New South Wales Coastal Drive


The Great Australian Road Trip part II

*Note: this post is still in progress, but I’ve published it for anyone who’s interested in continuing the drive from the Victoria border up the NSW coast 😊*

What’s in this guide? (table of contents in progress)

  1. Sample Itinerary
  2. Eden
  3. Merimbula
  4. Bermagui
  5. Tilba Tilba
  6. Bodalla

New South Wales is the neighbouring state to Victoria (follow our trip from Eastern Victoria here). Crossing the NSW border from Victoria during COVID times was pretty uneventful. We travelled during the pandemic and at the time there were no restrictions to leave VIC and enter NSW so there wasn’t any border security (however on the opposite side of the road there were 2 police cruisers and a bus checking for permits to enter Victoria from NSW). There was only a small lit up sign at the border that warned us that if we left, we wouldn’t be able to return without a permit – a little daunting that we couldn’t turn back, but onwards with our adventure!

Dates we travelled: Jan 8th – 16th, 2021

Sample Itinerary

Day 1: Leave Lakes Entrance in the morning, arrive in Eden around noon. Head over to the visitor’s centre for some recommendations then off to the Killer Whale Museum. Spend a few hours at the museum then drive to Merimbula to spend the night and seek out some fresh seafood restaurants.

Day 2: Do an oyster tour in the morning at Merimbula and have some oysters for lunch. Continue driving north and hike to Horse Head Rock in Bermagui. Take a stroll in Tilba Tilba and check out the cute shops. Stop at Bodalla Dairy Shed for a snack and milkshake (or early dinner). Continue the drive to ACT and stay overnight (or onwards north).

Eden

Eden is the most Southerly town in NSW and sits right on the coastline, making it the first town we stopped in after leaving Victoria. It’s a 2 hour 45 min drive from Lakes Entrance, VIC and a half hour drive from the actual border between VIC and NSW. This small town has a rich history with whales and has some great whale watching spots during the whale migration season (May – November). We were only here for half a day and didn’t come during the whale migration season, but we absolutely loved the Killer Whale Museum!

Eden Visitor’s Centre

Address: Weecoon Street, Snug Cove, Eden NSW 2551
Opening times: Mon-Fr 9am-5pm, check the website for weekend hours
https://visiteden.com.au/visitor-information-centre/

Since this is the first town you’ll encounter in NSW, it’s a great place to stop at the visitor’s center for nearby recommendations. The ladies here were super helpful with recommendations of not only Eden but surrounding areas as well. There’s places to snorkel, beaches, hikes…etc. There’s plenty of brochures and pamphlets if you want more information. There’s also a toilet here if you’ve been holding it in since Lakes Entrance ;).

(They also had this random cool stuffed animal couch on display while we were there.)

Killer Whale Museum

Address: 184 Imlay Street, Eden, NSW 2551
Opening times: 7 days a week (check website for times)
Cost: $15/adult
https://killerwhalemuseum.com.au

This is the top attraction of Eden and we can see why! We didn’t think much of it at first, but the museum was full of so many interesting information of this industry. Eden had a rich whaling industry and the amazing part is that the local fishermen worked together with the wild killer whales (orcas) to hunt for whales. Old Tom was the most famous killer whale that helped with whale hunting. The locals would harvest the blubber and leave the tongue and offal for the orcas. This museum details the background of the whaling industry back in the day as well as highlights orcas and their natural history. There are also beautiful views from the upper level platform! You could easily spend a couple hours here. It’s definitely worth a visit!

Eden Lookout Point and Rotary Park

Address: 263 Imlay Street, Eden, NSW 2551
Opening times: 24hrs

Just up the street from the Killer Whale Museum is Eden Lookout Point, where the we were told is the best place in Eden for whale watching. Unfortunately whale-watching season is between May – November and at the time we were just at the start of January We still decided to check it out anyway for any scenic views, but disappointingly there’s not much to this lookout other than open water so I’d probably give it a miss if it’s not the right season.

Merimbula

Half an hour north from Eden is Merimbula, a coastal town deemed “The Heart of the Sapphire Coast”. When we arrived, the visitor’s centre was annoyingly closed even though they were meant to be open according to their website, so we relied on google searches to tell us what was popular in the area. Merimbula is another popular whale watching location and is advertised to have great local seafood and home to the famous Merimbula Oyster. Disappointingly, I actually struggled to find a well-rated seafood restaurant despite all the ads for fresh seafood. We ended up eating at a tapas bar which wasn’t bad but it was overpriced. The town was small and it took about 15mins to walk the majority of the main street. We did enjoy a nice evening stroll on the boardwalk though, which was probably the most memorable part of this town for us. We only stayed one night which is enough time if you’re looking for main tourist activities. If you’re looking to spend more time, there’s an aquarium in town, some beaches, and fishing charters that we saw advertised but didn’t attend. It was a busy time of year when we travelled so we couldn’t find any affordable hotels or AirBnBs in town so we booked a small camper van AirBnb at the next town over in Wolumla roughly 15mins away.

