Camden over Belfast. Moosehead over Baxter (Portland, Bangor: hotel, house, buy)

[shanemorgan2]

My road trip is just about finalized. Just a few questions. Is Camden more than just a few hours stay? I mean should we plan on an entire day for Camden. As of now I have us leaving Portland very early (7am) and going to Belfast for the hotel stay that evening. (It was cheap) We stopping at Bath and all those other places that are amazingly awesome, Bristol Light included, but is it enough time to do most of the sight seeing from Portland to Belfast in one day?

Next question: If you had to choose... Baxter or Moosehead Lake. I might not be able to do both in our 15day stay in Maine. As of now I have us at Bangor for 4 and half days. Not sure if we are going to be twiddling our thumbs on the 3rd day trying to figure out what to do next in Bangor... but I want to get a good feel off Bangor because I do plan on relocating there.

[AustinB]

Camden has a nice main street section with a lot of shops and a few restaurants. I have always been so irritated by the traffic, that I just wanted to get past it. It looks like it may be fun to walk the shops, but they probably have stuff that you can get someplace else.

[maureenb]

What AustinB said about Camden...agreed.

Not knowing what your plans are for the "Portland to Belfast" day, I don't know when you will arrive in the Camden area. But if you were to get there by afternoon, you could visit Camden Hills State Park, just a few minutes outside of downtown Camden, for a walk/hike up Mt. Battie. If you park down at the entrance, you can walk up the auto road...I'm thinking (?) you'll be passing through before the Park officially opens for the season, so there shouldn't be any auto traffic on the road, just foot traffic.

After this, I would go back to Camden and eat at Cappy's! Then, on to Belfast for the evening.

This is my $.02 for Camden!

[Maineah]

Belfast holds little fascination. It does not fairly compare with Camden. Take some time in Camden and walk around the town. Go down to the park by harbor and feed the ducks where the mill stream from Megunticook Lake flows under the buildings of Mechanic Street and falls into the harbor. Take a walk to the other end of town and check out the nice antique shops ,restaurants, high end artisan shops, and go down to the docks and check out the Windjammer Ships. As maureenb said take a trip to MT. Battie to see the view of Camden Harbor from there....probably one of the prettiest views in all of Maine. There are some great restaurants in Camden. If you don't get to Belfast until after dark you haven't missed much. Sure the locals will tell you how improved Belfast is compared to it's past . We were there last summer and were not impressed.

Choose Moosehead over Baxter State Park. There is nothing to see at Baxter State Park. If you are driving the perimeter road all you will see is three hours of woods. You have to take the time to hike to the different ponds and climb Mt Kahtadin to enjoy what Baxter has to offer. There is little to see from a car. On the other hand a drive around the west shore of Moosehead from Greenville to Rockwood at dusk is a good ride. You'll see the setting sun on Mt. Kineo a huge rhyolite rock that rises some 800 feet out of the middle of the lake. Grab a bite at the former Whitten's General Store (Now Rockwood Trading Post I think though we still call it Whitten's) and head back to Greenville. Keep your eyes peeled on the return trip for the many moose that come out on to the sides of the road to graze in the dimming twilight. Greenville has some nice little pubs and restaurants too so you can continue your fun into the evening if you wish.

[maineguy8888]

I would definitely go with Millinocket. Katahdin looks incredible right now, with top half covered in snow. It is the most spectacular sight in Maine, by far. (I saw it Friday, by car. It was breathtaking).
The Park may be open, as it's been so dry and warm. I think they actually even have a trail open now. Just call them for more info. Even if you don't get into the park, you can still see Abol, Ripogenus Gorge, etc. The views of the mountains (there are many) can be enjoyed from almost anywhere. It's a gorgeuos area. The Penobscot River drive up towards Patten is really nice.
Millinocket also has the American Loggers restaurant now. It's quite the place (see today's Bangor Daily News). I'm gonna stop down on Thursday for breakfast when I'm in Stacyville.
Greenville may be "hip" but you haven't seen Maine until you've seen Katahdin and been to Millinocket.
Just saying.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by maineguy8888

I would definitely go with Millinocket. Katahdin looks incredible right now, with top half covered in snow. It is the most spectacular sight in Maine, by far. (I saw it Friday, by car. It was breathtaking).
The Park may be open, as it's been so dry and warm. I think they actually even have a trail open now. Just call them for more info. Even if you don't get into the park, you can still see Abol, Ripogenus Gorge, etc. The views of the mountains (there are many) can be enjoyed from almost anywhere. It's a gorgeuos area. The Penobscot River drive up towards Patten is really nice.
Millinocket also has the American Loggers restaurant now. It's quite the place (see today's Bangor Daily News). I'm gonna stop down on Thursday for breakfast when I'm in Stacyville.
Greenville may be "hip" but you haven't seen Maine until you've seen Katahdin and been to Millinocket.
Just saying.

