Maine Coastal Explorer (Natural Habitat Adventures)

Arrive in Bangor, lying just inland off Maine’s central coast on the Penobscot River. The city’s strategic location on this important tidal waterway ensured its status the “lumber capital of the world” in the 19th century. Make the short transfer from the airport to our downtown all-suite hotel that's an easy walk to the river and city highlights. This evening, join your Expedition Leader for a welcome dinner.

Drive south this morning to Rockland where we tour the Sail, Power & Steam Museum, a set of interactive exhibits on Maine maritime life located at the historic Old Snow Shipyard. Hands-on nautical displays preserve and tell stories of the rich heritage of sail, power and steam vessels along the Maine coast. After lunch, continue to Owls Head State Park where the main attraction is the Owls Head Lighthouse at the southern entrance to Rockland Harbor. One of 65 lighthouses on the Maine coast, the white tower capped with a black lantern was designed in 1826 by order of President John Quincy Adams as a navigational aid to help ships safely transport lime out of the harbor. Automated in 1989, it is still operational today.

Late this afternoon we continue to Camden, one of the most picturesque towns on the Maine coast, where we spend two nights. A popular MidCoast Maine destination, Camden hugs a snug harbor at the base of Camden Hills State Park, one of Maine's prime fall foliage areas. Our inn is optimally located in the compact downtown that’s filled with well-preserved 19th-century storefronts housing boutiques, galleries, antique shops and cafes.

Leaving Fish Camp this morning, we head deeper into the park via famous Glacier Point Road, making our first stop at Glacier Point for a commanding view of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and the alpine high country beyond. Continue to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point, with a morning hike in the area before a picnic lunch. This afternoon, we pause at Tunnel View to survey the grand entrance to Yosemite Valley. Famed photographer Ansel Adams, who lived several summers in Yosemite in the 1920s, called the valley "always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space." When snowmelt runoff is sufficient, waterfalls pour from on high, and we may stop at several, including Bridalveil Falls. Our destination for the next three nights is the fabled Ahwahnee Hotel, and since we are privileged to stay inside the park bounds, we have access to the valley floor in the early morning and late evening hours when the daytripper crowds are gone.

Follow Highway 1 along Penobscot Bay and down the Blue Hill Peninsula to Deer Isle. Although the distance from Camden is just 19 miles in a straight line, our route follows the nooks and crannies of the coastline for 70 scenic miles. Enjoy bucolic views of old barns in open meadows, shingled cottages that hug high bluffs, and lobster pots on docks in quiet coves. Before crossing the famous Penobscot Narrows Bridge, stop to survey the panorama over the bay and islands from the observation tower 437 feet above the Penobscot River.

Once on the other side, enter a set-apart realm on tranquil Deer Isle. With its dense woods, pink granite shorelines, salty air and squawking gulls, this is quintessential Maine. The Island Heritage Trust manages more than a dozen different nature preserves on Deer Isle and offshore islets, and we’ll explore one or two this afternoon. Of special interest is Crockett Cove Woods Preserve, known as the “fog forest” because its towering fir and spruce trees trap heavy mists brought in from southwest winds over the ocean, nurturing ferns, mosses and lichens. We spend two nights at the historic, family-run Pilgrim’s Inn built in 1793, one of the oldest structures on the island. Dinner is sure to feature local seafood, and Deer Isle, with a fleet of 300 lobster boats, leads the state’s catch.

Sailing from scenic Stonington Harbor on Deer Isle this morning, take a private boat cruise to Isle au Haut where we spend several hours ashore hiking and exploring. Just 6 miles long and 2 miles wide, rarely visited Isle au Haut is home to a traditional community of less than a hundred year-round residents, most of whom are employed in the lobster fishing industry. A remote portion of Acadia National Park covers about half of the island, offering us a chance to experience the park completely free of crowds. Return to Deer Isle in the afternoon for an easy hiking excursion and more foliage viewing, depending on weather and sea conditions and the group's preference.

The last stretch of our drive "Down East" brings us to Mount Desert Island and the most accessible portion of Acadia National Park, encompassing the highest rocky headlands along the U.S. Atlantic coast. Inhabited by the Wabanaki people for 12,000 years, the region was vied over by the French and British in the 18th century, and a century later, Mount Desert Island became a popular summer home retreat for America's wealthiest families. By the early 20th century, the impetus for conservation had established Acadia as a national park. Today, the park protects 47,000 acres of forest, mountains, lakes and ocean.

In the fall, Acadia's woodlands become a variegated tapestry of color, with maple, birch and poplar interweaving bright red, orange and yellow among the dark conifers. We drive the Park Loop, pausing for clifftop views and photos, including a stop at Thunder Hole—when sea conditions are right, waves crash against the rock and water is forced through a crevice into a cave, creating a sound like a thunderclap. We exit the park for Bar Harbor, the classic coastal resort town that is our destination for the next two nights.

Rise before dawn to partake in Acadia's most iconic experience: watching the sunrise from the top of Cadillac Mountain. The highest point in the park is one of the easternmost locales in the United States, and thus one of the first to greet the sun's rays each morning. The view over Bar Harbor, Frenchman Bay, the Gulf of Maine and myriad islands is dramatic even without the pink glow of dawn, should the clouds not cooperate. We return to town for breakfast, then investigate the less-visited southwest corner of Mount Desert Island. In the afternoon, a consummate Maine experience awaits: board a working lobster boat for a cruise around the island, enjoying views of rocky coast, lighthouses and small harbors in the crisp autumn air. This evening, get your fill of fresh Maine seafood one last time at our farewell dinner in Bar Harbor.

After breakfast, depart Bar Harbor for the drive back to Bangor, a trip of a little over an hour. We travel directly to the Bangor airport to meet departing flights, which should be scheduled any time after 11:00 am.