INTRODUCTION:
"Lady Luck" played a starring role in a visit to
Camden, ME in early September 2016. The
place where my wife and I wanted to stay is usually available ONLY when
reservations are made far in advance.
But just on a whim, I telephoned Beloin's-on-the-Maine-Coast
to see if any of their cabins happened to be available within the next few
days. Well, as luck would have it, they had just
received a cancellation within an hour prior to my phone call. I quickly scoffed up the one short-stay vacancy
that was available.
Beloin's
shorefront cabins are set
atop a ledge, overlooking Penobscot Bay.
From the comfort of your cabin, you can listen to the waves, and enjoy
sights such as sunrises, seagulls and lobster boats. The cabins were built many decades ago. They are very clean, but somewhat dated. So, if you prefer more modern accommodations,
then Beloin's might be unsuitable for you.
Regardless, as of the time this blog was written, information about Beloin's (as well as the nearby town of
Camden) could be obtained by clicking HERE.
During our short stay of couple of days, there was quite a wide variety of weather. We experienced
partial sun, mist, rain coupled with a beautiful rainbow, and one morning with
a spectacular sunrise over the bay. And
because our visit was
brief and the weather was unsettled, hiking was limited to a trek to Mt.
Megunticook, and to Bald Rock Mountain. The
trailheads were less than a 15-minute drive from our cabin. Both of these small mountains are located
within Camden Hills State Park where there are over 30 miles of hiking
trails.
PHOTOS:
1) Our Cabin Views:
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| Composite photo showing the lineup of Beloin's waterfront cabins, plus a view of the water from inside our cabin. |
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| Some sunshine |
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| Some mist |
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| A colorful rainbow |
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| A beautiful morning with a spectacular sunrise |
2) Hike to Mt. Megunticook:
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| Map showing my route to Mt. Megunticook. As of time blog was written, a complete hiking trail map of Camden Hills State Park could be viewed by clicking HERE. |
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The summit of Mt. Megunticook is viewless, other than this sign and cairn.
(However, there are terrific views from a huge ledge named "Ocean Lookout", located a short distance SSE of the summit.)
|
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| Upon arrival at "Ocean Lookout", much of the view was partially obscured by an undercast of clouds rolling in off the ocean. However, Camden Harbor was visible (center/right of photo). |
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| Another viewpoint along my route is named Adam's Lookout. From there, I got this misty view looking ENE toward Islesboro, ME. |
3) Hike to Bald Rock Mountain:
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| Map showing my route for hike to Bald Rock Mountain. As of time blog was written, the complete hiking trail map of Camden Hills State Park could be viewed by clicking HERE. |
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| For my trek to Bald Rock Mountain, some early signs of Autumn could be seen while hiking the well-groomed trail to the summit. |
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| The fog/mist completely obscured any distant views from Bald Rock Mountain. However, these overcast conditions seemed to intensify the late summer colors of grasses and bushes on top of the mountain. |
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| Shown here is one of the two shelters atop Bald Rock Mountain. |
~ THE END ~
4 comments:
Hi John,
Thanks for the info on a place to stay up in that region. We always seem to have a hard time finding the "right" place even with the internet being the resource it is. As the kids get older, our portfolio of places that are a good fit increases. I'm going to keep these cabins in mind for our next stay in the Camden/Rockport region.
After looking at the entire map that you posted the link to, I think you chose some great hiking options. You got a nice loop in on Bald Rock and a small loop in around Ocean and Adam's lookout. It's interesting how they put numbers to refer back to a legend for the trail. This must have taken some getting used to as maps are usually laid out with the trail names contouring them.
You have a great photo at the Ocean Lookout even though you can't see the open ocean...Camden Harbor looks inviting all the same. I think you're right about the fall colors too. The overcast does seem to make the colors "pop".
Great report and photos. I can't say that I'm not a little jealous of you guys vacationing in this area...I miss it everyday ;).
Karl
Karl, thanks once again for reading my blog and posting your comments.
We are in total agreement about the Camden/Rockport area being a terrific place for its overall scenic beauty, and for the variety of hiking opportunities in that region.
Regarding the snippets of map (and hyperlink to the full map) that are contained in my posting, this was done mainly because the material is freely available on the Internet. For planning my hikes I actually used the copyrighted “Camden Hiking and Biking Trail Map” published by MapAdventures.com.
And regarding the place where we stayed (Beloin's-on-the-Maine-Coast), unfortunately it’s currently uncertain if this place will be open for business beyond this year. There is a situation within the Beloin family which might cause this place to be closed.
John
What a wonderful trip to Maine, John!
It looks and sounds like this trip had a little bit of everything.
The cabin looks awesome—what a great location. I'm sorry to hear that they might be closed in the near future.
The hikes look like fun, too. Did you know I was in Maine for a week in August? But I didn't get to the Camden/Rockport area. I would love to go back sometime and this post has provided valuable information for areas to explore on my next visit. Thanks!
P.S. I think Maine would be great to visit when all the deciduous trees are decked out in their fall colors.
Hi Rita . . . I appreciate your comments, as always!
Our recent trip to Maine was enjoyable, and yes it did have a little bit of everything, especially in terms of the weather.
No, I had no idea that you were in Maine during a week in August. It’s a beautiful State all year round, but like all of New England, it’s especially gorgeous during the Autumn season.
John
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