Beaches

Penobscot’s rocky coast isn’t conducive to sunbathing. One exception is Birch Point Beach State Park (Ballyhac Rd., Owls Head, www.maine.gov), a forested state park with a sandy beach seven miles south of Rockland off Route 73.

Hiking and Biking

Breathtaking views of the ocean below are the stock-in-trade of Camden Hills State Park (280 Belfast Rd., Camden, 207/236-3109, www.maine.gov), a 5,700-acre park with strenuous rocky trails and meandering lowland paths overlooking the bay. The most popular trail leads to the stone observation tower at the top of Mount Battie. At the top is a plaque with a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay, who was a frequent visitor to the spot.

One of the largest uninhabited areas on the East Coast, Sears Island is accessible from a causeway off of Route 1 north of Searsport. The island is in a perpetual tug-of-war between conservationists and developers who want to site a resort or liquid natural gas terminal on the island. In 2009, the state forged an agreement to keep 600 of its 940 acres as a pristine location for seaside hiking and bird-watching. The fate of the rest of the island is still uncertain.

Boating

For sailing trips from Rockland and Camden, see Windjammer Cruises earlier in this section.

From Belfast, the 1901 Friendship sloop Amity (Belfast, 207/323-1443 or 207/469-0849, www.friendshipsloopamity.com, $20–30) offers morning and afternoon sails (unfortunately, the company cancelled sunset sails due to a dearth of wind off Belfast in the late afternoons).

Fifth-generation descendent of a whaling captain and Maine Maritime grad Melissa Terry pilots the M/V Good Return (Thompson Wharf, Belfast, 207/322-5530, www.belfastbaycruises.com, $15–30 adults, $7–17 children), a cruise boat that takes lobster cruises in Belfast harbor to pull up traps, as well as day trips to Castine, and a cruise geared for kids to look for seals and porpoises.

From Camden, the M/V Lively Lady Too (207/236-6672, late May–Sep.) also takes trips to haul lobster traps and look for nesting puffins, seals, and sea birds.

© Michael Blanding and Alexandra Hall from Moon New England, 2nd Edition