MyCamdenMaine

The most beautiful walk in the world according to Yankee magazine – 2008.

Even though it is 2013 – this walk has not changed a bit since 2008 – for that matter since 1890.  The houses are beautiful and it is like you are walking back in time.

Start on Rt 1 turn left on Pascal (across from 3 Dog Cafe). Many beautiful old historic homes that have their original charm line the street.  You will go over a little bridge that overlooks stunning Rockport Harbor. Stay to your right and follow the road, pascal turns into Russell Avenue. You will pass the new Salt Water Farm restaurant, Shepard’s Pie, Rockport Opera House, Bay Chamber Concerts and the Center for Maine Contemporary Art. Along Russell Avenue you will enjoy views of Aldermere Farm, possibly see a Belted Galloway grazing in the field. Russell Avenue turns into Bayview Street, back into Camden Maine. Before you hit the wonderful downtown of Camden, enjoy the view of the nearby island, Curtis Island, at the town owned overlook – Lighthouse Look Out (Look for the sign).

The whole thing is only about 2 miles.

Have fun. Camden Maine Innkeeper will provide you with a map of fun walking tours upon arrival if you like.

Is Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, Mount Dessert Island, your final destination on your Maine adventure? We at Camden Windward House highly recommend a trip north to this wonderful National Park. Acadia National Park is approximately 2 hours from Camden Maine and the Camden Windward House. Some guests of Windward House do the park as a day trip. Bar Harbor is not as quaint as Camden Maine and Camden is a lovely place to base your trip out of. Also, the lodging in Bar Harbor may be limited because of the amount of traffic through this island. Acadia National Park is on Mount Desert Island (MDI).  If you want some quiet time we suggest that you not stay in the little downtown of Bar Harbor. There are many little towns on Mount Dessert Island where you can access the National Park of Acadia. If you want to walk to the many restaurants, shops, boat watching tours, then we recommend staying at the Bar Harbor Inn. This Inn is a great location for exploring the small town of Bar Harbor.

The trip up from Camden Maine to Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park,  is a beautiful drive north on Rt. 1. Along the way we highly recommend that you stop at Fort Knox and the Penobscot Bay Bridge Observatory. The Fort and Observatory are approximately 1 hour from Camden Windward House. This is a nice place to stop on your trip north. The Fort and the observatory have bathrooms and spectacular views. The Penobscot Bridge has an observatory at the top. You take an elevator to the top of the bridge and have wonderful views of the bay. The Fort is a wonderful structure that you can tour for hours. Bring a picnic and eat in lovely Fort Knox Park on the Bay. A fee is charged to go to the Fort and the Observatory. I usually tell guests to buy lunch from the Camden Deli in downtown Camden Maine and eat it right in the park of Fort Knox. This way you do not have guess at restaurants along the way. You also get to stretch your legs for the second half of your trip to the park.

In Acadia National Park there has 125 miles of hiking trails. Stop at the visitors center first and get a map, then plan your day. Make sure your bring a camera, bottled water and some granola bars. link to description of Acadia National Park Hiking Trails: http://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/upload/HkingTrails-2011-NEW.pdf. Good break down of very easy to strenuous trail selections.

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK – Opens April 15, closes October 31.

April 15 – June 30: 8 am – 4:30 pm
July – August: 8 am – 6 pm
September: 8 am – 5 pm
October: 8 am – 4:30 pm

Entrance Pass - (check back for fees no established yet for 2013, check back after the sequester.)

