I biked this in August 2016 as one of two Week-a-Year rides that year. We took the inland route, not the coastal option, and it’s the hilliest part of the East Coast Greenway.
Here’s what was planned … and how it went down.
Sunday: Calais (the border with Canada) to Machias. We’re taking the road option — the Down East Sunrise Trail looks rocky and we’d rather have our road bikes for the hills that come later. 46 miles. How was the Down East Trail? Read here. And yeah, we went to Canada too.
Monday: Machias to Ellsworth. Once again, road over that rocky trail. Thankfully we have the option. This is our long day — 68 miles. I think we stopped in Ellsworth on our first trip to Maine 11 years ago (destination Acadia National Park) — there’s an L.L. Bean outlet in town. Looks like our hotel is a parking lot away. Yes, the hills kept coming!
Tuesday: Ellsworth to Bangor. This is apparently where the hills start. At least it’s just a 42-mile day. Here’s the ride report.
Wednesday: Bangor to Unity. More hills? But just 38 miles. We’re spending the night in a college dorm. We did the same thing at the start of the charity ride I did for Anchor House three years ago (then it was Burlington, Vermont) — here’s the blog about that year. This Maine section turned into a rolling food ride … here’s what you need to know.
Thursday: Unity to Augusta. A 43-mile day, and our hotel at the end has the word “spa” in it. Better pack a swimsuit. We took a few detours … here’s what the day was like.
Friday: Augusta to Lewiston/Auburn. The day includes an event with the Maine Department of Transportation just 2 miles from the start, at a trailhead for the Kennebec River Trail. It’s always great to meet local and state officials and help make the case for the East Coast Greenway. And to say thanks too, of course. It looks like we’ll ride most, if not all, of this 6.5-mile trail. I wonder if there are plans to extend it? We end the 44.5-mile day with a much shorter Riverside Greenway. Here’s the report.
Saturday: Lewiston/Auburn to Portland. We’re ending the ride with another long day — 56.6 miles, with the option of another 3.5 miles for a victory lap with Maine Adaptive Sports. If people with physical disabilities are coming to ride with us, heck yes we can do another 3.5 miles! And we did … read more here.
Exploring by bicycle 