2023 Official Maine Camping Guide - 92

Cruising through Maine
continued from page 91
Kennebec Valley
What can easily be said about The
Kennebec Valley is that it is a place
that offers two sides of the same
coin. In it's southern towns and cities
like Augusta (Maine state capital),
Gardiner,
Hallowell, Belgrade, and
Waterville offer the civility and culture
that accompany communities
with architecturally beautiful and vibrant
Main Streets, fine dining, museums,
shopping and the performing
arts. However, head north, and you'll
pass into wild country. North, above
Skowhegan and Madison you arrive
in some of the finest hunting and flyfishing
country our state has to offer;
north, to the rollicking and pounding
excitement of whitewater on the Kennebec
& Dead Rivers. North to Coburn
Mountain near
Jackman,
Maine's
highest groomed snowmobile trail.
North to where Rt. 201 becomes the
Old Canada Road Scenic Byway which
carries you through twisting and
swiftly rising roads into picturesque
parts of Maine and quaint and quiet
New England towns. The Kennebec
Valley is a quieter side of Maine that
begs to be explored in every season.
Paddling, hiking, snowmobiling, fishing
are all here. And don't forget to
look to explore the Kennebec Valley
for its broad collection of fairs and
festivals including the Nation's Oldest
State Fair at Skowhegan, the Kneading
Conference and Fiber Frolic in
June.
Cities & Towns: Augusta, Gardiner,
Hallowell, Waterville, Skowhegan,
Madison,The Forks, and Belgrade
Lakes
Roads & Highways: I-95, Rt. 201, Rt2,
Rt. 9, Rt. 202, Rt. 100, Rt. 27, and
Rt. 16
Scenic Byways: National Scenic Byways:
Old Canada Road Scenic Byway;
State Scenic Byways: Moosehead Scenic
Byway (Rt. 15)
Notable Features: The State Capital,
Old Fort Western, Antiquing in
Hallowell, Hobbitland at Vaughan
Wood's, The Maine State Museum,
Theater at Monmouth, Belgrade's
Lakes, Waterville Opera House, LC
Bates Museum, Colby College Museum
of Art, The Skowhegan Indian,
Lakewood Theater, Whitewater Rafting
on the Kennebec and The Dead
Rivers
Maine's Lake's & Mountains
Passing through the many communities
that make up Maine's Lake's and
Mountains you'll see that you are
surrounded by nearly endless access
to the outdoors. From the broad and
welcoming shores of Sebago Lake in
the south to the deep forested areas
that flank the Appalachian Trail to the
north and the hundreds of miles of ski
slopes on Saddleback, Sugarloaf, and
Sunday River. The beauty and bounty
of being this close to nature gives
visitors to the region no reason whatsoever
to complain that they have
nothing to do. Even the many small
communities spread out through the
region offer something for everyone:
Take the Rangeley Lakes Scenic Byway
- spot a moose, maybe. Visit Lewiston
& Auburn's twin cities for a taste of
in-town culture, and the Sebago area
delivers on the promise of an easy
lakeside summer vacation. Like the
other inland regions, the Lakes &
Mountains region is oriented primarily
from south to north with communities
connected not by four and six
lane highways but by well-worn two
lane roads with just enough scenery
between them to remind you that
you are still out in the country. Following
Rt. 302 out of Portland brings
you up into the Sebago Lakes region
from there explore Fryeburg or Norway's
Main Street. Continue north
on Rt. 26 into Bethel, it's one of the
sweetest and most beautiful mountain
towns ever. Outside Newry don't
forget to track down the famed Artist's
Covered Bridge a magnet
for
generations of photographers and all
kinds of artist.
92 |
This is Maine camping country and an
apt place for the journey we have taken
through Maine to come to a close.
The pink clouds veined with golden
light from the setting sun over the
Presidential Range to the west are
spectacular. Countless cascading and
easy to reach waterfalls invite you in
for the plunge - the Bigelow's, Flagstaff
Lake, Kingfield, and Carrabassett
Valley. Each and every one of these
communities and all those across
Maine are worth taking time to enjoy.
Happy Driving.
Cities & Towns: Lewiston & Auburn,
Rangeley, Bethel, Oxford, Kingfield,
Fryeburg, Jay, Livermore & Livermore
Falls, Gray, and Sebago
Roads & Highways: Rt. 302, Rt. 100,
Rt. 4, US-2, Rt. 26 & 27, Rt. 16, Rt. 35,
Rt.5
Scenic Byways: National Scenic Byways
Rangeley Scenic Byway; State
Scenic Byways: Grafton Notch Scenic
Byway (Rt. 26), Pequawket Trail Scenic
Byway (Rt. 113) State Route 27
Scenic Byway
Notable Features: Explore the Arts
in Lewiston & Auburn, Skiing on
Saddleback, Sunday River or Sugarloaf,
Rapid River, The Stanley Steamer
Museum, Tour all the covered
bridges, ride The Songo River Queen
at Sebago, Fryeburg Fair & L/A Balloon
Festival
Check us out!
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2023 Official Maine Camping Guide

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2023 Official Maine Camping Guide
