Camden Hills & Mt. Battie

A short loop from Camden harbor: ME-52 runs past Megunticook Lake under Maiden Cliff to Lincolnville Center, ME-173 drops to Lincolnville Beach, and US-1 heads back south to Camden Hills State Park, where the Mt. Battie Auto Road climbs to the summit and comes back down the same way. It's 20 miles. The park charges a day-use fee, and the auto road may close from November 1 to May 1 depending on weather and staffing. The summit lot is small, so go up in turns.

From Camden harbor the loop heads north on ME-52 along Megunticook Lake, right under Maiden Cliff, and through Lincolnville Center, then ME-173 drops to Lincolnville Beach, where the ferry leaves for Islesboro. US-1 brings it back south to Camden Hills State Park, where the Mt. Battie Auto Road climbs to the summit. The park charges a day-use fee all year, paid at the booth or in the self-service box, and the auto road may close from November 1 to May 1 depending on weather and staffing.

At the top, a 26-foot stone tower built in 1921 looks over Camden harbor and Penobscot Bay, next to a plaque for "Renascence," the 1912 poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay, who grew up in Camden and is linked to this view. The summit road is an out-and-back and the lot at the top is small, so go up in turns. It's a short ride of 20 miles, and US-1 through Camden has heavy traffic in summer.