One New Englander’s appreciation of the rugged coast of Maine. A photo essay.

Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge, Hollingsworth Trail, Steuben, ME. An easy loop that leads down to Petit Manan Point and Chair Pond Head through birch, fern, sweet pea, and blueberry bushes. A lovely “undiscovered” trail a few miles east of Acadia National Park.

Schoodic Point, Winter Harbor, ME. Our favorite stop, summer or winter, is Acadia National Park on Schoodic Peninsula, just east of Mt. Desert. A recently opened visitor center and new hiking and biking paths make this a great alternative to the summer crowds that throng to the top of Cadillac Mountain every summer. When the surf is up, wave action rivals that of Thunder Hole.

Castine, ME. Sure, Bar Harbor has the shops, restaurants, and people watching. But Castine boasts great antiquing, Dice Head lighthouse, the Wilson Museum, and some of the best crab rolls (Maine style) the state has to offer.

Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME. Cadillac Mountain, The Bubbles, hiking to Great Head, and popovers on the lawn. Don’t miss it. Maine. The way life should be. There’s a marketing slogan with legs.