Burlington, VT to Bar Harbor, ME route?

My wife and I and our two kids are taking a trip this August (07) from Burlington, VT to Bar Harbor, then down to Boston. There doesn%26#39;t seem to be a very direct route, and we%26#39;d like to see the sights along the way anyway. We are not on a tight schedule. Can anyone recommend a route?

Burlington, VT to Bar Harbor, ME route?

From Burlington, take the Interstate to Montpelier. Then 302 to the border of VT and NH. Take the Kancamagus Highway across New Hamphire. Very scenic. Watch for moose. In the Conway, NH area pick up 302 again. Follow that to 117. Follow 117 for awhile, through a pretty lake district. Get yourself to Augusta, Maine and then take 3 to 1 and follow 1 up to Bar Harbor. There%26#39;s a beautiful new bridge in Bucksport. Park at the Fort there and for $5 a person you can go up to the observation deck and get an incredible view of coastal Maine.

Burlington, VT to Bar Harbor, ME route?

Thanks Bonniemaev! That sounds like a nice drive, away from the Interstates. We will need a meal along that route... any suggestions? We are pretty adventurous eaters and include one easy-to-please vegetarian.

I can%26#39;t give you the name of a particular restaurant. But the Conway, NH area would have a wide choice. Belfast, Maine would also have some good choices.

When I made trips from Bangor to Montpelier, I took the route that you%26#39;d get if you Mapquested your drive (via US Route 2 and I-95). This is the shortest route.

However, the Kancamagus Highway is a lovely drive and if you%26#39;ve never taken it, it%26#39;s certainly worth the extra time. And, if you like outlet towns, it%26#39;s hard to beat North Conway. (No sales tax in NH.)

A great ';sight'; not far off either of those two drives is Mount Washington, the highest peak in New England. You can go to the top of the mountain by foot, by a cog railway or via an auto road. IF the weather is clear (so that you could see from the summit) I highly recommend setting aside a couple of hours to take in Mt. Washington.

Just a note. Bonniemaev refers to the Kankamagus Highway from Rte 302. You will want to take Rte 112 from Woodsville, NH. The Kanc is the section of 112 that goes from Lincoln/Woodstock to Conway, but the whole length of 112 is very scenic.

No matter how you map it, the drive from Burlington to Bar Harbor is many hours on winding 2 lane roads, much of it scenic, passing through many small towns which will slow you down. This can be a long and tiresome one day drive, but definitely doable. I would have to gues at 10 hours or so of driving. If you want to see sights along the way, you may want to plan on an overnight. How many days do you plan or want to take? What sights do you want to see?

The fun and adventursomeness of dining along this route will be to identify the local diners and restaurants and take your chances. Many towns will have their local breakfast/linch diner/cafe where you can get a great meal, or highly predictable fare. It all depends. There will also be all kinds of local restaurants and inns serving dinner that can range from American Church Supper style to excellent gourmet. The fun thing about dining in rural New England is that you never know what you%26#39;ll find.

Thanks everyone for the info.

I would be very open to making a two day drive of it and seeing the sights along the way. It looks like there are plenty of interesting little towns to explore.

How about the opposite? How many hours will it take from Bar Harbor to Montpelier along Rte 2? Our vacation will be almost over so we won%26#39;t have time for the longer scenic route via Mt. Washington, etc.

Will we still have a chance to see a moose?