Our dinner at ‘Ritzy Wine Tapas Bar’, Merimbula – we struggled to find a fresh seafood restaurant in town so we headed to one of the higher rated restaurants in town. The atmosphere was great, but the food was average and kind of overpriced, to be honest.
Our cozy AirBnB in Wolumla for one night because all the accommodation was booked out in Merimbula or too expensive. This was $91 for 1 night.

The Merimbula Boardwalk

Address: Market Street, Merimbula, NSW
Open 24hrs
https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/south-coast/merimbula-and-sapphire-coast/merimbula/attractions/merimbula-boardwalk

Our favourite part of Merimbula – a lovely boardwalk that hugs the Merimbula Lake. We had a nice evening stroll here after dinner and walked amongst the mangroves and spotting mini crabs and puffer fish!

Book an Oyster Tour!

One thing I regret during our trip was not attending an oyster tour. I didn’t even realize it was something we could do until the morning we were set to leave and by then all the tour tickets were sold out. 😦 The Merimbula Oyster (Sydney Rock Oyster) is one of the most well-known oyster in Australia and is served in many gourmet restaurants around the country. There are a few farms that offer tours and the ones that stood out were Wheelers Oyster Farm and Captain Sponge’s Magical Oyster Tour. If we ever come back around during the right season, we’ll be sure to book a tour!!

Bermagui

Continuing North on the coastal drive, you’ll pass by many small coastal towns with beautiful beaches. A few of them had caravan parks right in front of the water where lots of people were gearing up for a surf. After a while all of these towns start to seem similar. We only stopped in one of these coastal towns: Bermagui, to check out Horse Head Rock.

Horse Head Rock/Camel Rock

Address: Camel Rock Surf Beach
https://www.sapphirecoast.com.au/attraction/horse-head-rock

Horse Head Rock wasn’t a big advertised attraction nor was it highlighted in road trip itineraries, but pictures of it in passing made it look too cool to pass up. Access is at Camel Rock Surf Beach where there’s a big rock that kind of resembles a camel. Continue left following the beach over the rocks to get to Horsehead Rock. Warning, the hike does get a bit treacherous with lots of jagged rocks and uneven footing. Wear appropriate footwear such as hiking shoes or sturdy water shoes (you may get your feet wet at times). At the time we had no idea what we were in for so I had Birkenstocks on and Toby had flip flops (or as the Aussies call it: ‘thongs’ 😉) and it was a real struggle to get over the many MANY jagged rocks. But in the end, the hike was SO worth it. We climbed up a few rocks to get beautiful rugged views of the rocky beach and the actual horsehead rock looked just like a horse head, complete with a mane made of moss! We sat here for a bit just marvelling at how accurate the rock was. Definitely recommend! This hike is only accessible at low tide, so plan ahead!

The walk starts on a pristine quiet beach. You head left of the beach towards the rocks – you can see Camel Rock in the background
Camel Rock in the background to the right
Camel Rock
Beautiful rocky beach scenery along the way
We hiked up a few high rocks to get better views – wear study shoes!
Horsehead rock!
His model pose
Little pools to check out some cool creatures

Tilba Tilba

This little town wasn’t actually on our list of places to stop by, but as we continued our drive on the A1 highway North, we saw a big sign for a cheese factory so of course we had to detour. We followed the signs and ended up in an adorable little town called Tilba Tilba. This town is one main street with lovely houses and boutique shops (pictured below, but it was hard to capture the cuteness of the town). The cheese factory wasn’t actually that exciting and the cheeses were average, but the town itself was just so cute that it was worth the little detour. Also, I bought a hat.

Bodalla

We only stopped by this small town for the Dairy Shed that a friend recommended us. There was a nearby bakery that looked cute but we didn’t stop by. Maybe next time?

Bodalla Dairy Shed

Address: 52 Princes Hwy, Bodalla NSW 2545
https://www.bodalladairy.com.au/

This place was recommended by one of our old classmates who worked in the area. She told us of their incredible milkshakes and good food. We’re SO glad we stopped here. Not only were their milkshakes spot-on, they had AMAZING cheese toasty (grilled cheese) sandwiches with delicious chutney. We weren’t that hungry and only ordered one sandwich, but after a couple bites we just had to go back to get a second! They also had some great products you can bring home and a selection of cheeses and ice creams. There are also a few farm animals on site with set feeding times if you’ve got little ones. If you’re in the area, you definitely NEED to stop here.

Bateman’s Bay

From Bodalla we went straight to Canberra, ACT, passing through Bateman’s Bay. Although we didn’t stop here, it’s worth mentioning for next time since this place looked pretty cool from the car window!

Continued to Canberra, ACT

From Bateman’s Bay we detoured inland and headed for Canberra, ACT. If you’re going to go to Canberra, this is the time to detour inland. Continue onto the Canberra page (in progress) for more information on things to do there or continue reading this post for more of the NSW coast!

Skipped Sydney

During our first road trip in 2021, Sydney was in lockdown and isolation due to COVID outbreaks so we decided to skip it in fear of being stuck in a hotel room the whole time and not be able to explore, so we drove 5 hours straight from Canberra to Newcastle. We did return to Sydney for a locum job in 2022 – see the separate Sydney post (in progress).

