Maine – Lubec and the Bold Coast

Travel Throughout New England with Weekends with Yankee [Logo]( Sponsored by the [Maine Office of Tourism]( [Hero-WWY-Video-Still]( [Maine – Lubec and the Bold Coast]( This video story showcases both the beauty of Downeast Maine and the fascinating mix of people who call it home. We’ll visit the coastal lands of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, then take in the landscape by water with a kayak tour of the region. In addition, we’ll discover how Hugh French and his Tides Institute has leveraged the arts to help rejuvenate his home town and explore downtown Lubec with Glenn Charles, photographer and owner of the acclaimed Cohills Inn. [WATCH NOW]( [Bold Coast Trail in Maine]( The Bold Coast Trail in Maine—a pristine and at times solitary trek along rugged ocean cliffs and through forests of spruce and fir—may be off the beaten path, but when you find it, you won’t soon forget it. [The Bold Coast Trail] The Bold Coast Trail cuts through a forest for 1.5 miles before offering visitors its first impressive vista of the Atlantic and the uninterrupted landscape that awaits them. It was a small lighthouse that eventually guided me back: jutting out into Maine’s Cutler Harbor, a stubby green-and-white tower that served as a reminder that I needed to turn back for home. For three hours I’d been moseying through a patchwork of woods and meadows, tiptoeing close to dazzling rock-walled cliffs and losing myself in the endless expanse of a soft blue Atlantic. It had been some time since I’d even seen another hiker, and, except for the occasional fishing boat laconically crossing the water in the far distance, I seemed to have the entire Gulf of Maine to myself. Washington County–the easternmost county in the United States–can fool you like that. This isn’t a region you casually decide to visit. Up and up you go, way past Portland, past Bar Harbor even, through undiscovered little towns with million-dollar views, before landing just south of the Canadian border. Here, amid all the woods and water, the crush of summer crowds and the parade of traffic are refreshingly absent. But it’s the area’s Bold Coast Trail, a pristine and at times solitary trek along rugged ocean cliffs and through forests of spruce and fir, that offers the best escape. Your wait to hit the trailhead comes down to how fast you can lace up your hiking boots. [Cedar planks line the wooded path] Cedar planks line the wooded path along the island trail near Fairy Head. Photo Credit : Kindra Clineff [Sign-in Sheet] On a weekday, even in summer, the sign-in sheet will have just a few names. Photo Credit : Kindra Clineff [Stairs lead to a campsite at Fairy Head] Since it opened in 1994, the trail has offered something rare in Maine: public access to a long, unbroken stretch of coastline. Photo Credit : Kindra Clineff But it’s the area’s Bold Coast Trail, a pristine and at times solitary trek along rugged ocean cliffs and through forests of spruce and fir, that offers the best escape. Your wait to hit the trailhead comes down to how fast you can lace up your hiking boots. Its isolation is due in part to the fact that the trail isn’t all that old or well known. After decades of ownership and logging by the Hearst Corporation, this 2,200-acre swath of coastal land came under state control in 1989. Five years later, a small band of builders spent the spring and summer months camping and constructing the trail. They cleared forest paths, laid out stone steps that gave access to lookout points, stamped out routes through small fields, and built campsites above the rocky beach. When they were ready, National Guard helicopters delivered the cedar planks that would go to create walkways through the bogs. [Stairs lead to a campsite at Fairy Head] Stairs lead to a campsite at Fairy Head, the approximate halfway point of the 10-mile Bold Coast Trail. Photo Credit : Kindra Clineff [The Bold Coast Trail] A mossy pathway leads to more campsites, which feature only a few necessary amenities. The resulting trail network is laid out like a figure 8: The full loop covers almost ten miles, while the shorter version is just about half that. Neither walk could be classified as easy, but if you’ve got the stamina, the longer one is a worthy goal. For a little more than three and a half miles you follow the coast, soaring above the water in places, finding your footing along the bony beachscape in others. Stopping points abound, from the pink sea rose, lupine, and other wildflowers dotting the land, to the offshoot pathways that lead visitors to the edge of the earth. Below, waves crash into the shore; to the right and the left, slabs of giant rock rise hundreds of feet. Of course, a visit here is a commitment–not just of time but of mindset. The Bold Coast’s beauty lies in its lack of polish. It’s raw and untamed. There are no fences or signs blaring “Caution!” to warn of the dangers its steep cliffs impose. Nature, as it’s found here, hasn’t been groomed or reduced to some pretty painting for visitors to come and gaze at. Instead, the scenes encourage interaction: to pause to smell the wildflowers, to get a little muddy, to work up some sweat, to dangle your feet atop a bluff. It’s a bold idea, indeed, but if you can slow down enough to do it, you may just discover that there are still vacation spots where you truly can still get away. [The Bold Coast Trail] Ambitious hikers can do the full 10-mile loop in a single day, or take their time and set up camp at Fairy Head. Photo Credit : Kindra Clineff SPONSORS Weekends with Yankee is a production of WGBH Boston and Yankee Magazine and is distributed by American Public Television. 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