Biking in New England: 3 scenic routes that will wow you

Blue Hill, Maine: 40 miles

Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park get the press, but the Blue Hill Peninsula on Maine’s beautiful midcoast offers prime cycling on country roads, with ocean views and picturesque villages.

The loop starts south of Blue Hill’s quaint town center, and offers gently rolling hills and the backdrop of glittering Blue Hill Bay. My friend Bruce McDougal and I started on Parker Point Road and headed south. Take care and wear high-visibility clothing because the road doesn’t have a wide shoulder. Blue Hill Harbor is on the left, with pleasure boats swinging on their moorings. A couple of miles out, we crossed the first of three bridges where the tide rushes in beneath the bridge. 

We rode past saltwater farms, oceanfront estates, and lobstermen’s homes with traps stacked high. Nine miles in, Cadillac Mountain, Acadia’s showcase peak, came into view across the bay. I had to remind myself to stop gawking at the view and pay attention to the road. 

Slipping down the peninsula, we dropped off the main road and headed for the sea. On Flye Point Road, we passed a boulder-strewn blueberry barren with the bay sparkling on both sides. At Naskeag Point, lobstermen unloaded their catches on the stone pier. We met a sea-urchin diver stepping off his boat. The wind had stirred up the bottom, he said, causing poor visibility and slim urchin pickings. He shrugged. “We’ll be back out there tomorrow.”

We pedaled down to Brooklin Boat Yard to look at a gleaming, newly launched sailing yacht, then rolled down to the renowned Wooden Boat School, where boat builders were honing their craft. After a stop to gaze on shimmering Eggemoggin Reach, it was back up the road, with crushed seashells crunching under our tires.

Where to stay in Blue Hill

The historic Blue Hill Inn sits among other white-clapboard Federal period buildings in the heart of the village. Rates start at $175. 207-374-2844; bluehillinn.com.

Barton and Westmore, Vermont: 30 miles

I picked this route because of Lake Willoughby, a glacial lake outside Barton in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. At Barton’s Crystal Lake State Park, the entrance fee was $4 and the park ranger was cheerily helpful. “I’m just here to ride around the lakes,” I said.

“Yeah, lots of people do that,” she responded. “What a great day for it. Enjoy!”

The park is the staging area for this ride, which skirts Crystal Lake (Willoughby’s smaller cousin). Country roads thread between Vermont hills, leading eventually to the public beach at the north end of Lake Willoughby, a bucolic sight that had me thinking I was riding back in time. 

Thousands of years back, in fact, to when a glacier gouged out this long, narrow, 300-foot-deep lake. Sheer stone cliffs mark the shoreline, and Mounts Hor and Pisgah flank the lake. On the 5-mile lakeshore stretch, I mused on geology and the forces that shaped this dramatic landscape. The ride on the paved road is mostly a fast descent, but I found myself coasting, even braking, trying to make this part of the journey last.

The West Burke village awaits beyond the lake. The loop continued on US Route 5, but after a few miles of choppy pavement, I turned around to get a second look at beautiful Lake Willoughby. It was worth the climb, as I had another chance to see the lakeside cliffs and wave to hikers headed for the Mount Pisgah trail. The afternoon ride ended with a downhill coast back to Crystal Lake State Park.

Where to stay in Westmore

Willough Vale Inn and Cottages is on Lake Willoughby’s shore. Rates start at $109 for the inn and $219 for a lakefront cottage. 802-525-4123; willoughvale.com.

Lancaster, New Hampshire: 35 miles

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