff stroll, admiring native plantings on one facet and genuinely breathtaking ocean views on the opposite. When you’ve captured the right angle of the lighthouse, pattern a flight of lobster rolls from the Chunk Into Maine meals truck by the higher car parking zone.
Detour: For those who stroll north as an alternative of south from Ship Cove, you’ll attain a quieter part of the park, house to the hollowed-out stone Goddard Mansion and Battery Keyes, an deserted concrete gun battery you possibly can climb for a stellar have a look at Portland Head Gentle and Ram Island Ledge Gentle Station throughout the best way.
6. Songo River Seaside, Sebago Lake Park
Greatest seaside for sunning on a sandbar
Households love Songo River Seaside for its sandy shore lined with evergreens, abutting heat, clear freshwater that deepens progressively due to a pure sandbar. On the northern facet of Sebago Lake in Sebago Lake State Park, this Western Maine waterfront affords lush views in addition to barbecues and seasonal lifeguards, so anticipate a jubilant crowd in the summertime.
Close by, your children may also love watching boats cross via the hand-operated Songo Lock – the final surviving boat lock of the Nineteenth-century Cumberland and Oxford Canal.
For those who time your go to to Popham Seaside with low tide, you possibly can stroll out to Fox Island © Rush Jagoe / Lonely Planet
7. Popham Seaside, Phippsburg
Greatest seaside to stroll to an island at low tide
A half-hour drive from Brunswick (house of Bowdoin School), Popham Seaside in Phippsburg is a well-liked 3-mile span of sand and sea between the mouths of the Kennebec and Morse rivers. Bogs, rinse showers powered by photo voltaic power, lifeguards, accessible parking, picnic areas and a large-tire seaside wheelchair (first-come, first-served) guarantee a variety of tourists can take pleasure in this charmer.
For those who time your go to with low tide, you possibly can stroll out to Fox Island; for those who come October via March, you may see of us driving horses.
Moosehead Lake is Maine’s largest physique of contemporary water, protecting about 75,000 acres © Dan Lewis / Shutterstock
8. Moosehead Lake, Lily Bay State Park
Greatest seaside for wildlife
The 925-acre Lily Bay State Park affords entry to the jap shore of Moosehead Lake, Maine’s largest physique of contemporary water – it covers about 75,000 acres, and on a map it has a good resemblance to a moose’s head with antlers.
White pines overlook a seaside of pebbles and sand, surrounding a glacier-eroded basin stuffed with cool, clear water. Go for a brisk swim, stroll the shoreline trails and let the children play within the playground. No matter you do, maintain an eye fixed out for wildlife, together with deer, foxes and, after all, moose, that are stated to outnumber people right here three to at least one.
Planning tip: If in case you have your fishing license, you may catch trout and salmon to grill at your campsite.
Sand Seaside nestles between granite mountains and rocky shores inside Acadia Nationwide Park © Jerry Monkman / Getty Photographs
9. Sand Seaside, Acadia Nationwide Park
Greatest seaside for epic views
The petite Sand Seaside nestles between granite mountains and rocky shores inside Acadia Nationwide Park, and the sandy terrain of its identify is usually composed of fragmented shells.
You possibly can take the seasonal Explorer Shuttle Bus or park off the Loop Highway and descend stairs to the seaside, the place you’ll be handled to beautiful views of Otter Cliff and the ocean. Between the sights, the park’s reputation, the facilities – restrooms, altering rooms and a water-bottle refilling station – and Sand Seaside’s small measurement (it’s simply 290 yards lengthy), this one can get crowded throughout excessive season.
Detour: Round excessive tide, take the Ocean Path to the boisterous Thunder Gap, named for the distinctive roar brought on by waves crashing into the rocky inlet. Get a special perspective by way of the Nice Head Path, a reasonably difficult path with views of Sand Seaside within the foreground and the Beehive rung-and-ladder path behind it.
