Maine has many wonderful trail guides — in print and online — by both published authors and bloggers, and by devoted hikers who post observations from their adventures on crowd-sourced hiking sites. Over the years, I have grown to appreciate many of them! I thought I would start to list a few here.
Books
- Steady Companion since 1961:
- Appalachian Mountain Club’s Maine Mountain Guide, now in its 12th edition, compiled and edited by Carey Kish
- Inspiring Hiking Resource to Western Maine:
- Scenic 7 Hiking Guide and Challenge, order a free guide from High Peaks Alliance.
- Informative, and Funny, Guide to Hikes in Northern Maine:
- North Woods Walks, by Christopher Keene. Pick up the latest edition in the Greenville bookstore, Gabriel’s, or at the Indian Hill Trading Post.
- Curated Guides by an Outdoors Writer:
- Dog Friendly Hikes in Maine, Maine Hikes Off the Beaten Path, Family Friendly Hikes in Maine, by Aislinn Sarnacki. (Also check out her stories on Bangor Daily News.)
Online Sources
- Obviously!
- Maine Trail Finder, free and easy to use
- AllTrails, both free and paid versions, crowdsourced, up-to-date trail information from users
- Strava, an app for mapping your own hikes and following others’ hikes
- Other interesting or specific ones
- Avenza Maps, downloadable maps. I use this for Acadia National Park.
- Joe’s Guide to Acadia
- Blogs by People who Love the Outdoors and Hiking
Maps
- Map Adventures Maine series — These waterproof maps are worth every penny!
Let me know of other good ones!
Other Books
Books I’ve enjoyed with nature, wildlife (and domesticated animals), walking — or all three — as a theme that I think people who love the outdoors might like if they haven’t read them already. I’m open to other recommendations!
- The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature, David George Haskell
- Ring of Bright Water, Gavin Maxwell
- North Woods (novel): Daniel Mason
- H Is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald
- Running for the Hills: Growing Up on My Mother’s Sheep Farm in Wales, Horatio Clare
- My Family and Other Animals, Gerald Durrell
- The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot, Robert Macfarlane
- To the River, Olivia Laing
- Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard
- Walking Home: A Poet’s Journey, Simon Armitage