Newcastle

Newcastle is a harbour city 2 hours north of Sydney or 5 hours northeast from Canberra. It’s a small city with a few major streets to explore. We reached Newcastle just before 2pm and had a late lunch at a nearby popular burger place called Rascal. Their burgers were indeed pretty good and their Bailey’s milkshake was A+. We stayed at the Clarendon Hotel (https://clarendonhotel.com.au/) which was a lovely place central to the main part of town. The main floor of the hotel was a popular bustling pub.

The main attraction here is the Newcastle Memorial Walk and the beaches. To be honest, there isn’t all that much “to do” here in terms of tourist things, but it seems like a nice place to live with so many beautiful beaches around. We only stayed one night here, which was enough time for us to explore the city, but you’d need more if you wanted to add on some beach time. After seeing the local sights we headed back to the hotel for a little rest and ordered dinner from the pub downstairs to our room 😜.

Newcastle Memorial Walk

The Newcastle Memorial Walk is a beautiful scenic walkway that commemorates the “100th anniversary of the ANZAC landing at Gallipoli in 1915 and the commencement of steel making in Newcastle” – fact plagiarized from their website (https://newcastle.nsw.gov.au/explore/things-to-do/walking-and-cycling/newcastle-memorial-walk) 🙃. It’s high up on the cliffs so it was pretty windy when we went, but the views were absolutely stunning. We started at Strzelecki Lookout where we parked our car, and the path led us southwest along the coast where it connects multiple beaches with walkways that lead to beach level. We didn’t end up walking the entire path since it can go quite a long way.

Walk along the Esplanade

From the start of the Newcastle Memorial Walk at Strzelecki Lookout, you can continue walking north to the Shortland Esplanade for some more beautiful ocean-side views including a popular local swimming hole called the Bogey Hole. This walk will end near Newcastle Beach where you can continue on, or head back into the main part of town (see map below of our walking path).

Our walking route from the Newcastle Memorial Walk to Shortland Esplanade
The Bogey Hole – a popular swimming spot right by the ocean
Newcastle Beach in the distance

Explore the City Streets of Newcastle

There’s not a ton to do in downtown/CBD Newcastle, but there a few streets with some shops if you feel like exploring. Lunch at Rascal was great and it was a nice little stroll by the wharf, but not a must-do if you’re short on time.

Lunch at Rascal, a popular burger place with pretty decent burgers and Bailey’s milkshake
The wharf at the northern part of town
First bubble tea shop since Melbourne. It was quite disappointing. 😅

Andy’s Cherry Pie Cafe – a stopover on the side of the highway

Address: 17 Bengal St, Coolongolook NSW 2423, Australia

Andy’s Cherry Pie Cafe is a big beautiful yellow building off the side of the highway that screamed ‘Cherry Pies!’ so loudly that we had to pull over and give it a try. The building was big on the outside but the inside was less than exciting so we sat outside. Neither Toby or I have any strong feelings towards cherries or fruit pies and wasn’t really expecting much, so we bought one slice to share. This pie was so damn good that immediately after the first few bites, we went back in and bought a second slice.

Note: When we visited this place in 2021, there was a big ‘for sale’ sign of the business. From my recent Googling, it appears that this business is still up and running, now also serving kebabs and burgers. I have no idea what the pie tastes like these days since changing owners, but I hope it’s just as good as when we had it a few years ago!

Coff’s Harbour

(in progress)

Grafton

Grafton is not the most exciting town. In fact, unless you’re coming for the annual Jacaranda trees, there’s really not much to do here and would be a miss on most people’s road trip itineraries. The main streets are not that exciting with half the shops closed, and every now and then you’ll run into some dodgy characters. Toby and I were hired as relief vets to work at a clinic here for a couple of months. We had no idea what kind of a place Grafton was and probably should’ve done more research when we signed on, however the recruiter made it sound like such a lovely place with beautiful spectacular purple trees (failing to let us know that they only bloom a few weeks in a whole year). Nevertheless, we arrived and saw for ourselves that there wasn’t much to do here, however the people we worked with were amazing and so lovely that we ended up having a fantastic time and loved working here.

There are some local gems we did discover though, like the swimming area. There are also nearby towns and cities that we’d fill our time with mini road trips (see separate posts in progress).

Jacaranda Trees (early Oct – Nov)

https://www.jacarandafestival.com/trees

The most well-known feature of Grafton are the Jacaranda trees that burst with beautiful purple flowers every year. Sadly, Toby and I didn’t get a chance to experience this when we lived in Grafton due to a mismatch of the season. The recruiter that hired us in Grafton used the trees as a selling point for us to come here, but they conveniently left out that it wouldn’t be the right season when we arrive 😒.

We’ve heard that people flock from all over the country to come see these beautiful trees every year. They’re only at peak bloom for a few short weeks (usually starting in October and by November many of the flowers will be carpeting the ground). Coming back to Grafton for the Jacaranda trees are definitely on my bucket list.

There’s even an annual Jacaranda Festival – https://www.jacarandafestival.com/

Fig Tree Avenue

Address: Breimba St, Grafton NSW 2460, Australia

This avenue is lined with gorgeous enormous fig trees in the middle of Grafton. It’s surreal to walk amongst these 17 giant trees and makes a perfect photo-op!

