Known mostly for its stone-strewn shoreline and plethora of frisky moose, Maine is a state of surprising superlatives. Not only is Maine the biggest state in New England, it is also about as large as all the other states combined.

Of course, we’ve all heard about the mighty Maine lobster – over 90% of the lobsters caught in America are plucked from the state’s rocky coast. But as you venture inland through the endless acres of dense forest, you’ll uncover the largest crop of blue berries in the nation – Maine produces 99% of the country’s little blue fruits. And that’s not all: Maine’s grand pines (it is known as the Pine Tree State, after all) are felled to make 90% of the United States’ total toothpick supply.

Visitors don’t often look past the state’s glossy holiday veneer of Cape Cod–style cottages, antiquing and din-ner tables toppling over with the daily catch. But the truth is that this sparsely populated state has had a hard-knock life. A step off the tourist track reveals Maine’s predominantly blue-collar history of hearty fisherman and lonely lighthouse keepers.

MAINE’S BEST TRIPS MAINE S BEST TRIPSTRIP

50 Maine Lobster Tour p317

MAINE TRIPS

Although Mainers aren’t the biggest chart-

toppers, there are some local gems for your ears to feast upon while your eyes take in the scen-ery out the car window:

· “Dear Mother Ocean,” Bruce Thulin

· “Land’s End,“ The String Cheese Incident

· “Collide,“ Howie Day

· “Hold You in My Arms,” Ray Lamontagne

· “How About You?“ Johnny Smith

· “Social Quarantine,“ A Global Threat

· “Salem’s Lot,“ Stephen King (MP3 audio book)

PLAYLIST

© Lonely Planet Publications

311

312

MAINE TRIPS MAINE TRIPS

KEY TOGO

HERE

BayPenobscot

OCEANATLANTIC

Maine Québec

BrunswickNew

New

Ham

psh

ire

Québec

Fairfield

Sherman

Newport

Blue Hill

FREDERICTON

Wiscasset

Bucksport

Searsport

Milo

Jackman

Harpswell

Millinocket

Calais

Bangor

AUGUSTA

Lewiston

Portland

Bar Harbor

Caratunk

Rangeley

Belfast

Ellsworth

Castine

Stonington

Machias

Jonesport

Lubec

Kittery

OgunquitWells Kennebunkport

Bath Port Clyde

Rockland

ParkNationalAcadia

ParkState

Baxter

GrandWest

LakeFlagstaff

LakeMoosehead

LakeChamberlain

Lake

IslandMt Desert

Isle au Haut

liarTniahcalappA

tsaenwoD

U S A

C A N A D A

C A N A D A

53

52

50

49

51

95

95

95

395

295

2

2A

16

16

26

302

27

27

6

6

1

6

3

4

6

2

2

201

182

15

9

3

27

202

202

202

1

1

1

1

(toll)

Turn

pikeMai

ne

0

0 40 km

20 mi

50 Maine Lobster Tour p317

51 60 Lighthouses in 60 Hours p321

52 Down East & Acadia National Park p327

53 Spooky Maine p333

49 Art Appreciation in Portland p313

MAINE TRIPS