Individual Entrance Pass -

Acadia Annual Pass -

With miles of hiking trails and wonderful scenic vistas, Camden Hills State Park is a must visit attraction in Camden Maine. Camden Hills State Park has 30 miles of hiking trails with access from five major trail heads; the Mt. Battie trail begins/ends at the top of Megunticook Street, which is the street that backs the Camden Windward House Bed & Breakfast, about a 1/10th of a mile walk up to the trail. Camden Hills State Park is a low set of mountains in the towns of Camden, Rockport and Lincolnville. There are incredible views of Penobscot Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Parts of the trail are very steep. Skiing and snowmobiling trails also exist in the park. The view is fantastic and we think it rivals any Acadia National Park view. There is a trail for everyone, easy, difficult or moderate. You can even rock climb if you wish. We have rock climbing guides in the area. The Innkeepers at Windward House can guide you to any of the trails. Trail maps are always available at the Inn. There is a fantastic stone look out tower at the top of Mt. Battie. A rock with Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poetry can also be found on the top of the mountain. The portion of Edna St. Vincent’s Renascence poem is etched on a rock:

There are 20 trails in Camden Hills State Park, each with varying difficulty:
1. Maiden Cliff Trail: Distance: 1 Mile Time: 1hr. Moderate difficulty
2. Scenic Trail: Distance: .8 Mile, Time: 45min. Moderate difficulty
3. Ridge Trail: Distance: 2.5 Mile, Time: 2.5hrs. Moderate difficulty
4. Zekes Trail: Distance: 1.3 Mile, Time: 1hr. Moderate difficulty
5. Cameron Mtn.: Trail: Distance: 1.9 Mile, Time: 1.5 hr. Easy difficulty
6. Sky Blue Trail: Distance: 1.5 Mile, Time: 1.5 hrs. Easy – Moderate difficulty
7. Frohock Mtn. : Distance: 1.9 Mile, Time: 2hrs. Moderate – strenous difficulty – Mt. Bike Trail
8. Bald Rock: Distance: .5 Mile, Time: 30min. Easy – Moderate difficulty
9. Slope: Distance: 1.5 Mile, Time: 1.5. Moderate – strenous difficulty
10. Megunticook Trail: Distance: 1 Mile, Time: 1 hr. Moderate difficulty
11. Multi Use Trail: Distance: 5 Miles, Time: 3hrs. Easy difficulty – takes you from Camden to Lincolnville.
12.Carriage Trail: Distance: .5 Mile, Time: 30minutes 45min. Easy – Moderate difficulty
13.Carriage Road Trail: Distance: .8 Mile, Time: 45min. Moderate difficulty
14. Tablelands: Distance: 1.5 Mile, Time: 1.5 hr. Moderate – strenous difficulty
15. Mt. Battie Trail: Distance: .5 Mile, Time: 45min. Moderate – strenous difficulty
16. Nature Trail: Distance: 1.2 Mile, Time: 1hr. Easy difficulty
17. Jack Williams Trail: Distance: 1.6 Mile, Time: 1.5 hr Easy – Moderate difficulty
18. Adam’s Look Tail: Distance: .3 Mile, Time: 10min. Easy difficulty
19. Shoreline Trail: Distance: .8 Mile, Time: 15min. Easy difficulty
20. Summer Bypass trail: Distance: .4 Mile, Time: 30min. Easy difficulty
Download a MAP of Camden Hills Here: http://www.maine.gov/doc/parks/parksinfo/camden/camdentrails.pdf

This is my favorite poem about Camden Hills State Park:

Afternoon on a Hill – Edna St. Vincent Millay:

Off the Beaten Path for a day:
Wake up and enjoy a wonderful and fortifying breakfast at Camden Windward House. Walk out the back door of the Inn and up the street to the Mt. Battie Trail. The trail is only .5 miles but it is a work out. Hike to the top of Mt. Battie and enjoy the view of Penobscot Bay. See the poetry on the rocks and try to identify the islands in the Bay. Bring a lunch with you from Camden Deli and enjoy the afternoon exploring Mt. Battie and Mt. Megunticook. Come back down and back to Windward where you can enjoy an afternoon snack and then head to Barrett’s Cove for a peaceful swim in Lake Megunticook.  Come back to the Inn, clean up and enjoy a dinner at the Youngtown Inn, a lovely restaurant in the hills of Lincolnville.