Sherwood Nature Reserve – Scouts Falls

Location: No actual address, but enter Scouts Falls into Google maps to get a general location. There is a small car park on Sherwood Creek Rd near the Sherwood Nature Reserve sign immediately past the bridge over the Middle Creek.

Nestled in the Sherwood Nature Reserve, Scouts Falls is a hidden gem known to locals as a popular swimming spot. The drive to reach this area is via a hilly dirt road with limited road parking and the walk itself is a bit treacherous with uneven ground, slanted steps, and exposed tree roots as a tripping hazard. Definitely bring some reliable shoes for this walk, especially if there was a recent rain to make the rocks slippery and the ground muddy. We saw a woman slip in her flip flops and get her foot cut up by the rocks (however in the same walk, we also saw children running around in their bare feet at full speed 😯). There’s limited signage so you just have to trust the trail and try not to trip on something. After all this, you’re rewarded with a beautiful waterfall that you can swim right up and under, as well as a pool that’s deep enough for some proper swimming. We’ve done this hike twice – the first was during a busy long weekend and we sadly didn’t think to bring our swim suits (we thought this would just be a waterfall viewing hike), so we sat on the edge of the rocks envious of all the people having fun in the water. The second time we came during a weekday and came prepared with our swimming gear. There was no one there the second time we went and it was so peaceful there to swim around under the waterfall.

Maclean

Maclean is a cute small town that we spotted on the map when I was looking for Asian grocery stores around the Grafton area. They did indeed have an Asian grocer, but it was super small and didn’t have what I wanted, however I’m glad we ventured out here because this town was small but cute. The main street had some nice coffee shops and stores to walk through. Maclean is also on the way to Iluka if you’re planning to go to Bluff Beach.

Iluka – Rainforest Walk & Bluff Beach

Iluka didn’t pop up on our radar when we were researching things to do around the area when we stayed in Grafton, however one of our co-workers recommended the rainforest walk connecting up to Bluff Beach. It was about an hour drive northeast of Grafton and we rented some snorkel gear at a local fishing shop. We parked our car at the side of the road and started the Iluka Rainforest Walking Track. It was an easy walk through the rainforest but it was a bit monotonous and not the most exciting scenery. It took just under an hour to reach Bluff Beach.

The beach was empty when we arrived and it was a lovely quiet spot with lots of small sea shells. We set our things down and went for a snorkel. The waters unfortunately weren’t that clear but we did see a few cool fish. I tested out my new Iphone in saltwater for the first time and it was indeed waterproof! This was the start to all my underwater photography for the rest of our Australia trip.

Thoughts on Iluka: Unless you’ve got lots of time, I’d recommend skipping Iluka. Although it’s a nice and quiet small town, the overall views weren’t mind-blowing. However, if you’re into nature walks and a quiet beach, then by all means pack a picnic lunch and a snorkel. You can actually drive to Bluff Beach instead and skip the rainforest walk if you’d rather just enjoy the water views.

Byron Bay

(in progress)

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Hiking Acadia’s Beehive Trail: A Complete Overview


Date Published: Nov 3rd, 2024 | Last Updated: Nov 3rd, 2024
Author: Abby | Category: Travel, USA
Date of travel: Oct 13th, 2024

If you haven’t checked it out yet, here’s a post of an overview of Acadia National Park if you need more info about where to stay, where to eat, getting around, and other travel recommendations.

The Beehive Trail is one of Acadia National Park’s most popular hikes, offering breath-taking panoramic views. This hike has a reputation for being thrilling and difficult with iron rungs and vertical climbs but we personally didn’t find it bad at all, especially with good pacing. I recommend starting early, wearing good shoes, and dressing in layers. For safety, avoid this hike if it’s raining.

I highly recommend coming during peak autumn foliage season for the gorgeous colourful red and orange leaves.

Contents:

  1. Hike Stats
  2. Is it really that difficult to climb the Beehive Trail?
  3. Map of the Trail/Trail Overview
  4. Ready to hike? Let’s Go! – a more detailed guide to hiking the Beehive Trail with way too many photos
    1. Park at Sands Beach – START EARLY!
    2. Cross the road to the start of the trail
    3. Reach a crossroad and turn right to the Beehive Trail to do the trail clockwise
    4. Continue the climb up, cross a metal grate, and climb iron rungs while enjoying the view
    5. Reach the summit and take in the views
    6. Make your way down the mountain
    7. Reach another crossroad: Continue on to The Bowl or take the shortcut
    8. Get back to the parking lot and be glad you started early
  5. Some final thoughts
  6. When you get back to the parking lot, there are a few things you can do:

Hike Stats:

Length: 2.4km
Elevation Gain: 155m
Trail type: loop
Difficulty/Terrain: difficult-ish with uphill climbs and rocky terrain
Estimated duration: 1-3 hours, depending on the number of people and waiting times (it took us 2 hours starting at 8:15am – 1 hour to get up and 1 hour down, including waiting in line)
Starting point: park at Sand Beach parking lot, then cross the road to the trailhead
Things to bring: water bottle, sunscreen & hat, good hiking shoes, snacks, dress in layers in case it gets cold as you wait
Driving option?: no
More Trail info: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/maine/the-beehive-loop-trail

Is it really that difficult to climb the Beehive Trail?

