Bicycling is the perfect way to become immersed in the
sounds, smells, and sights of this magical Maine landscape.
The Bold Coast offers excellent bicycling opportunities for riders of all abilities who enjoy on-road, off-road, trail, or gravel road riding. Low-traffic rural roads and quiet villages provide single and multi-day riding opportunities for cyclists of varying levels and interests, and many sections are family-friendly. Regardless of the type of bike you ride, endless bicycling adventures await you along the Bold Coast.
On-Road Riding
The low-trafficked, low-speed rural roads crisscrossing the region are ideal for exploring by bike. The Bold Coast Scenic Bikeway is a 211-mile, on-road trail that winds along the rugged Atlantic coastline through 23 Bold Coast communities. The trail runs from West Gouldsboro, at the top of the Schoodic Peninsula, to the international border city, Calais.
Explore the BikewayIn Calais, the Bold Coast Scenic Bikeway joins with the northern points of the East Coast Greenway and US Bike Route 1, which extend south to Florida. When combined with the Bold Coast Scenic Bikeway, these interconnected, mapped on-road trails make it easy to plan single- and multi-day riding opportunities throughout the Bold Coast region and beyond. Cyclists carrying valid passports can cross the international border into New Brunswick, Canada from Calais into St. Stephen and from Lubec onto Campobello Island, home to Roosevelt Campobello International Park.
For cyclists interested in doing a point-to-point ride, arrangements can be made for one-way shuttle transport with Sunrise Canoe and Kayak or for bus service with West Bus Service, with scheduled stops in other Bold Coast towns and in Bangor.
In 2016, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine’s annual weeklong BikeMaine tour took place along the Bold Coast and included side trips off of the Bold Coast Scenic Bikeway. Here are links to the detailed route maps, cue sheets, and route digests from BikeMaine 2016 and one rider’s account of her adventure.
Off-Road Riding
For those who prefer off-road riding, the region offers a variety of marked single and double track trails and gravel roads well suited for mountain, gravel and fat bikes.
- Down East Sunrise Trail is an 87-mile, multi-use gravel trail from Ellsworth to Pembroke, with numerous access points and primitive campsites along the route.
- Sipayik Trail is a paved, 1.8-mile trail that hugs the coast of Passamaquoddy Bay.
- Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge allows biking on over 50 miles of gravel roads outside of the designated wilderness areas.
- Machias River Corridor Public Lands offer gravel biking for families and adventurers, with campsites, lodges, and crystal-clear lakes scattered along the way. When in the wild on gravel roads, yield to the occasional logging truck and make sure you are riding on public access roads.
- Sentier Trail, just across the bay in New Brunswick, Canada offers endless options for off-road bicycling routes (don’t forget your passport!)
Family-Friendly Riding
The Bold Coast Scenic Bikeway offers several sections suitable for family riding.
- Schoodic Peninsula, the eastern-most section of Acadia National Park, has a 6-mile, two-lane, one-way paved road providing spectacular on-road riding for children and those less comfortable sharing roads with vehicles – and is an absolute do-not-miss experience even for the most skilled riders. In addition to excellent road riding, Schoodic also offers more than 8 miles of off-road, hard-packed gravel bike paths that unfold across a wooded landscape, and wind past coves frequented by seals.
- Sipayik Trail is a paved, 1.8-mile trail that hugs the coast of Passamaquoddy Bay from Perry to Pleasant Point and provides ideal riding for bicyclists of all abilities.
- Lubec offers family-friendly biking to West Quoddy Head State Park, the easternmost point of the US, and to Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada (with a passport).
- Historic Eastport is a great spot for relaxed family rides to beaches, hiking trails, pier-side fishing, outdoor events, shops, restaurants, galleries, theater, and ice cream.
Low-traffic, low-speed sections of the Bold Coast Scenic Bikeway may be found on this graded route map.
