Fall Foliage on the Move: New Hampshire to the Adirondacks
Our view of Portland Head Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in Maine, with Ram Island Ledge Light visible in the distance.
We've become a little obsessed with chasing fall foliage across New England. After spending time in New Hampshire, we were eager to cross another New England state off the list. We set our sights on Maine, with its rocky coastline, quiet fishing villages, historic lighthouses, and blazing fall color calling our names. Here's what we wish we'd known going in:
Maine Coast Fall Road Trip at a Glance
Length: 6 days
Route: Portland → Acadia → Rockland → Portland
Starting point: New Hampshire
Best for: Fall foliage, hiking, lighthouses, coastal drives
When we went: October 12–17
Trip style: Moderate hiking + road trip + small towns
Planning Notes
When to go: Foliage timing shifts as you move down the coast. Camden and the midcoast tend to peak a little earlier than Acadia, while Portland and the southern coast often peak later. Since timing shifts year to year and varies by region, this interactive foliage map is a great way to track color as your trip gets closer, so you're not just guessing off a calendar date.
Weather: Fall in coastal Maine is unpredictable, so layer up. Rain and fog are common this time of year, so pack for both, along with cooler temps than you'd expect. If a clear-sky moment, like a sunrise view, matters to you, build some flexibility into your schedule.
Getting There: We flew into Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, since this trip was tacked onto Jocelyn's solo week in New Hampshire. If you're planning this trip on its own, Bangor International Airport puts you about an hour from Bar Harbor and Acadia, making it a more direct starting point. Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport (BHB) is worth knowing about too. It's just 10 miles from Bar Harbor, making it the closest option, but flights are more limited and typically require a connection. Whichever airport you choose, plan for the drive back at the end of your trip, just like we did when we looped back to New Hampshire.
Drive Times: If you're coming from New Hampshire, Portland is about 1.5–2 hours away, and Portland to Acadia/Bar Harbor adds roughly another 3 hours. So if you're doing both legs back-to-back, you're looking at most of a day on the road.
Car Rental: Both airports have rental car options on-site, but Bangor has a much wider selection with better availability, especially in fall. BHB's options are more limited, with restricted hours, so if you're arriving on a Sunday or outside business hours, book ahead to make sure someone's there to hand you the keys.
The maples were putting on quite a show.
Day 1: The Long Way to Acadia
After a solo week exploring the foliage in New Hampshire, I picked Keith up from the airport, and we pointed the car toward Acadia National Park. Our route there was a little less direct than most. Since Keith flew in that evening, rather than starting our journey already in Maine, we broke up the drive with a night in Portland before continuing to Acadia the next morning.
It turned out to be the right call. After a full day of travel, a shorter first leg meant we could actually enjoy Portland instead of racing through it exhausted. We checked into the Holiday Inn, grabbed dinner at Cheese Louise, and spent a little time walking around the city before calling it a night.
We'll be back here at the end of the trip with more time to explore properly.
Day 2: Precipice to Sunset
Before heading into Acadia National Park, we stopped in Bar Harbor for breakfast at Cafe This Way. Once inside the park, it quickly became clear this was the busiest national park we've visited. Cars lined the road for a mile in either direction once the trailhead and site lots filled up.
One thing worth knowing: if you miss your turn for a trailhead, you can't just double back; the park's layout means you have to drive the entire loop to return to your starting point.
Today's hike was the Precipice Loop Trail (2.7 miles, hard). Not for the faint of heart, this one landed near the top of our list of sketchiest hikes we've done, right up there with Angels Landing in Zion. It's full of ladders, cliffside scrambles, and exposed sections, so get there early. It's a popular one.
We spent the afternoon exploring the park's coastal walks, stopping at Thunder Hole and Otter Cliff Overlook, before slowing down in Bar Harbor for some downtime and dinner at Fish House Grill. We headed back into the park that evening for sunset at Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, then wrapped up the night with dessert at Ben & Bill's Chocolate Emporium.
Two faces of Acadia: rocky shoreline scrambles near Thunder Hole, and Egg Rock Lighthouse caught between fog and fall color across the bay.
Day 3: Fog and the Bubbles
We woke up early to catch the sunrise at Cadillac Mountain. At 1,530 feet, it's the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard. Vehicle reservations are required to drive Cadillac Summit Road during peak season, so get your permit here as early as you can. Spots go quickly.
Unfortunately, we didn't get to see those views ourselves. Our sunrise permit landed on a rainy, windy, chilly, and completely fogged-out morning. The fog lingered through most of the day, and by the time we thought to book another window, it was too late.
Lesson learned: If sunrise views matter to you, book more than one reservation window from the start. Weather at the summit can turn fast, and there's no guarantee you'll get a second chance.
We returned later that morning after breakfast at Jeannie's Great Maine Breakfast to hike the North Bubble (about 1 mile out and back, moderate). The weather still hadn't let up much, but every now and then the fog would part, revealing glimpses of Jordan Pond and the surrounding mountains. We decided not to continue on to the South Bubble and instead headed down to explore the Jordan Pond area.
At Jordan Pond House, there are two gift shops and a few places to grab a bite to eat. If you're up for a hike, Jordan Pond Path (3.3 miles, easy) is a loop that circles the pond, with mostly flat dirt paths, small rocky sections, and wooden boardwalks.