Not really!

I was a little nervous for the Beehive Trail because I kept reading about how hard it was and there was a lot of climbing. For a person that was not the most fit and with minimal upper body strength, I was anxious to get this hike over and done with. While doing the hike, I kept expecting it to get harder and harder, but it actually wasn’t bad at all. Yes, there are short bursts of vertical climbs and you’re exposed on the side of the cliffs, but there were enough handles to grab on to and good footing to stabilize yourself. It also helps that there was always someone to lend a hand hopping over the trickier bits or climbing up a big rock. At no point did we feel unsafe. We were also moving at a glacial pace near the top where the trickier parts are, so we barely broke a sweat getting to the summit.

If you have a mild fear of heights or if you’re generally a slow hiker, just take it slow and let people pass. The path eventually becomes single-file and the hike may naturally slow down or come to a standstill anyway if it’s busy, due to people taking their time crossing or climbing certain parts. We didn’t mind the slow ascent because the view along the way to the top is AMAZING and gave me ample time to snap (too many) photos. The view gets better the higher you go!

*If you are really terrified of heights, you can try to climb to the first view then decide if you want to turn around. The views at this spot is the same view as you would get at the top, but at a lower viewpoint (see the photos below). I’ve marked this spot on the map here –>

You can also take the Bowl Trail instead where the hike is covered amongst trees until you reach the very top (more on that below). As you can see on the map, it’s not far to backtrack if you decide to take the Bowl Trail instead.

Here’s a comparison of the view from the first view point vs the summit view:

View from the first lookout at the bottom
View from the summit

Map of the Trail/Trail Overview

A Brief Overview of the Trail:

A) The Beehive Loop trail starts just off of Park Loop Road (a 5 min walk from the parking lot).

B) The trail starts covered amongst trees and you’ll come to a fork in the road. The right is the Beehive Trail and the left is the Bowl Trail (circled in white and grey in the map above). Although technically a loop, the Beehive Trail is single-file going up the mountain due to the sheer amount of people and it also gets dangerous if you’re coming down the mountain on the side of a cliff. Therefore, if you want to take the easier Bowl Trail, you’ll have to do an out-and-back hike when you reach the summit.

⭐️ Green star on the map marks the point where you’ll see the first ocean views (more pictures below). The path gets more narrow here and will become single-file, so if you want to turn around, do it here.

C) After some vertical climbs and taking way too many photos on the way up, you’ll reach the Beehive Summit. Take a breather and soak in the views, take more photos, then start to make your way down the mountain.

D) You’ll reach another fork in the road. You can either continue on Beehive Trail to reach The Bowl, or take the shortcut and get back to the parking lot via the Bowl Trail.

Ready to hike? Let’s Go! – a more detailed guide to hiking the Beehive Trail with way too many photos

1. Park at Sands Beach – START EARLY!

If there is one crucial piece of advice I can give you to hike the beehive trail, is to start as early as possible to avoid the crowds and get a parking spot. The Beehive Trail is one of THE most popular trails in Acadia National Park due to its amazing views and adrenaline-pumping hike. As a result, it gets INCREDIBLY busy, especially in peak season (which is when we went).

The closest parking lot is at Sands Beach, which is only a short 5 minute walk to the start of the trail. There’s roughly enough spaces for about 100 cars, which sounds like a lot, but by the time we arrived at 7am, the lot was already 70% full. We started the hike at 8:15am (after visiting Thunder Hole) and by the time we finished around 10am, the parking lot was completely full and there was an incredibly long line of cars parked along Park Loop Road and many people were walking 20 mins+ from their car just to get to the start of the trail. There were also park rangers standing at the entrance to stop people from going in, so you can’t even circle the lot to wait for a spot to open up. Therefore, try to get to Sands Beach before 7am if you’re visiting in peak season like us and driving a car.

The parking lot by 8am with the Beehive Summit ahead
Tons of cars along the side of the road when the lot is full
Sands Beach Parking Lot

If you don’t get here early, be prepared to park far away or consider parking at a different parking lot along Park Loop Road and take the free Island Explorer Bus to Sands Beach parking lot. The bus will drop you off near the public restroom in the parking lot (see map above) and runs every 30 minutes.

Apart from trying to get a parking spot, you want to start the hike as early as possible to avoid the crowds and the line. If you do the trail clockwise via the Beehive Trail (which I recommend for the best views), it becomes single file up the rocks as you scale the mountain. Some people stop to take photos, others who aren’t as confident with climbing or have a fear of heights take it slow, and as a result, you could be looking at a long wait just to get up the mountain when it’s busy. We started the hike at 8:15am and two-thirds up the mountain, we already had to wait in line, taking a few steps at a time until we eventually reached the top (which although was annoying, wasn’t the worst in the world because you’re constantly exposed to the amazing views all the way up and gave me plenty of time to take photos). By the time we finished the hike a couple hours later, the line was much much longer and we were glad we started as early as we did. You can actually see the line from the parking lot. Therefore, I’d recommend starting the hike as soon as the sun comes up or be prepared to wait. Wear layers and pack a snack.

