Sugarloaf Outdoor Center

With most public campgrounds booked up and private campgrounds very expensive, the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center made a great overnight stop for us. The Outdoor Center offers ice skating, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and fat tire bike riding in the winter, In the summer the trails are open and free for mountain bikers. The Center has restrooms, showers, a restaurant, and a bike shop.

The overnight parking is a courtesy for mountain bikers but it's okay for travelers passing through to stay too. The lower lot is very large and quiet. Center  45.07951, -70.29691

Stanley Museum

The Stanley twins, Francis Edgar and Freelan Oscar (shortened to F.E. and F.O.), are known for designing and manufacturing Stanley Steamers, but the cars were more of a hobby than a successful business. Even so about 11,000 cars were built from 1902 to 1924. Money was not a concern for the twins as they had invented and patented a dry plate coating machine for glass negatives. Dry plates require less exposure to light and are easier to transport than wet plates. The Stanley Dry Plate Company, after 14 years in business, was grossing nearly a million dollar a year before being  bought by Eastman Kodak in 1903.

The museum is small, just two rooms with 5 or 6 cars, some which are driven regularly for shows and parades. There are also many photographs, informative signs, and docents ready to answer questions.

The interior of the museum is accessible but there isn't a ramp at the entrance. We drove around to the back and asked about the ramp that is used to take the cars in and out. The docent opened the doors and we were able to use the ramp to enter. This ramp is very steep and dangerous so assistance is necessary and it should not be used by anyone unsure of their strength and ability.

RVs can be parked in the front lot or in the rear of the museum. Museum  44.95542, -70.15501

Belfast Harbor Walk and Rail Trail

The Harbor Walk follows along the Passagassawakeag River, through downtown Belfast, and past many ship yards and docks. There's even a small beach for swimmers. It's only .8 miles long but joins the rail trail for an addition two miles.

The Harbor Trail is level and paved. The rail trail is level too but surfaced with gravel. Both trails are accessible.

We parked at the Belfast Boathouse lot at the south end of the Harbor Trail. The lot is large enough for 30' RVs.  Longer RVs may be parked on the side streets. Harbor Walk  Rail Trail 44.42571, -69.00056

Orono Bog Boardwalk

The boardwalk makes a mile loop through the extraordinary environment of a peat bog. The peat built up over thousands of years and is 25' deep in some places. The soil is acidic and lacking in minerals which stunts plant growth but moss and pitcher plants thrive.

         

The boardwalk starts in the southeast corner of the Rolland F. Perry City Forest and the miles of interconnecting roads and trail that wind through the forest open up opportunities for longer walks. We went north on the East-West Loop Trail to point 3 and crossed over to Tripp Road and went south to point K and then back to the parking lot on the East-West Trail. The trails and roads are in good condition and we would have gone farther if we had more time.

The boardwalk is accessible. The roads and improved trails are fairly smooth and easy to roll along but there are sections that are a bit bumpy due to rocks.

Short RVs will fit in the bog trail parking lot. Larger RVs can be parked in the wide spot of the road a few hundred feet before the parking lot.  Bog Walk  44.86274, -68.72856

Penobscot River Walkway

At less than 1/2 mile in length, this trail isn't worth going out of your way for.  It follows alongside the Penobscot River and is paved and accessible.

The parking lot is large enough for RVs if pulled through the spaces or backed up over the grass.Walkway  44.79545, -68.77051

Zillman Art Museum

Changing exhibits of modern and contemporary art are on display in this small museum. The hyper-realistic self portraits by artist Nick Sider are amazing. Make sure to visit both floors.

The museum is accessible.

The parking lot is too small for RVs but Harlow Street (the most level street near the museum) has 1 hour parking spaces which is plenty of time to see the museum.  Museum  44.80286, -68.77043

 

Penobscot Marine Museum

The museum, in Searsport, Maine, consists of thirteen buildings on Church Street and the admissions building one block west on Knox Brothers Ave. Searsport is the second largest deep-water port in Maine and was a center of shipbuilding in the 19th century. Products shipped to and from the town included potatoes, coal, lumber, fertilizer, and newsprint. It's still an active port today transporting oil, coke, coal, salt, sand, and other commodities. The buildings and exhibits portray a 19th-century seafaring village. Three or four of the buildings house different types of working and pleasure boats.

A halfhearted attempt has been made at wheelchair accessibility. Even the buildings with ramps have obstacles such as high thresholds or grass and gravel that must be navigated through. The admissions building and the education center which has games and fun activities for children are the most accessible. Two accessible parking spaces are located on Church Street.

The parking lot is large enough for RVs. Museum  44.45948, -68.92482

Maine State House

We try to visit the capitol buildings when we're in a state capital because they are often beautiful buildings and have interesting tidbits of the state history. Maine's state capitol building is underwhelming. The interior is rather plain and there aren't any exhibits. Portraits of the former governors line the hallways and the House and Senate chambers are open to peek in but that's about it. Maybe we should have visited during the week when guided tours are held.

The accessible entrance is on the west side of the building. Elevators access all of the floors except for the rotunda.

 

There are accessible parking spaces in the lot between the Burton Cross Office Building (government offices) and the State Building. Small RVs will fit. Larger RVs can be parked in the public lots to the west of the Cross Buildings but the last block up to the capitol is steep. State House  44.30732, -69.78401

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

This is a fairly new garden, opened in 2007, the dream of seven local residents who used their own homes as collateral to get the garden started. The planned gardens, featuring native Maine plants and other plants suited to the climate, make up a small portion of the garden. The rest has been left in a natural state. Five giant trolls, created by artist Thomas Dambo of salvaged wood, are hidden in the gardens and forest for visitors to discover.

The planned gardens are accessible except for the rhododendron garden which is hilly. The paths are crushed stone and fairly easy to push along. The craft and reading shed in the Children's Garden does not have a ramp. All of the trails marked in brown on the garden map are narrow and hilly with roots and rocks and are not accessible. The Haney Hillside trail which leads to the Shoreland trail is long and steep with many switchbacks. It may be doable with a strong helper. Birch Alley and Landing Trail also lead to the Shoreland Trail. This route descends to the river over a longer distance so it's not as steep but still impossible without assistance. The landing is not accessible. The carts used for guided tours (additional fee) are not wheelchair accessible. The shuttles (free) are not wheelchair accessible either.

There isn't designated RV parking. During busy season it may be necessary to park in the far lots which are quite a distance from the entrance and at the top of a hill. 43.87131, -69.65921  Garden