DOWNEAST ACADIA’ S SEVEN DISTINCTLY UNIQUE TRAVEL REGIONS
DownEast Acadia hugs Maine’ s rough-hewn northeastern coast from the Penobscot Bay to the St. Croix River, encompassing an astounding 2,330 miles of coastline and 5,600 square miles of wide-open space. With that much ground to cover, we’ d like to introduce you to the variety that awaits you in our seven Travel Regions, each offering its own distinctly unique take on the DownEast Acadia experience.
The Blue Hill Peninsula is home to one of the nation’ s most important fishing working water fronts including the nation’ s lobstering capital, Stonington, and the historic maritime port of Castine. The peninsula’ s peaceful sheltered coves and rolling saltwater farms have also attracted generations of writers, artists, and artisans who have made this diverse locale the backdrop to a life rich with culture and memorable dining. After exploring Deer Isle do a bit of shopping in the town of Blue Hill.
The Ellsworth region combines the best of many worlds. Adventurers need only to travel a few minutes from the extensive shopping, and dining of Ellsworth proper to the quiet inland domain of forests, freshwater lakes, and weather-worn mountain tops ideal for all kinds of outdoor recreation in every season.
Mount Desert Island is a quintessential Maine destination offering the bounty of Bar Harbor paired with infinite natural beauty of Acadia National Park. Shops, restaurants, and abundant lodging line the streets in town, giving the impression that there is no end of things for visitors to do and see.
Those seeking a more laid-back vibe will find it in the quiet side villages of Southwest Harbor and Tremont.
The Schoodic to Jonesport peninsulas reach like granite fingers out into the cold, clean waters of the Gulf of Maine. Traveling along their roads will take you through welcoming fishing villages filled with clapboard homes. Shaped by the last ice age, the rocky soil across this region is home to Maine’ s wild blueberry barrens that cast a scarlet glow over the land each Autumn.
The Machias Bay region offers experiences for history buffs and outdoor recreationists alike. Paddle from the sheltering forests surrounding the Machias Lakes down the Machias River Corridor.
The town of Machias played a historically significant role as the site of the first naval battle of the Revolutionary War; celebrated yearly during Margaretta Days. Along the coast, Roque Bluffs’ pebble-sand beach offers a stark contrast to the region’ s otherwise rocky coast.
Machias is also home to the Annual Machias Wild Blueberry Festival celebrating the Washington County Wild Blueberry Harvest and industry each August.
The Grand Lakes region, with its unspoiled nature, has been the chosen destination for generations of sporting enthusiasts. Whether one seeks to enjoy the outdoors with a fly rod, or backpack, on foot, by canoe, or via motorized power, as part of a guided or independent adventure, the Grand Lakes Region delivers visitors a truly yearround authentic Maine experience.
Wake up to the first sun rays to
warm the United States in
Way DownEast. Here you’ ll
find Eastport and Lubec; once the center of the world’ s tinned and smoked fishing industries, now an arts and culture destination.
The small towns along Cobscook Bay deliver up some of the best hiking, paddling, fishing, and camping adventures. Just across the bridge in Lubec, Roosevelt Campobello International Park welcomes guests to the summer retreat of former president Franklin Roosevelt, his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt and their family.
The international border community of Calais is at the crossroads of several national and international cycling, paddling, and driving routes. In 2025, the Bay of Fundy International Marathon will return and is scheduled for June 22, 2025. Be sure to remember your passport so you can cross the bridge to St. Stephen, New Brunswick from Calais as well as to Campobello Island from Lubec.
2 | DOWNEASTACADIA. COM