Maine’s beauty is both unquestionable and layered. It is a spectacular sky, a sweep of incredible blue, a swath of green. It feels like family as well as fun and pictures that you want to put on your wall.
However, Maine’s beauty also comes from its ruggedness, its feel of ancientness as well as even its harshness. Mainers know that it’s this blend that gives the state its true identity. It is these very people — a mix of the oldest families and the newest neighbours — who give Maine its most beautiful depth.
Here are some of the must-see sights.
Two Lights State Park, Cape Elizabeth
The magnificence of Two Lights goes far beyond the classic location of the Atlantic Ocean crashing on rocks, spray spewing underneath the blue sky.
The 40-plus-acre state park lies just eight miles south of Portland however it gives a feeling of the wild Maine coast — with none of the several hours’ run Downeast. The best of all — and this is why the park holds a unique, gorgeous place for thousands of visitors over the past years — its Lobster Shack with picnic tables that lets the salt air flow over you while you savour the lobster which may have enticed you to Maine. Ocean, rocks, lobster in the rough. A beautiful place in any book.
Timber Point Trail, Biddeford
As part of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, the Timber Point Trail breezes 1.4 miles between the Little River as well as Curtis Cove. It gives visitors alternating views of salt marsh, forest, mudflats and the rocky, Atlantic coast. Bring binoculars so that you are better able to view the migratory birds in addition to the views. For a changed perspective, take a paddle between the point and Timber Island which is just offshore.
Casco Bay Ferry, Peaks Island Into Portland Harbour
From Portland, Peaks Island is in the Casco Bay island chain. It is the most accessible island. Just three miles off the coast, Peaks is one of the trendiest trips from the city. After a day of biking, hiking, sauntering, eating or – alternatively – just sunning on stretches of beach, the night ferry return into Portland Harbour, with the lights of Portland drawing you ever closer, is a beautiful cap on an island day.
Scarborough Marsh Audubon Centre
The beauty in this part of Maine is not just for the eyes – there’s also a very healthy dose for the ears as the tide ebbs, birds call and then the marsh grass flutters in the breeze. Try out a nature trail, rent a canoe or kayak, or put your own in to paddle the labyrinth of waterways which make up the 3,100-acre estuary. Whether the sun is shimmering on the ripples of high tide or the footprints of egrets and herons are shown in the mud of low tide, just like at onlinenzcasino.co.nz there’s a lot to explore.
Fort Foster, Kittery
Settle in on the rocky beach or – alternatively – in the grassy areas near some of the enduring parts of Kittery’s WWII military fortress. Enjoy sweeping views of the Piscataqua River. Check out the concrete pier which stretches into the water near the ruins of submarine net cribs that lead to picturesque Wood Island, which is home to a refurbished 1908 lifesaving station.
