Driving Route Suggestions

My wife and I are headed to Bar Harbor from NY metro area on Sunday July 1st. Staying for the entire week and looking forward to it. My question is should we stay on I-95 all the way up to Bangor and then get on local roads to Bar Harbor or is there a more scenic route that will not take an extra few hours considering we will have been in the car for a few hours already.

The map makes it look like getting on Route 3 at Augusta is a similar route on slower roads. I am curoius just how slow and how much more time that might add to our trip. And are the views worth it along that route.

Other route suggestions ar welcomed. Thanks in advance for any responses!

Driving Route Suggestions

Both routes (I-95 to Bangor and Rte 3 from Augusta) time out about the same per Mapquest.

The traffic on either route is unpredictable but may not be *too* bad on Sunday...figuring that most people will get away Fri night or Sat.

The Route 3 option from Augusta gives you a perspective of coastal living (and yes the views are worth it) that you will not see if only visit MDI/Bar Harbor. Route 3 may look much slower than the Turnpike but is in fact a major artery to/from the mid-coast to Augusta.

Whichever you decide, don%26#39;t forget, from Portland take I-295 to terminus at I-95 in Gardiner/Litchfield. That will save some time (versus I-95 Portland-Augusta) as shortest distance is a straight line.

Driving Route Suggestions

First, it is likely to be fairly congested from Boston on north and east.

As a reference, let%26#39;s consider the drive from Portland (in general terms, where your interstate/coastal alternatives begin) to Bar Harbor. Portland to Bar Harbor is roughly three hours: about two hours to Bangor, another hour plus a little to Mount Desert Island and Bar Harbor. There are many places where you can move away from I-95 and take Rtes. 1 %26amp; 3, once you get a bit north of Portland (one of the earliest of which is Freeport). Any of these will add at least an hour to your travel time.

As to scenery: it is a personal opinion, but to me, the scenery doesn%26#39;t substantially improve until you get east of Camden. Camden is a pretty village with a picturesque harbor, but alas, with execrable traffic in the busy season. The cutoff from near Augusta to the coast wil bring you to Belfast; from there on via Rtes. 1 %26amp; 3 to Ellsworth and MDI allows you views of the ocean and shore, the new Penobscot Narrows Bridge at Verona Island/Bucksport, and as you approach Ellsworth, distant views of MDI and its mountains.

A lot depends, obviously, on your personal fatigue factor in driving. The coastal route (Rtes. 1 %26amp;3), wherever entered will at times be slow-going as you pass through the centers or edges of many of the towns along the way. The interstate, from north of the Brunswick/Bath area is also very scenic in a ';north woods'; sort of way---and as one who travelled the interstates in your area for many years, considerably more scenic and less cluttered (we don%26#39;t allow billboards).

I always use route 3. In fact, I%26#39;ll be using it the day before you. The traffic moves along nicely, not at 80mph but usually 50 - 60 (not sure about the posted speed limit). Traffic should not be an issue once you are past Portland. I don%26#39;t think route 3 adds to your time. The drive is fairly scenic with mountains, lakes and coast at the end.

My parents made this trip every summer from Pennsylvania and I think they had to take coastal route 1 because 95 had not been finished. Imagine 4 kids,before the days of ipods and dvd players, in the car for that long.

Maybe I%26#39;ll see you on the trails.