2. Cross the road to the start of the trail

Once you’ve parked at Sands Beach parking lot, make your way across the road to the start of the trail head (there is a public restroom at the parking lot if needed).

Start of the trail

The path starts covered amongst trees and gradually increases in elevation with a rocky terrain – make sure you wear good hiking shoes for this hike.

3. Reach a crossroad and turn right to the Beehive Trail to do the trail clockwise

As you make your way to the base of the mountain, you’ll reach an intersection. When it gets busy, there’s a park ranger there that can provide more information. This is the split between the Beehive Trail and the Bowl Trail (see the map above to see the difference). Although more difficult, I would recommend continuing the hike via the Beehive Trail and doing this loop clockwise for the best views. The Beehive Trail is steep and will lead you to vertical climbs (that aren’t bad at all in my opinion) along the side of the mountain, but you’re faced with the beautiful views the entire time, constantly getting better the higher you climb. There are also rock ledges along the way for some great photo spots.

Park ranger at the crossroads helping people decide which way to go

If you choose to do the trail counterclockwise via the Bowl Trail, the trail is not as steep (although there are still large rocks to climb), but the majority of the trail will be covered amongst trees and you will only get the iconic views of Sands Beach and the surrounding views when you reach the top. This may be a better option if you have a fear of heights. Note: You will not be able to go down the Beehive Trail due to the sheer amount of single-file hikers trying to get up the mountain so prepare for an out-and-back hike once you reach the summit.

4. Continue the climb up, cross a metal grate, and climb iron rungs while enjoying the view

As we continued on, it becomes more steep with more boulders to climb over, and we mentally prepared ourselves for vertical climbs and clinging onto the side of the mountain. This was where the line started for us. It was moving along at a decent pace at first, but it got slower closer to the top. Yes this hike is steep and yes there are vertical climbs, however because we had to wait in line and only moving a few steps at a time and taking a few thrusts up big rocks at a time, this hike actually became a breeze. We barely even broke a sweat! There was always something to hold onto and there were flat parts to stand as you wait. You’re constantly exposed to the amazing views beside you and the waiting gives you more than enough time to get some nice photos on rocky ledges. We didn’t mind waiting at all. It was actually a more enjoyable and fun hike compared to constantly walking uphill.

Here are a bunch of photos of our ascent up the mountain (the view gets a bit repetitive, but when you’re there in person, it never gets old):

Our first views of Sand Beach inlet as we emerge from the trees and up the first set of rocks:

Our first views on the Beehive Trail
As we continue to climb higher, the views open up a little more with fewer trees obstructing the view

*This is the first view of the ocean that you’ll see after emerging from the trees. If you’re scared of heights, there’s still time to turn around at this point before it becomes too difficult to turn back. The views at the top is similar but at a higher vantage point (see the photos below).

As we continue to climb higher, the views open up a little more with fewer trees obstructing the view:

Then the path gets a little more tricky with metal gates and iron rungs. The photos make it seem scarier in photos than it actually was. At no point did I feel like I was going to fall off the side of the mountain or feel like I couldn’t make the climb up. This is where the line started for us as people take they time with the obstacles, but no matter, we’re still loving the views:

Our first metal grate. It did not feel dangerous at all.
Still loving the views

Encountered the iron rungs, which were a lot easier than I expected. There’s never more than 3-4 at a time:

This is probably the most common photo I’ve seen that shows how close to the edge you are, however…

…when taken at a different angle you can see that you’ve got the tree beside you with branches so smooth where thousands have people have grabbed onto for support. It didn’t feel scary at all.

The smoothest tree branch from multiple people grabbing onto it over the years

Still slowly waiting in line to make our way up, but still enjoying the views every step of the way:

As we got closer to the top it became more steep:

5. Reach the summit and take in the views

The final push to the top was just climbing over rocks but the view at the top was absolutely worth it. I can see how it is one of the most popular hikes in this park!

Take a breather and soak in the view. It’s the same view as what you see on the way up, but higher and more grand with sweeping views of the forest and ocean around you.

Plenty of space at the top for a snack or a packed lunch
Summit views

But the views don’t stop here. Continue following the blue trail markers to the other side of the mountain. Here you’ll see a sign that marks the actual summit of the mountain and you’ll get more ocean views with the small islands in the distance.

6. Make your way down the mountain

Continue following the blue markers to make your way down the mountain. You’ll get panoramic views of the beautiful trees below before you reach the trail path again.

As you make your way down, you’ll eventually be amongst trees again and climbing down big boulders, but then it gets easier as the ground plateaus and the path is much smoother.

7. Reach another crossroad: Continue on to The Bowl or take the shortcut

You’ll reach another intersection with trail signs that point to The Bowl. Continue on this path to reach views of The Bowl, or take the shortcut and continue the path back to the parking lot. We didn’t have time to make it to The Bowl so we took the shortcut back.

As you make your way back, you’ll eventually meet up with the original trail again and climb down the large rocks back to the parking lot.

By the time we met up with the starting trail, there were SO MANY more people and the line was MUCH longer. The ranger was telling people to do the loop backwards via the Bowl Trail avoid the line going up the Beehive Trail.

