Help planning Maine Coast trip.

I'm looking to spend a long weekend working my way up the Maine coast. I'm looking for access to rocky and rugged coastline. I've not ventured up the coast beyond Ogunquit, although I've been plenty further north up the turnpikes on business.

I'd like to avoid the holiday hotspots and find those out of the way places that tend to hard to "just find" when travelling along. Lighthouses are easy to find and plan for.

Any help would be much appreciated.

J.

Tennis, anyone? The Edgar M. Tennis Preserve on Deer Isle is a good choice if you are going that far up the coast. Yes, there are lighthouses. I can't speak to how touristy it is, as I've only been there in early May.

While I have a reason to believe we all will be received in Rockland, it's a bit more touristy. The Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge is worth it, though.

Cape Elizabeth is nice, but you'll be fighting crowds unless you get there first thing in the morning.

Finally, I've never gotten out to Monhegan island, but it's on my list.

Maine is known for its rocky coastline, but there are nice beaches too. If you want a change of pace but still near rocky and rugged coastline, try Seawall Beach near Phippsburg. It's near the much more popular (and crowded) Popham Beach.
Here's a video a local reporter did a few years ago:
https://actoutwithaislinn.bangordai...-morse-mountain-and-seawall-beach-phippsburg/

How about Acadia? I am from NH also and was up there this summer, it's a superb place. Something like Isle au Haut won't be too crowded, and plenty rocky.

If you want to avoid hot spots, I would avoid Acadia/MDI like the plague. A fantastic alternative is the Schoodic Peninsula. It's actually still part of Acadia, but WAY less traveled. Ever over 4th of July, you can move around there and explore the coastline without climbing over people. Of course the trade-off is little in the way of dining and accommodations. I would check out Elsa's Inn. It's right on the water overlooking Prospect Harbor Lighthouse and a very short drive to the park entrance. It's also very affordable and the innkeepers are very friendly. That's where my wife and I stay when we go up there. Another favorite is Jonesport and Great Wass Island. It's a little further North, but a hidden gem. We were there 4th of July week last year and spent a whole day hiking the island. We saw maybe 10 people the whole day.

Stonington is beautiful..off the beaten path

Thank you all for the suggestions! They are a great help.

J.

This may be a bit late, but once you have been anywhere in mid-coast Maine, a return visit is almost assured. My photographer wife and I visit at least twice a year - usually in June and Sept (outside the usual tourist times and crowds, but when restaurants and motels are still open). We are very partial to the Rockland area -- Port Clyde/Tenants Harbor (with access to Monhegan) and Friendship are favorites. Nearby Rockport is a photographer's mecca with the Maine Media Workshops and Tim Whelan's photography bookstore. The area is home to Paul Caponegro, Joyce Tenneson, Tilman Crane, to mention a few photographers. Is there a better recommendation? If you are interested and contact me, I can provide a shortlist of restaurants and reasonably priced motels. Incidentally, we are also from New Hampshire!

My wife and I went out in a schooner that sailed the Portland Harbor all the way to the Portland Lighthouse. A different perspective.

Here's a shot of the lighthouse I took during another "land" trip. YOu can always get closer to the rocks than others to avoid the crowds.

Portland Head Lighthouse on Cape Elizabeth, Portland, Maine, USA by Alan Klein, on Flickr

If you make it all the way up to the Bar Harbor area, make sure you go around the bay and visit Schoodic Point.