We'd also planned to hike the Beehive Loop Trail (1.6 miles, hard), which is similar to the Precipice Loop Trail with incredible views and challenging rung and ladder sections. This one's high on our list for next time. Instead, we made our way back to Bar Harbor and spent the rest of the day exploring more of the food and shopping scene. We grabbed bites at The Thirsty Whale, Graffiti Donut, and Rosalie's Pizza along the way.
Day 4: The Road to Rockland
We grabbed our last breakfast in Bar Harbor at Jordan's Restaurant, then headed back into the park for one last run-through before saying goodbye to Acadia. From there, we started the drive toward Rockland, with a few stops along the way.
Our first stop was Fort Knox in Prospect, Maine, a well-preserved 19th-century fort overlooking the Penobscot River. From there, we continued to Belfast for lunch at Darby's Restaurant. Then we explored Camden Hills State Park, where we visited Mount Battie Tower and hiked Maiden Cliff Trail (2 miles, moderate), before finally settling into our hotel in Rockland and grabbing dinner at Rockland Cafe.
Drive time: Bar Harbor to Rockland is about 2–2.5 hours without stops. With Fort Knox, Belfast, and Camden Hills along the way, we turned the drive into a full day of exploring rather than treating it as a straight transfer.
Two stops along the drive to Rockland: the view from Fort Knox, looking out over the Penobscot River toward Bucksport, and Mount Battie Tower, wrapped in fog at the top of Camden Hills State Park.
Day 5: Chasing Lighthouses
Before starting our day, we grabbed donuts and coffee from Ruckus Donuts, then hit the road toward Portland. We spent the day leisurely making our way down the coast, checking out a few lighthouses, fitting in some shopping, and stopping whenever something caught our attention.
We didn't have to spend much time in the car to find our first lighthouse. Owls Head Lighthouse, located in Owls Head State Park, is just about 15 minutes from Rockland. We hiked about 0.5 miles to reach the lighthouse stairs, which we promptly ran up to catch panoramic views of Penobscot Bay. We didn't get to see the inside, but we did get to explore the exterior of this still-active lighthouse.
Worth noting: There's also a lighthouse right in Rockland, the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse, if you want to fit in a fourth stop.
Then it was on to Marshall Point Lighthouse. If you've seen Forrest Gump, you might recognize it as the lighthouse Tom Hanks' character runs toward at the end of his cross-country run. Naturally, we recreated the moment ourselves when we visited. Ha.
From there, we took a detour off US-1 to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, then continued on to Broad Arrow Farm for a light lunch at The Rooting Pig Charcuterie Bar. After lunch, we headed to Freeport to stretch our legs and explore the outlet shops, especially the L.L.Bean Outlet, which a few of our followers recommended.
By late afternoon, we made our way back to Portland and spent the rest of the day exploring the city, with dinner and drinks at Liquid Riot before settling in for the night.
Worth noting: Liquid Riot permanently closed in 2024. Camp Pennant, a distillery and brewery, is now open in its place if you want to check it out while you're in Portland.
Drive time: Rockland to Portland is about 2 hours without stops. With three lighthouses, lunch, shopping, and plenty of coastal roads in between, we turned the drive into a full day rather than treating it as a straight trip to Portland.
Day 6: The Final Stretch
We spent the morning exploring Portland and grabbing breakfast at Becky's on Hobson's Wharf. On our way out of the city, we stopped at three lighthouses: Bug Light (we got a kick out of the fact that they call the smaller lighthouses "bug lights"), Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse (pictured below), and Portland Head Lighthouse, commissioned during George Washington's presidency and the first lighthouse completed in Maine. From there, we made our last drive back to New Hampshire to return our rental car and catch our flight home.
Drive time: Portland to Manchester, New Hampshire, is about 1.5–2 hours without stops. Since we had a flight to catch, we left ourselves plenty of time for the drive, returning the rental car and making our way to the airport.
Once back in New Hampshire, we stopped for lunch at Red Arrow Diner, where we happened to learn that it's a longtime local favorite of Adam Sandler, who grew up in Manchester. A fun little discovery to make over lunch.
Then afterward, we walked around Livingston Park, soaking in one last bit of fall foliage before returning our car and heading to the airport for our flight home to Tampa. It was a nice way to wrap up the trip.
Where We Ate
- Cafe This Way
- Fish House Grill
- Ben & Bill's Chocolate Emporium
- Jeannie's Great Maine Breakfast
- The Thirsty Whale
- Graffiti Donut
- Rosalie's Pizza
- Jordan's Restaurant
- Darby's Restaurant
- Rockland Cafe
- Ruckus Donuts
- Broad Arrow Farm
- Cheese Louise
- Liquid Riot(permanently closed; Camp Pennant is now open in its place)
- Becky's on Hobson's Wharf
Where We Stayed
Mount Desert Island / Bar Harbor: High Seas Motel
Rockland: Trade Winds on the Bay
Portland: Holiday Inn
Wrapping Up
We thoroughly enjoyed exploring Maine's coastal views. It was such a different experience from our time in New Hampshire, trading inland mountains for rocky shoreline, quiet fishing villages, and lighthouse after lighthouse.
Maine has officially been crossed off our New England list, and it won't be our last visit. If you're planning your own trip along this same stretch of coast, we hope this gives you a solid starting point, and maybe a little more luck with the weather than we had.
If you're into chasing fall foliage, we've got a few more posts about the season coming soon.
