Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Route 3
runs east from Augusta to Belfast, Bucksport, Ellsworth and on
to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.
Route 4
from the Lewiston
region heads north toward the Western Mountains.
Route 201
, which heads north from Waterville toward the remote
Jackman region, is a busy road for people coming and going to Quebec.
Other good north-south roads include
Route 15
from Bangor to
Greenville and
US 1
, the main road from Houlton north to Presque Isle,
Caribou and Fort Kent.
Billboards
One thing you won't find in Maine are billboards. Off-premise
signs are limited to a single, wide, short standardized design.
Most places that cater to tourists will have such signs near key
intersections as you near your destination. In many communi-
ties, signs at individual businesses are also regulated. No large
signs are allowed in the state highway right-of-way.
From Bangor, the best way to get to
Acadia National Park
is to take
Exit 45 off I-95 and head south on 395. The divided highway ends in
Brewer but it is only another 40 miles or so south through Ellsworth on
Route 1A to the coast.
Ellsworth
is the crossroads Down East, with
Routes 1 and 3 intersecting (Route 3 heads to Mount Desert Island while
US 1 continues along the coast further east to the towns of Machias,
Lubec and Eastport).
Debate is currently raging in Maine about establishing an official east-
west highway. Currently, there is no such route, so a patchwork of two-
lane roads will have to do.
Route 2
heads West from Bangor to Bethel and can be accessed from
Route 201 or from Pittsfield.
From Brewer,
Route 9
, also known as the Airline, winds through long,
lonely miles on its way to the Canadian border at Calais. This road has
been slowly improved with wide, smooth sections interspersed with older
sections where sharp turns and the lack of paved shoulders make driving
an adventure.
