Day-Tripping to Upland Maine from Bar Harbor?

Is it possible to take a day-trip from Bar Harbor to Upland Maine like Moosehead Lake or Baxter State Park? How much distance are we talking? Also, does anybody know of any pet-friendly lodging preferably a 2 bedroom or more cabin/cottage? Also, that is close to 1000 dollars a week or less? I orginally planned on staying 5 nights in Bar Harbor and 2 nights in Central (upland maine) somewhere like Moosehead Lake. But, now I am realizing that most of the cabins are per week instead of per night. Or are cheaper per week than per night. So, if I can take a day-trip up to moosehead or baxter and it is a reasinble distance, I will spend the whole week in Bar Harbor. Eitherwise, back to the drawing board.

Thanks-

PS: If central maine is not too far for a daytrip from Bar Harbor, how can I make the best of it?

Day-Tripping to Upland Maine from Bar Harbor?

I say don%26#39;t do it. At least not in one day.

I defer to Mapquest, which says Bar Harbor to Moosehead is three hours each way. Now on Bar Harbor to Baxter they have four and a half, but they have you going to the North entrance, not the south entrance which is closer. Still, it%26#39;s an incredible haul and the last hour or so is very slow going. (Once you get to Millinocket you still have such a long way to go. And, once you get INSIDE Baxter State Park, it%26#39;s probably another 30 minutes before you get to your destination, perhaps Sandy Stream pond? (The problem is the park has dirt tote roads where the speed limit of 20 or so miles an hour isn%26#39;t too hard to heed because the roads are so rutted with potholes that you simply can%26#39;t go any faster! )

If you tried to do either, would be a grueling day. My guess would be you%26#39;d hit town and start making plans to turn back around.

If you can rent a place in Bar Harbor by the week and get a good rate, maybe you can afford to not use one of those nights. Or, maybe you%26#39;d consider five nights in Bar Harbor and two elsewhere.

Moosehead and Baxter are so pretty at sunset, it would be a shame not to be there at a sunset. And it would be a shame to drive that far and really not see the area.

Be advised that Baxter State Park has daily limits on users and if you drive up and the daily limit has been met, you will be turned away unless you have a reservation for a cabin or campsite inside the park.

Also, if you want to stay inside Baxter, you have to have a reservation and you bring everything, There is no electricity, no running water, and very few cabins, which are usually all booked. So, unless you want to haul all that extra gear (f you aren%26#39;t already camping at Bar Harbor), either stay somewhere outside the park or pick Moosehead instead.

My suggestion--forget Baxter and think if you want to split your trip and stay in Moosehead a night or two.

Day-Tripping to Upland Maine from Bar Harbor?

P.S. ';Central'; Maine is roughly Augusta, Waterville, Skowhegan. VisitMaine.com calls the Bangor-North area ';Highlands'; but I haven%26#39;t heard any self-respecting Maine folks using that terms.

Most Mainers will lump that general Baxter to Moosehead area and the woods immediately to the north under the term ';North Woods.'; And, the area far north and east of that is all one very big county, Aroostook County, http://www.visitaroostook.com/ which most Mainers refer to as ';The County.';

Don%26#39;t ask me why something that is really sort of it the middle is called the ';North'; Woods. Could be because it%26#39;s north of where the majority of the Maine population is?

Is 5 nights enough for bar harbor and Acadia NP? Including Scoodic. And Isle au Haut if time premits. And also my friend owns a house in Jonesport. I would like to visit him one day, but probably not for the whole day. Is it enough time to do that plus see the mount desert island along with some hikes? I guess it isn%26#39;t a big park.

Thanks-

P.S. Is moosehead lake considered the north woods? Can you get to Baxter from Moosehead? is it really far?

Thanks-

Our family camps on MDI for two weeks every July and it is never enough time! We always leave sadly with a long list of adventures for the next year. However, we do take one day and drive north to Millinocket to get a flavor of the North Woods. It is about a 2 hour + drive, easy and on highways. Once in Millinocket it is possible to see moose (we saw one on the shoulder of the road as we were entering the town). We also go a little further and drive on the Golden Road, take a short hike on the AT, and have a picnic at the Cribworks on the W. branch of the Penobscot and watch the crazy kayakers and rafters pass through. It IS a full day, but it is fun and different to see that part of the state. There is alot more to do there if you have the time, and Moosehead Lake(west of Millinocket and not possible during this day trip) has float-plane rides to take and also a boat ride (the Katahdin) to tour the lake. You can%26#39;t go wrong anywhere you go, it just depends what you want to see and what your interests are.

Does the moosehead lake area have any good hiking? Is it a good place to see moose or the millinoket area better? My main interest is hiking with good scenery. I am considering 5 nights Bar Harbor and 2 nights Greenville (Moosehead Lake). Can you see Mount Katahin from Moosehead Lake? That is one of my goals is to just see it. Baxter State Park is probably not for me with no paved roads, I don%26#39;t want to mess up my new car. Plus, if you need to hike 8 miles to see something. But, I wouldn%26#39;t mind driving through that area on the Golden Road, which I believe is paved? How far is millinocket and Baxter from Greenville? Also, 5 nights enough to see the highlights of Acadia National Park (Mount Desert Island), some hikes (a lot of the hikes are short), and Scoodic?

Thanks-

I don%26#39;t know much about hiking around Moosehead Lake but I%26#39;m sure that a Maine hiking guide could advise you. We%26#39;ve seen moose both around Greenville and Rockwood and also in Millinocket and on the Golden Rd. The AT passes through that area on it%26#39;s way to Katahdin and there are some nice short hikes you could do there (out and back, like Abol Falls). Your best bet for determining distances would be to get a copy of DeLorme%26#39;s Atlas, we%26#39;ve found it very helpful while touring around the state.

As far as 5 nights being enough in Acadia, for us there is never enough time! You could get a pretty good overview of the park and do a different hike every day which woulc give you a nice sampling of the area. Many previous posters have reviewed various hikes in the park, I%26#39;ve found that to be very helpful in deciding which ones to do.

asdaven,

A word of caution on the Golden Road. Portions of it are paved (i.e. from Millinocket up to at least Chesuncook Lake) but I know portions of it are unpaved.

Is Mount Kathahin close to Moosehead Lake? Can you see it from Moosehead Lake? How far is Millinocket from Greenville? Is Greenville and Moosehead Lake considered the north woods?

Thanks-

One more question- Should I forget about Moosehead and head for the white mountains instead for two nights? Like North Conway,NH. That would get me closer to home. Can%26#39;t you see moose there? What area is prettier, moosehead or the white mountains? I am definetely doing Bar Harbor for at least 5 nights.