Maine Summer Holiday: Moose, Kayaks, Blueberries and More

Gravel biking, moose spotting, kayaking under the stars and tucking into fresh lobster: Maine packs a lot into a summer. It draws smaller crowds than the more famous East Coast beach spots, and the numbers are impressive.

The Pine Tree State has 3,500 miles of coastline and more than 600,000 acres of state and national park wilderness. It also supplies 82% of America’s lobster and 99% of its wild blueberries. A Maine summer holiday is ideal if you like your trips outdoors and your food local.

A Maine summer holiday on two wheels

The Carriage Roads of Acadia National Park are among the best cycling trails in the north-east of the USA, and rail-trails and mapped gravel routes make the state a natural fit for gravel biking. The Appalachian Mountain Club runs Maine Gravel Biking Weekends from two of its lodges, Medawisla and Gorman Chairback, for riders of all levels. The next dates are 31 July to 2 August, 18 to 20 September and 2 to 4 October, in 2026.

Prefer climbing? Acadia’s Otter Cliffs have pitches starting right at the surf line, with local guides on hand. In the Camden Hills, guided climbs and classes are available on some of the best granite on the Midcoast.

For more on the area, see this guide to biking in Acadia National Park.

Moose safaris

Maine is home to around 75,000 moose. The best times to see them are mid-May to July and early autumn, with the highest numbers in the Western Lakes and Mountains, the Kennebec Valley, the Maine Highlands and Aroostook County.

On a guided safari at dawn or dusk in peak season, you might see up to 20 in one outing. Guides know where to look and share plenty about the animals.

A festival in the North Woods

The 20th Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail Festival takes place around Greenville on Moosehead Lake from 22 to 27 July 2026. It honours the Wabanaki people and Henry David Thoreau’s three trips into the North Woods, under the theme Living in the Landscape.

• A mindfulness walk and a foraging walk
• An ecological walk
• A birch bark canoe exhibition
• Workshops on bears and on living in the landscape
• A screening of a new Ken Burns film on Thoreau

Out on the water

Maine is a paddler’s dream. You can explore ocean bays, harbours and tidal rivers, the 92-mile Allagash Wilderness Waterway, or the 375-mile Maine Island Trail, America’s oldest recreational water trail. Outfitters along the coast offer half-day, full-day and overnight trips.

Castine’s Harbor, near Acadia, is a bioluminescent bay where glow-in-the-dark plankton light up with every paddle stroke. Night kayak tours run on moonless nights. Dates in 2026 include 2 to 16 July, 1 to 15 August, 31 August to 14 September and 29 September to 13 October.

For something grander, try a windjammer. These historic sailing schooners visit fishing villages, islands and lighthouses, and you may see whales, seals and puffins. Guests can help raise the sails, haul up the anchor or even take the helm.

Eating your way round

Local food is central to Maine’s identity. Browse farmers’ markets, learn to shuck oysters at one of the state’s 150 oyster farms or grab a lobster roll at a coastal shack.

The sixth annual Wild Blueberry Weekend runs on 1 and 2 August 2026. Wild blueberries are harvested only once a year in late summer, so it is a rare chance to see the harvest first-hand and support local growers.