The Kennebec Explorer 2018 Visitor's Guide to Maine's Kennebec Valley | Page 13

As you drive through Maine’s Kennebec
Valley, slow down, and stop when it
feels right, to enjoy the grand views
and stunning scenery you’ll find here.
And for you, passengers, don’t miss out!
Put down your phones. You might just
spot a red-tailed hawk hovering in
flight or a rafter of wild turkeys in a
field. A Maine moose could even be
hiding between the trees curiously
looking back.
Each season offers a marvel. Late spring
into summer brings the bright, fresh
greens of new ferns at the roadside and
trees dressed in new leaf. Summer fills
the sky with blue. Puffs of white float
over the deep green canopy.
Autumn’s gold and russet hues can
leave you breathless. Wintery whites
of new-fallen snow and brilliant rays
of sunlight through bare trees are
a stark reminder that there is vast
beauty in every season.
Try some of our favorite scenic drive
ideas, but be sure to fill the tank and
grab some snacks first. Explore the
side roads. Turn off the GPS. Find
and use a gazetteer. Play a game called
“turn left.” Get lost, on purpose, along
a country road.
Jump off the Turnpike a little early in
Sabattus and follow 126 through
Monmouth, the Tacoma Lakes and
along Cobbesseecontee Stream to
Gardiner. Or leave 95 altogether in
West Gardiner and take Rt. 201 north
through Hallowell, Augusta, Waterville,
Fairfield, and Skowhegan, following
the Kennebec the whole way.
Or simply wend your way along the
roads around the lakes of Monmouth
and the Belgrades, absorbing the small-
town charm of places like Readfield,
Fayette, Mount Vernon, and Vienna.
With preparation, it’s easy to make your
own way through our 5,000 square
miles and 70 communities of the
Kennebec Valley. Each is connected
by a road and, while not all of them
offer an Attean View or the flow of the
Kennebec River just west of Skowhegan,
they all will take you somewhere
you’ve never been before.
CLASSIC DRIVES
Old Canada Road National
Scenic Byway
Length: 78 Miles, Travel Time: 3 Hours
Maine’s historical and cultural past
travels along Route 201, weaving its
story through the area’s many down-
home cities, towns, and villages from
Skowhegan to the international border
with Canada (passport required).
Scenic Lower Somerset
Length: 60 Miles, Travel Time: 1.25 Hours
Travel north from Skowhegan to
Mayfield Corner back west to Bingham,
then travel south on Route 201 all the
way back to Skowhegan.
It Takes Moxie
Length: 144 Miles, Travel Time: 3.5 Hours
Take Route 201 to The Forks and turn
right onto Lake Moxie Road. Stop for
a visit to Moxie Falls, then get back on
Route 201, and head north to Jackman
and Rockwood.
New Portland Wire Bridge
Robbins Hill, Madison ©Dan Marquis
VISITOR RESOURCES:
Old Canada Road National Scenic Byway – OldCanadaRoad.org
For more about scenic drives visit KennebecValley.org
Voyage International
Length: 245 Miles, Travel Time: 5.5 Hours
Follow Route 201 north to the interna-
tional border with Canada (passport
required). Once in Canada, take Routes
173, 269, 204, and 161 to Woburn, cross
into the U.S. to Coburn Gore, follow
Route 27 back south.
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