Thread: Maine Foliage Tour 2023 - Sep 22-24 (Stock Friendly, Mostly pavement)

Expected drive time:
Day 1 - 8:15 hours drive time (meet up in southern maine on Friday, around 7AM at Kennebunk Service Plaza on 95. If you're from Maine, north of there, we can sort out getting you in on the road, we're on 95 up to Bangor then we break off)

Day 2 - 8:15 hours drive time

Day 3 - ~6:30 hours drive time to get to mile 25 on the Maine Turnpike, so if you're going from there should be a total of about another 8:15 day.

Total end to end is 1150 miles at the moment, from Kennebunk to Kennebunk, so if you take a drive up to get there/from there, plan on adding that into the miles.

Those are drive times - that is not soup to nuts with stops

So, it is kinda a hammer down trip with a lot of seat time, but we're seeing a lot of the state, some great views, some awesome foliage. We're thinking total time will be about 7A-6P, then set up camp. We don't want to be driving in the dark, that defeats the whole purpose. But I just want to set this out now, we know it's a lot of driving time, we expect it, and are not going to be shy about telling people ahead of time to expect it. 95% of it IS in civilization, where you'll have (maybe) cell signal, gas stops, bathroom stops, stores/food stops, etc.

Breakfast - coffee, quick bites, whatever

Lunch - If the timing works out we can swing through McDs, subways, etc., but be ready for sandwiches or something on the side of the road, 15-30 minute stops. We'll start looking at maps and timing to see if we can overlap some good stops with lunches.

Dinner - Hoping to set up camp around 6P, so, barring rain being a limiting factor, have at it.

Weather: Could be up to the 70s during the day, might not break the 40s. Nights could be in the 50s, could be down into the 30s, maybe down into frost/freezing windows.

Rough outline:



We are NOT entering the "official" North Maine Woods (no trains!) so no forms/day use fees.

LIMIT TO 8 TRUCKS.

Family + Dog friendly, just be aware of the driving times. Might be tough on kids that much time in the car. We'll be planning on fuel/bathroom stops along the way once we get the group + plan hammered out.

 

IN:

1. Rob
2. Connor
3. @nuts4modela
   
4. @Merling
5. _
   
6. _
   
7. _
8. _

MAYBE:
5. (MAYBE) Adam (has first dibs)
7. @Brownmatthall
8. @risethewake
8.5. Austin
X. Ross

 

Sounds like a sweet trip! I'd be in with the tunny, but family wedding is in the way. I'll wave as we pass by!

 

@Sig45 sounds like a green been trip

 

Chuck me on as a maybe.

sept is a busy month, gotta see what’s going on. But otherwise I’ll be in.

Just a suggestion, maybe consider staying on Rt 1A/1 and taking the coastal route up. We’d pass the schoodic point section of Acadia and a pretty good burger joint. Plus a lighthouse (can’t get up close though). This section isn’t nearly as crowded as the main park by Bar Harbor. It’s also a pretty nice scenic drive the more north you go. I used to live on the schoodic peninsula lol, so I know the area pretty well.

 

And as an added point, Cadillac Mountain is a thing too, if you might wanna add that in. It’s near bar harbor so it adds maybe 1.5ish hours of drive time to/from rt1, but it’s a really cool summit, highest point on the eastern seaboard, and overlooks a bunch of coves and islands assuming it’s not cloudy.

 

We've toyed with the route a bit already, part of it is dirt roads going East from Milford/Old Town for a bit. We're going to have a time table and if we're running behind we can adapt as needed too. Sunset's at 6:30, I'm fine to pull into Ashland for 6:30 since our campsite's nearby, but don't want to be pulling in at like, 8.

Rt 1/1A is also a potential. Especially if it's raining and we don't want to be on the dirt.

Unfortunately I think with considering timing, we'd have to be peeling out of Kennebunk around 5:30-6 to make that work (if we also still wanted to do Quoddy). We toyed around the idea of Bar Harbor/Acadia, but I don't think we could do MDI AND Ft. Kent on the same trip, if we want to hit western Maine too. Maybe next year but I am absolutely down for a more relaxed MDI trip next fall if we repeat this.

 

Sounds good! Should be a fun trip either way, hope I can come along.

 

I'll be up in BSP on those days.

 

strong maybe

 

Looks like some major driving, I would have to miss Friday, not sure if catching up at Camp Friday night would be worth what we missed out on. We haven't been up to Lubec in a while, cool place to camp and watch the tides.

 

let me toy around with the map and see if we reversed it. This whole shebang is super flexible.

 

Cool, Is currently, night one camp in Ashland via Lubec?

 

Yessir. But the days aren't equally laid out as it is, the current Sunday leg is only "only" 6.5 ish hours so we get back to southern Maine at a time where people won't be getting home at midnight to leave from there. So it's not a simple "just reverse" in regards to campsites, but I'll see what I can come up with.

this would mean night one could be at my new favorite campsite. I'll look at it and let you know Tuesday. I put you down as in for now though.

 

make it yes definately