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Downeast Maine is an incredible place, and there's really something special in the specific area within the region called The Bold Coast. It's a corner of the state that blends right into New Brunswick, Canada, the entrance to the Bay of Fundy, and is home to the highest tides on Earth.
You can also find one of the world's largest whirlpools there along with the easternmost point of all 50 U.S. states, excluding a weird part of Alaska.
It's the perfect place to let your mind shut off and zone out while you stare at the water, some whales or a stunning vista — or eight. And if you're a fan of lighthouses… well, buckle up.
In 2017, a small team at NEWS CENTER Maine planned a Maine road trip to top all road trips. The result is Maine by the Mile, a seven-part series highlighting unique places in Maine that aren’t the first ones you’ll find in guidebooks but are definitely worth checking out.
Welcome to The Bold Coast.
(app users: Maine by the Mile: E3 'The Bold Coast')
Fast facts ✓
- Lubec is the easternmost town in the contiguous U.S.
- West Quoddy Head Light, first constructed in 1808, was featured on a 1990 USPS stamp
- Early settler Hopley Yeaton is regarded as the "Father of the Coast Guard"
- Swindlers in 1890s claimed to have discovered a way to get gold from seawater
- The Bold Coast Hiking Trail runs about a mile and a half through reserve lands
- Cutler Coast Public Lands features 12,300 acres and 4.5 miles overlooking the Bay of Fundy
- Navy radio station VLF Transmitter Cutler is one of the most powerful in the world
- Little River Light Station, constructed in 1846, is one of Maine's only iron lighthouses
Episode locations 📍
- Little River Light Station (Little River Island)
- West Quoddy Head Light (Lubec)
- Water Street Tavern Inn & B&B (Lubec)
- Becky's Seafood (Lubec)
- Downtown Lubec and docks
Road trip gallery 📸
PHOTOS: Maine by the Mile | E3 - The Bold Coast
(app users: Photos: Maine by the Mile | E3 - The Bold Coast)
Get there from here
By car 🚗:
- From western Maine, head east on Routes 4, 27 and 2 or head south then east on Routes 201, 16, 151 and 152 to Palmyra, join I-95 north in Newport, transfer to I-395 east and Route 1A east, turn left onto Route 46 north in East Holden, turn right onto Route 9 east in East Eddington, turn right onto Route 192 south in Wesley, turn left onto Route 1 north in Hoyttown and continue to either Cutler via Route 191 or Lubec via Route 189
- From southern Maine, head north on I-95 to exit 182A in Bangor, transfer to I-395 east and Route 1A east, turn left onto Route 46 north in East Holden, turn right onto Route 9 east in East Eddington, turn right onto Route 192 south in Wesley, turn left onto Route 1 north in Hoyttown and continue to either Cutler via Route 191 or Lubec via Route 189
- From northern Maine, head south on Route 11 or Route 1 to Houlton then Princeton on Route 1 and continue on to either Lubec via Routes 191, 214, 1 and 189 or Cutler via Route 191
By bus 🚌:
- Regionally, West Transportation (or West Bus Service) provides connections to Downeast with Bangor International Airport (BGR) and Concord Coach Lines in Bangor, including Calais, Perry, Pembroke, Dennysville, Whiting, Lubec, East Machias, Machias, Jonesboro, Jonesport, Beals, Addison, Cherryfield, Columbia, Columbia Falls, Harrington and several other seasonal and Bangor area locations
- Locally in Lubec, the Peninsula Connector is a reservation-only service in partnership with West Transportation that provides rides from Whiting Corner to communities in the Lubec area
By plane ✈:
- Cutler Regional Airport (FAA LID: ME2) is a public use airport managed by Andrew Patterson (207-259-4484), about four miles northwest of Little River Island
- Lubec Municipal Airport (FAA LID: 65B) is located along Route 189 near the Lubec village of Ridge
- Eastport Municipal Airport (FAA LID: EPM) is a city-owned airport just north of Lubec and managed by Steve Trieber (207-853-6060)
By train 🚆:
- No service available