8. Get back to the parking lot and be glad you started early

By the time we got back to the parking lot, the lot was completely full with a very long line of cars parked along the road. You can see the top of the Beehive Trail from the parking lot with the many many single-file people slowly making their way up the mountain. Although we had to wait in line ourselves, we were SO happy that our line was no where as long as the one that was forming when we finished!

Some final thoughts

  • Get here early.
  • Get here early.
  • Get here early.
  • The views are amazing and worth the time and effort.
  • Wear good hiking shoes for good traction getting up rocks.
  • Consider skipping this hike if it’s raining.

When you get back to the parking lot, there are a few things you can do:

  • Check out Sand Beach, a short walk to this beautiful inlet beach
  • Walk Ocean Path – a flat easy path along the coast with beautiful views along the way
  • Thunder Hole – a 10-15 min walk along Ocean Path to this narrow inlet where rushing water creates loud thundering sounds and big high splashes of water into the air (come 1-2 hours prior to high tide for the experience)

Abby4 Comments

Mount Battie and Megunticook: Your Camden Hiking Guide


Date Published: Oct 21st, 2024 | Last Updated: Oct 21st, 2024
Author: Abby | Category: Travel, USA
Date of travel: Oct 12th, 2024

Camden Hills State Park sits just outside the small coastal town of Camden, Maine. This park has a number of hiking trails with the most popular ones being Mount Battie and Mount Megunticook. Both of these trails offer panoramic views of the ocean coast and sweeping colourful fall foliage trees below. If you’re driving through the area, these hikes are definitely worth making a stop for!

Contents:

  1. Camden, Maine
  2. Camden Hills State Park
  3. Mount Battie Trail
    1. Driving to the summit
    2. Hiking to the summit
  4. Mount Megunticook/Ocean Lookout (via Tablelands Trail)
  5. Some final thoughts
  6. Need more travel recommendations for Maine? Check out these other places!

Location: Camden Hills State Park, Camden, Maine
Park opening hours: Open daily, 9am until sunset (some roads may be closed due to weather conditions, check the park website for more information.
Park website: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/trail_activities/camden_trail_conditions.shtml
Park fees: $6.00 per adult ($4 for Maine residents), collected at the park entrance toll booth

Camden, Maine

Camden is a cute small coastal town roughly 1 hour 45mins north of Portland, ME. I came across Camden Hills State Park while doing my research for the best hikes in Maine, and the town of Camden sits just outside of the park. Exploring this town wasn’t on my itinerary at all and we were on a bit of a time crunch due to driving 7 hours from Brooklyn that morning. However, we had forgotten to stock up on water before we left home so we stopped in a local grocery store to pick up a couple jugs before hitting the trails. Once we drove into town, we realized how quaint this place is and instantly regretted not allowing more time for us to explore this town. If you’ve got the time, I’d definitely recommending setting aside a few hours (or stay overnight) to explore Camden.

Downtown Camden (it looks cooler in person but we didn’t have time to explore the town properly so this was a quick snap from our parking spot)

Camden Hills State Park

Located just outside of the town of Camden, there are multiple trails to follow at Camden Hills State Park. The two most popular are Mount Battie and Mount Megunticook for the their panoramic views of the town below. I’ve also included the Maiden Cliffs Trail on the map as well since it came up frequently in my research, but it didn’t look as scenic as the other two trails and we wouldn’t have had time to complete the trail before sun down anyway. Perhaps next time. More info on the Maiden Cliffs Trail: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/maine/maiden-cliff-trail.

One thing about the park that I did find disappointing is their lack of signage at the start of the trails. For a park that collects a fee, I was expecting it to be more organized. I’d recommending downloading or screenshotting a park map before you go.

You can find the full park map on the park website here. I’ve highlighted the three trails in this image below to make it a little more clear on the path of these hikes since there are a few intersecting trails. Each hike starts at their own parking lot.

Highlighted map of the 3 most popular trails

You can also connect all 3 hikes together in a loop and start at the Camden Hills State Park Campground, but it will take about 5 hours to complete, covering 13.8km (8.5mi). I’ve hightlighted that trail in green below. Here’s more info on this hike if you’re game: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/maine/mount-megunticook-maiden-cliff-and-mount-battie-loop

Mount Battie Trail

Mount Battie summit is the most popular summit in Camden Hills State Park because you can drive right up to the summit and enjoy the views without any effort, which is exactly what we did to save time in our packed schedule.

Length: 1.8km
Elevation Gain: 180m
Trail type: Out & back
Difficulty/Terrain: Moderate, rock scrambling and can be slippery
Estimated duration: 2 hours total
Starting point: Trail head is in downtown Camden on Megunticook Street (57 Megunticook St, Camden, ME 04843)
Things to bring: water bottle, sunscreen & hat (most of the trail is shaded with exposure at the top), good hiking shoes, tick/insect repellent depending on season, screenshot of the trail map
More Trail info: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/maine/mount-battie-trail
Driving option?: Yes! Set the maps to “Camden Hills State Park” (280 Belfast Rd, Camden, ME 04843) and there will be an entry with a manned toll booth. Hours are 9am until sunset, daily.

