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It was a small lighthouse that eventually guided me back: jutting out into Cutler Harbor, a stubby green-and-white tower that served as a reminder it was time to turn for home. For hours I’d been moseying through a patchwork of woods and meadows, edging close to dazzling rock-walled cliffs, and losing myself in the endless expanse of a soft blue Atlantic. It had been a good long while since I’d even seen another hiker, and, except for the occasional fishing boat in the far distance, I seemed to have the entire Gulf of Maine to myself. 

Washington County—the easternmost county in the U.S.—can fool you like that. Up and up you go, way past Portland, past Bar Harbor, through undiscovered little towns with million-dollar views, before landing just south of the Canadian border. Here, amid all the woods and water, the crowds seem far away. 

But it’s the area’s Bold Coast Trail, a pristine and at times solitary trek along rugged ocean cliffs and through forests of spruce and fir, that offers a walk you may never forget. The trail is some three decades old, and when you find it, you feel as though it’s your own secret. After decades of private ownership and logging, this 2,200-acre swath of coastal land came under state control in 1989. Five years later, a small band of builders cleared forest paths, laid out stone steps that gave access to lookout points, and built campsites above the rocky beach. When they were ready, National Guard helicoptered cedar planks for walkways through the bogs. 

Today, Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land encompasses over 12,000 acres, and its trail network is laid out like a figure eight: The full loop covers almost 10 miles, while the shorter version is about half that. If you’ve got the stamina, the longer one is a worthy goal. For roughly three and a half miles you follow the coast—soaring above the water in places, finding your footing along the bony beachscape in others. Stopping points abound, from the clusters of pink sea roses, lupines, and other wildflowers dotting the land, to the pathways that lead visitors to the edge of the earth. Below, waves crash onto the shore; to the right and the left, slabs of giant rock rise hundreds of feet.

A visit here is a commitment—not just of time, but of mindset. The Bold Coast’s beauty lies in its lack of polish. It’s raw and untamed. Nature, as it’s found here, hasn’t been reduced to some pretty painting for visitors to come and gaze at. Instead, it encourages interaction: to work up a sweat, to get a little muddy, to dangle your feet atop a bluff. It’s a bold idea, indeed, but if you can slow down enough to do it, you just might discover that there are still some places where you truly can get away. —Ian Aldrich

Off the Beaten Path

4 more Maine hiking destinations that offer memorable escapes.

Deboullie Public Land: Heed the call of the backcountry in northernmost Maine, where a 30-mile trail network winds past crystalline ponds and low-slung mountains amid nearly 22,000 forested acres. Remote campsites are scattered throughout, allowing for multiday exploring.

Nahmakanta Public Land: Spanning 43,000 acres in the heart of the 100-Mile Wilderness—one of the last great tracts of uninterrupted forest in the Northeast—this backpackers’ paradise includes a stretch of the fabled Appalachian Trail and one of New England’s highest waterfalls. 

Monhegan Island: Located 10 miles out to sea, Monhegan is beloved by artists for its tranquility and quality of light, but it’s no manicured retreat. More than half of the island is made up of wildlands, where steep and rocky trails lead to stunning clifftop vistas.  

Bald Mountain: Head to the rural town of Weld for a short but demanding one-mile ascent that punches well above its weight. Bald’s namesake trail climbs through a dense forest of fir and hardwoods before a final scramble across granite slabs reveals a bare summit with 360-degree views deep into western Maine.

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