Sensational spots for selfies in Northern New England

Nearly everywhere you turn in Northern New England, you’ll find picture-perfect settings. But when you want to rack up the Instagram likes, you’ll want photo ops that turn everyday selfies into keepsakes. Even at arm’s length, the locations on our list allow you to frame yourself amid scenes that are as New England as it gets.

Before you go, some advice: To capture the best angles, tote along a tripod or trust a travel companion to press the shutter button.

Atop the summit of South Bubble (one of a pair of rounded little peaks in Acadia National Park), there’s a wicked huge boulder—a glacial erratic, technically—that dangles as if it might plummet from its perch at any second. Yet this out-of-place hunk of white granite has stood in this spot about 11,000 years before selfies became a thing.

Hikers love to photograph themselves lunging as if they’re pushing Maine's best-known rock off the mountaintop or pretending to hoist or shoulder its weight. Sit in the foreground, and you can also snap yourself balancing this beast of a boulder in the palm of your hand.

From the Bubbles Divide Trailhead parking lot on Park Loop Road, it’s a well-marked, moderate hike of about 0.7 miles one way. Consult a map and exercise caution.

No matter how you get to the top of this coastal peak—whether by climbing the moderate, half-mile Mount Battie Trail or driving the auto road in Camden Hills State Park—two photogenic backdrops await at the summit. To the east are views of the tall masts in Camden Harbor and the “three islands in a bay” immortalized in Maine poet Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Renascence.”

Central to the summit is an enchanting stone tower built in 1921. Its archways, stairs, and observation deck make a regal portrait setting, particularly when autumn crowns the mountain in copper and gold.

With its wood-plank, white-railing ramp that leads the eye straight to the door of this 1857 beacon, Marshall Point Lighthouse is a dream setting for self-portraits. Dress in shades of white and blue—maybe with a pop of red—for shots that coordinate beautifully with this seascape of rocky shore, saltwater, and treed islands. If the lighthouse looks vaguely familiar, you may recognize it from the scene in the movie Forrest Gump where Tom Hanks’ character runs to the Atlantic Ocean.

Iconic Maine retailer L.L.Bean has dressed up its flagship store on Main Street in Freeport with photo ops, and none is more over-the-top than the 16-foot-tall Bean Boot outside the main entry doors. It would fit a giant with size 410 feet, but he might be hopping mad that it’s missing its match.

The highway-worthy Bootmobile is often parked outside, too, if it’s not trekking across the country. Inside the store, you can pose with fish that populate the aquarium or with taxidermied wildlife, including a rare and storied pair of battling bull moose, their horns locked in perpetuity.

Drive north from Colebrook on State Route 145, and you’ll happen upon Beaver Brook Falls; it sneaks up on the right. The dramatic waterfall’s location—practically roadside with a grassy picnic area in front—makes it one of the easiest New England places to photograph yourself with cascading water for a backdrop. In winter, this northerly waterfall often freezes in motion, inspiring selfie seekers to bundle up for shots with what looks like a frozen fortress.

After you get your shot, continue north on SR 145 to the Clarksville Road intersection in Clarksville, and you’ll encounter another popular selfie spot: the historical marker designating the 45th parallel, halfway between the North Pole and the equator. A bonus: This is prime moose country, so you may get a chance to photograph one of these magnificent creatures from a safe distance.

As covered bridges began to dot the New England landscape in the 19th century, they developed a reputation as “kissing bridges,” where courting couples could steal an undercover smooch. Of all the surviving bridges in the region, none has more romantic allure than the red-painted Honeymoon Bridge at the entrance to Jackson.

Snap pics not only in front of the bridge but also along the pedestrian walkway inside; its wood trusses make a dramatic geometric backdrop. Selfies shot here are extra sweet when springtime tulips bloom nearby or on holiday-season eves when the bridge glows with icicle lights.

Owned and maintained by New Hampshire’s smallest town, Great Island Common is a seaside park with a work of sculptural art that’s missing one thing: you! This steel rectangle and silhouette of an artist poised with a paintbrush frames the ever-changing view of rocks, ocean, sailboats, and the Whaleback Lighthouse.

Visitors are encouraged to step into the frame for keepsake coastal portraits. Crafted by local artists Walter Liff and Margaret French, the piece is titled Beauty, the Common Denominator. It’s a reminder that we all are selfie-worthy works of art.

The scent of fresh-squished apples and cider doughnuts wafts out the front door at this vintage mill in central Vermont, as visitors find plenty of props for photo poses. There’s an antique press and an apple bin photo stand-in that allows you to snap precious pics of the little apple of your eye.

In the fall, a parade of pumpkins and mums brightens your shots. For the best photo op, though, head to the back of the parking lot, where you’ll discover an oh-so-Vermonty scene of mountain silhouettes, a solar array, and a rusty, old International pickup truck in the most photogenic shade of blue.

Vermont’s first state park is a pinnacle place to shoot selfies against a panorama of Lake Champlain and the skyscraping Adirondack Mountains. There are two ways to reach the summit of Mount Philo: a 1-mile paved hiking trail or the driveable summit access road. Bring your leashed dog along for family portraits.

This is one of Vermont’s best bets for glorious sunsets, so if you time your ascent right, you’ll come away with photos featuring nature’s display of glitter on the water and a cloud-streaked purple and peach sky.

Find Kim Knox Beckius on Instagram and Facebook @everythingnewengland and tag her and @aaa_nne in your best shots. Read more of Kim's articles: Pet-friendly resorts in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire and Drives with awesome views.