WAY DOWNEAST |
Wabanaki Culture Center, Calais |
On the St. Croix River across from St. Stephen, New Brunswick |
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Unspoiled Nature
Cobscook Shores is a new collection of parklands offering access to miles of undeveloped beaches, bluffs, coves and islands.
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Calais, DownEast Acadia’ s Gateway to Canada
North of Eastport is Calais. First settled in 1779, it takes its name from the French town in tribute to France’ s support during the American Revolution. One of the smallest cities in Maine, it sits on the St. Croix River offering three crossings into New Brunswick, Canada.
Calais is truly a crossroads, where the Bold Coast Scenic Bikeway, East Coast Greenway, and US Bike Route 1 meet up and connect to the Coastal Link Trail between St. Stephen and St. John, New Brunswick. It also marks the junction of the Bold Coast National Scenic Byway and Fundy Coastal Drive.
Stroll along the Calais River Walk, part of the East Coast Greenway, for views of Whitlock Lighthouse, or visit the Wabanaki Cultural Center & Museum, overlooking the riverfront. For a Two-Nation experience, walk across the Ferry Point Bridge to St. Stephen— dubbed“ Canada’ s Chocolate Town”— where one can visit the Ganong Chocolate Museum and browse local shops. Enjoy a day trip to St. Andrews with a visit to Kingsbrae Gardens.
Devil’ s Head is a prehistoric archaeological site with a shell midden dating back over 2,000 years. Just six miles south of Calais on the St. Croix River, Devil’ s Head is a 318-acre park offering two scenic hiking trails through mossy forests, granite bluffs, and marshland with sweeping views of the Canadian shore and St. Croix Island International Historic Site.
The St. Croix Island International Historic Site commemorates the early French explorer Pierre Dugua’ s first attempt at a year-round settlement years before Jamestown or Plymouth. Visitors can walk the interpretive trail, enjoy a picnic, or bird watch in the mainland portion of the site. The island is visible from the accessible trail that features bronze figures of the French and Passamaquoddy.
Inland around Whiting, Pembroke, and Dennysville you’ ll find lakes and flat-water rivers perfect for paddling and fishing, swimming, and camping with the kids.
The Cutler Coast boasts some of the most dramatic hiking trails on Maine’ s coast, along with vast acres of blueberry barrens, woodlands, and peat lands, pocket coves, cobble beaches, and spectacular steep cliff views.
Each fall, thousands of waterfowl, songbirds, shorebirds, and raptors migrate southward through Cross Island National Wildlife Refuge just off shore.
Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge consists of nearly 30,000 acres near Calais with over 50 miles of dirt roads and trails for hiking, biking, Nordic skiing, and snowshoeing.
Atelier Laforest, Dennysville
St. Croix International Historic Site
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