I agree with you as far an approach from Millinockett goes but Millinockett as a town is not so great. They were talking about going to Baxter State Park itself. IMHO that is a waste of time unless you're going to take the time to climb the mountain. The views are better from a distance. A good compromise would be going to Millinockett and taking the Golden Road from Abol Bridge to to Kokadjo and on to Greenville that way. Take the time to go to Ripogenus Dam (The largest concrete dam in New England) and the gorge below. There are several turnouts along the river with beautiful views of the mountain. You can still be in Greenville before dark and see the spectacular views of Moosehead Lake from Blair Hill as you approach Greenville from the north. The huge lake is really spectacular and a must see. Four days in Bangor is an eternity.

[maineguy8888]

Well, there are some nice spots inside the park even if you don't climb the whole mountain (just going up to Chimney Pond is pretty awesome). But you can drive around the area and see some grand views of the mountain, etc. I recommed that drive up to Patten if you have a few hours, maybe go into Shin Pond too.
Or go over by Ripogenus, as you say. Or both!
I kind of like Millinocket, we had a good stay there a couple winters ago. Just hanging out, going for drives, etc. This time of year it should be pretty nice. It has a nice art gallery right downtown. And that AWESOME antique snowmobile/snow equipment museum just outside of town!
Oh and River Drivers restaurant/lodge is AWESOME. Had a fantastic meal there a few years ago (very upscale).

[Acadianlion]

Originally Posted by shanemorgan2

My road trip is just about finalized. Just a few questions. Is Camden more than just a few hours stay? I mean should we plan on an entire day for Camden. As of now I have us leaving Portland very early (7am) and going to Belfast for the hotel stay that evening. (It was cheap) We stopping at Bath and all those other places that are amazingly awesome, Bristol Light included, but is it enough time to do most of the sight seeing from Portland to Belfast in one day?

Next question: If you had to choose... Baxter or Moosehead Lake. I might not be able to do both in our 15day stay in Maine. As of now I have us at Bangor for 4 and half days. Not sure if we are going to be twiddling our thumbs on the 3rd day trying to figure out what to do next in Bangor... but I want to get a good feel off Bangor because I do plan on relocating there.

I highly recommend that you spend an hour or two in Camden and then press on. If you are trying to get a feel for as much of Maine as your trip indicates, you don't need to poke into little shops selling stuff that you can buy anywhere in Generica. Do that later.

You're planning FOUR days in Bangor? Are you house hunting this trip? Maybe I missed something, but I wonder why you skipped Mt Desert Island which includes Acadia National Park? My advice is to spend one full, long day there, perhaps commuting from Bangor, IF the weather is good along the coast.

You are going to be spending a lot of your two weeks in a car looking at asphalt, you know. Your agenda from Portland is mostly two lane semi to rural roads.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by maineguy8888

Well, there are some nice spots inside the park even if you don't climb the whole mountain (just going up to Chimney Pond is pretty awesome). But you can drive around the area and see some grand views of the mountain, etc. I recommed that drive up to Patten if you have a few hours, maybe go into Shin Pond too.
Or go over by Ripogenus, as you say. Or both!
I kind of like Millinocket, we had a good stay there a couple winters ago. Just hanging out, going for drives, etc. This time of year it should be pretty nice. It has a nice art gallery right downtown. And that AWESOME antique snowmobile/snow equipment museum just outside of town!
Oh and River Drivers restaurant/lodge is AWESOME. Had a fantastic meal there a few years ago (very upscale).

Those are all nice places to consider and much more interesting than spending four days in Bangor. Four hours in Bangor will be plenty.

[maineguy8888]

Well I didn't make it down to Millinocket or American Loggers. But I did go into Shin Pond and that area and the mountain looks spectacular. Everything is so ahead of usual.
The store is closed at Shin Pond Village (they take April off). But there were alot of people already into camp, etc.