# Maine’s Midcoast peninsulas: Bath to Pemaquid and Owls Head

> 3-day road trip of about 189 km (118 mi) with 8 stops, from Portland to Camden. About 2 h 06 min of driving in total.

Source: https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b20-maine-midcoast/

**At a glance:** 3-day road trip of about 189 km (118 mi) with 8 stops, from Portland to Camden. About 2 h 06 min of driving in total. Down the side roads of Maine’s Midcoast: Bath’s shipyards, Popham Beach, Boothbay Harbor, Pemaquid Point and Owls Head before Camden.

| | |
|---|---|
| Distance | 189 km (118 mi) |
| Driving | 2 h 06 min |
| Suggested days | 3 |
| Stops | 8 |
| Route | Portland → Camden |
| States | ME |
| Updated | April 26, 2026 |

## Route description

US-1 crosses the necks of the Midcoast peninsulas, and the best of this coast lies at the end of the side roads. Leave Portland on I-295 and US-1 north through Freeport to Bath, about 50 minutes, where Bath Iron Works still builds navy destroyers on the Kennebec. The Maine Maritime Museum, just south of downtown, covers the city’s great era of wooden shipbuilding.

ME-209 runs about 25 km down the Phippsburg peninsula to Popham Beach State Park. Walk the wide beach to Fox Island at low tide, but keep an eye on the incoming water, and see the granite Fort Popham at the river mouth nearby. Parking is limited and fills by late morning in July and August. Return to US-1, cross the Kennebec and turn south at Wiscasset onto ME-27 for Boothbay Harbor.

Boothbay Harbor is a busy boating town with puffin and whale-watching cruises in summer, and the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens lie just outside it. Then drive back to US-1 and take ME-129 and ME-130 down the Pemaquid peninsula from Damariscotta, known for its oysters, to Pemaquid Point, where the lighthouse stands above tilted rock ledges.

Continue north on US-1 through Waldoboro and Thomaston to Rockland, home of the Farnsworth Art Museum and a long granite breakwater with a lighthouse at the end, then turn off to Owls Head Light on its bluff over Penobscot Bay. Camden, with its harbor full of windjammers, is 15 minutes further. The route is about 270 km; side roads are narrow and summer weekends are busy, so plan RV parking ahead.

## Stop-by-stop itinerary

1. **Portland** (ME)
2. **Maine Maritime Museum** (Bath, ME): The shipbuilding story of Bath on the Kennebec River, with the historic Percy & Small Shipyard and a full-size steel outline of the schooner Wyoming. Admission is charged; river cruises run in summer.
3. **Popham Beach State Park** (Phippsburg, ME): A long sand beach at the mouth of the Kennebec where you can walk out to Fox Island at low tide; watch the incoming tide. Parking fee; the lot fills by late morning on summer days.
4. **Boothbay Harbor** (ME)
5. **Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens** (Boothbay, ME): Large gardens on the Back River with a children’s garden, the giant wooden troll sculptures of Thomas Dambo and wooded shore trails. Admission is charged; timed tickets in peak season.
6. **Pemaquid Point Lighthouse** (Bristol, ME): An 1835 lighthouse above tilted bands of rock running into the surf, with a small fishermen’s museum in the keeper’s house. Parking fee in season; the ledges are slippery near the waves.
7. **Owls Head Light** (Owls Head, ME): A short 1852 lighthouse on a high bluff over Rockland Harbor and Penobscot Bay, reached by a short path and stairs from the state park lot. Free; the tower is open on some summer days.
8. **Camden** (ME)

## FAQs

**How long is Maine’s Midcoast peninsulas: Bath to Pemaquid and Owls Head?**
3-day road trip of about 189 km (118 mi) with 8 stops, from Portland to Camden. About 2 h 06 min of driving in total.

**How many days do you need for Maine’s Midcoast peninsulas: Bath to Pemaquid and Owls Head?**
We suggest 3 days: about 2 h 06 min of driving, which leaves time for the stops.

**Where does Maine’s Midcoast peninsulas: Bath to Pemaquid and Owls Head start and end?**
It starts in Portland and ends in Camden.

**Which states does Maine’s Midcoast peninsulas: Bath to Pemaquid and Owls Head pass through?**
Maine.