Maine/New Hampshire trip

[GUNNERS_MOM]

We are planning a trip to Maine/NH in August of this year. We are going to focus on 3 areas....Acadia National Park, White Mountains and Baxter State Park. This is going to require a lot of moving around so we are hoping to rent an RV for a couple of weeks. Since we are from NC, we don't want to tow our RV for the distance. Any suggestions for a travel plan would be welcomed.

Also, any experiences with RV rental would be appreciated. We are thinking of Cruise America for the rental. Any experience/opinions of Cruise America would be great!

Thanks in advance for any suggestions/assistance.

[fwed]

Excellent point about the cruise ships. Bar Harbor is usually crowded, but especially so when one of those big boys is in port.

Parking in Bar Harbor is a mess most of the time. It's a small coastal town. LL Bean sponsors a free shuttle bus which goes all around the area and stops at most of the campgrounds. It's worth the hassle of trying to find a parking place. I believe dogs are allowed to go on the shuttle as well.

[mkc]

As you're planning your dates, check the https://barharbormaine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/922 cruise ship schedule for Bar Harbor . The crowds can be fairly large when one is docked (Anthem and Adventure of the Seas each bring over 4000 people in) and a lot of the fun shops and eateries get pretty swamped. We found this in Portland last fall as well.

[fwed]

Remember that you're not the first to think of such a trip -- you'll be with alot of peiple you've never met. Travel along Route 1 in Maine is slow at the best of times -- especially Ogunquit (I wouldn't even get on Route 1 until Wells), Wiscasset, and Camden. You will not get through these quickly. It's a fact of life so get used to it. Our motto "Life in the slow lane" is especially true for Route 1.

August is prime time -- start making your reservations now. If you don't have kids who have to be in school, think about September -- still great weather with fewer people. Nothing closes up until mid-October.

[HadEnough]

Renting will cost more than towing your RV on the (very long) 1 day trip, or even an Airbnb.

But that aside, get reservations for camping. Acadia is packed in August.

You may take the Mt Washington cog railway up to the highest summit on the east coast.
You may like something called The Flume
The Cannon Mountain areial team is open to take you to the top of that mountain as well.

In Acadia, a popular thing to do is hike up and see the sunrise. It's the first place the sun touches in the United States each day.
Then there are the islands. Highly recommend taking a ferry out and exploring some of the islands in Maine or at least going on a windjammer cruise. Maine is about the water. And the mountains. They meet each other there in a very special way.
Lighthouses... fresh seafood... Lobster, haddock and cod from local waters

It's a slow, relaxed atmosphere in Maine in the summer. Enjoy the peace.

[Crowe]

How long do you have?

[Clarryhill]

Hi Gunners MOM. All three areas are fabulous. Just a quick suggestion for the Baxter SP area. If you are going with a larger RV rental, be aware that that are some fairly restrictive size limitations in the park. If you are planning to bring a toad, you'll probably be all set camping outside the park and using the toad to explore within. Sounds like a fantastic trip.

[Gonzo42]

Don't miss the Maine Diner in Wells.

[DrewE]

I suspect it would be a good bit less expensive for you to tow your RV than to rent one for a couple of weeks, but certainly check out both options. A quick check suggests that CruiseAmerica would end up being more than $3000. The closest CruiseAmerica franchises look to be around the Boston area.

It sounds like a great trip. It would be a longer drive from Baxter to the White Mountains than from either one to Bar Harbor area.