Once you are here, you can park the car and walk to all Camden activities. Save on gas:

Things that you can walk to from Camden Windward House Bed and Breakfast:

- Shopping: 1 block, boutique clothing, book store, home decorations, antiques, art, knitting, toy, shoes, outdoor equipment.

- Restaurants: 17 restaurants within walking distance of the Inn.

- The Harbor: 1 block, 6 different day trip boats for sailing and lobster fun to choose from, kayak rentals, walking on the beach, looking for sea glass, rowing out to Curtis Island. The Windjammer Fleet also calls Camden Harbor home and you can take overnight trips between 3 – 5 nights. The famous Windjammer Festival is in September, a great time to see all the boats in one place. (check our availability calendar). You might even see a seal relaxing on the rocks by the Camden Waterfall.

- 30 miles of Trails at Camden Hills State Park: The Camden Windward House is .2 miles from the park and the Mt. Battie Trail that will lead you into the park with all of its wonderful trails.

- The Camden Public Library: Across the street. Need to relax and read the newspaper, book, magazine with a beautiful view? Take an hour or 2 to sit in this beautiful asset of Camden Maine. Library hosts music at night and lectures during the day. Check the Camden Public Libraries calendar of events.

-Camden Opera House: Check our availability calendar to see if a play or show is happening. The Opera House is approximately a 5 minute walk, less and .5 miles.

- Swimming: Laite Beach on Bayview street.  Lovely option to get your feet wet, might be a little cold, but definitely refreshing. There is a raft that you can swim out to and lay out in the sun. watch the sail boats drift off into the horizon. There are even public bathrooms at the beach. Also a new children’s amphitheatre is there. A lovely place to read a book.

- Bring a frisbee, wiffle ball bat or a blanket and enjoy Harbor Park. 1 block from Camden Windward House is the beautiful and stunningly amazing harbor park. Enjoy a picnic or a day in the sun. The park hosts concerts and movies in the summer. A hub of local activity.

Need a bike to get to the next great little town? Let Innkeeper know, we rent bikes daily.

SO MUCH TO DO IN CAMDEN MAINE!

You won’t have to get in your car until you have to check out.

Camden Windward House highly recommends Don Kleiner and Maine Outdoors. Please as Innkeeper to make a reservation for you.Eagle Watching Trip and Hiking

The eagle watching trip is intended to provide folks that have never seen an eagle that opportunity any season of the year. The venues will change with the season depending on where the best chance is to see eagles. http://www.maineoutdoors.biz/maine-guide-eagle-watching-trips

Day hikes were a successful suggestion last season from a foreign traveler that I enjoyed very much and think will be of interest to visitors that are interested in exploring the area on foot. http://www.maineoutdoors.biz/maine-guide-day-hikes

TAKE A HIKE THIS SUMMER

CAMDEN WINDWARD HOUSE BED AND BREAKFAST JOINS WITH COASTAL MOUNTAIN LAND TRUST IN HELPING YOU TAKE A HIKE!

Camden Maine is a fantastic coastal village where you can park your car and go hiking. The Coastal Mountain Land Trust, since 1986, has preserved more than 7,800 acres of hikable land in the Mid Coast of Maine. New this summer, the Land Trust introduces The Take A Hike program. This program offers hiking suggestions from easy with a gradual climb to strenuous. There is a hiking option for all levels of wayfarers.

Views on the hikes offer opportunities to see historic sod roofed houses, organic blueberry fields, majestic lakes and unforgettable seascapes.

The program suggests 3 easy steps to taking a hike:
1. Pick your hike
2. Hop in your car or call a taxi
3. Lace up your walking shoes and enjoy.

The Camden Windward House Bed and Breakfast will provide you with all trail maps and a relaxing place to come back, nap and take a shower. The Camden Windward House offers several Soft Adventure packages and considers this area program a great addition to the Soft adventure options of the Mid Coast. Innkeeper Kristen Bifulco stated, “This organized hiking program is the missing link to the already established mid coast adventure activities.”
Link to trail Map