Driving to the summit:

To drive to the summit, set the maps to Camden Hills State Park (280 Belfast Rd, Camden, ME 04843). Do not set it to Mount Battie like we did because it will take you to a closed entrance with a sign that redirects you to the correct place. Once you reach the state park entrance, there will be a small manned toll booth to get on the auto toll road (Mount Battie Road). It’s $6 per person ($4 if you’re a Maine resident). Pay attention to the gate closure time on the way in. They close the gate at sunset every day, so make sure you’re back down the mountain before then!

It was about a 10 minute drive to the top of Mount Battie with enough parking for about 30-ish cars. We arrived around 4pm and didn’t have any trouble finding parking. There’s no sign that says you’ve arrived, so when you’re at the top where the road ends and there are a bunch of other cars, you know you’re in the right spot. The views are only a few steps from the parking lot and you’re instantly rewarded with a beautiful panoramic view of the trees and the town of Camden below. There’s also a small tower that’s a WWII memorial that you can go inside, but when we were there it was under construction.

The drive up the toll road to the top of Mount Battie
Parking at Mount Battie

You really only need a couple minutes here, but it’s so lovely that you may want to spend longer just sitting and enjoying the views.

WWII memorial tower under construction
View of Camden town from Mount Battie Summit
Coastal views of Maine from Mount Battie Summit
Mount Battie Summit

Hiking to the summit:

If you want to hike to the summit of Mount Battie, the trailhead starts in downtown Camden on Megunticook Street (maps to 57 Megunticook St, Camden, ME 04843). Although it’s only 1.8km, it’s a pretty steep ascent with scrambling rocks. If it has rained recently, it can get pretty slippery especially if there are leaves on the ground. Make sure you have a pair of decent hiking shoes with good traction! We drove and didn’t do the hike ourselves, but there are plenty of information and reviews on this trail on Alltrails.

Also an added bonus of doing the hike: because you’ll be parking in downtown Camden rather than driving up the auto toll road, you can avoid the park fees (however I’m not sure if there’s a fee to park in downtown Camden).

There is also an alternate route of hiking from the Camden Hills State Park Campground (where the toll road starts), however it will be a longer hike compared to starting in downtown, but less steep.

Mount Megunticook/Ocean Lookout (via Tablelands Trail)

Mount Megunticook is the highest peak in Camden Hills State Park. The hike is just over 4km and the average estimated time to complete this out and back loop is 1 hour 38mins. We arrived at Camden much later than expected and although we were lucky enough to unintentionally catch the sunset at the lookout point, we sadly had to hike back down in the dark scrambling through rocks and sliding on leaves which made it a 2 hour round trip hike for us. If you plan to catch the sunset here, make sure you bring a headlamp and definitely have a decent pair of hiking shoes with good traction to prepare for hiking back down in the dark. Hiking sticks won’t hurt either to help with balance getting back down the mountain over the uneven rocks.

Length: 4.3km
Elevation Gain: 250m
Trail type: Out & back
Difficulty/Terrain: moderate, lots of annoying rock scrambling and tree roots, can be slippery esp if wet
Estimated duration: 1 hour 38mins (we took a full 2 hours due to hiking back in the dark)
Starting point: Tablelands parking lot (the one right before the Mount Battie parking lot)
Things to bring: water bottle, sunscreen & hat (most of the trail is shaded with exposure at the top), good hiking shoes, tick/insect repellent depending on season, screenshot of the trail map
Could my mom do this?: with difficulty, lots of rocks to scramble and can be slippery
Driving option?: No
More Trail info: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/maine/tablelands-trail

Note: Although we are hiking Mount Megunticook, the views are at Ocean Lookout, not the actual summit. Therefore you can end your hike once you reach the views, but if you want to get to the summit, it’s an extra 500m (0.3mi) walk and you will be met by a pile of rocks with a sign that indicates you’re at the summit. There are no views here, you’re amongst the trees – wasn’t worth the extra walk to us. I’ve marked the summit walk on the map in purple to give you an idea of where the summit is.

Yellow: Mount Battie drive from the park entrance; Red: Tablelands Trail to Mount Megunticook; Purple: small trail to the summit

There are multiple trails you can take that will lead you to Ocean Lookout, but the fastest and most direct one is via the Tablelands Track (highlighted in red on the map). You will start at the Tablelands parking lot (there’s not much signage here so it’s easy to miss – it’s the next parking lot from the Mount Battie lot). There’s enough parking for about 10 cars, we arrived at 4:30pm and there were only 2 other cars here.

Parking lot at the Tablelands Trail head

At the trail head, you’ll see a small wooden sign that says Tablelands Trail along with a small laminated inkjet printed paper map that has seen better days stuck to the post of the trail. It was disappointing that there wasn’t a larger map available and there were also no signs that pointed towards Mount Megunticook. At the time I didn’t know that the trail to Mount Megunticook was called Tablelands Trail, so we spent a good couple minutes squinting at the tiny paper map to figure out that we were on the right path. If you’re doing this hike, I highly suggest you either bring a map or a screenshot of the map and remember the trail names so you don’t get lost. You want to start at the Tablelands Trail –> Ridge Trail to Ocean Lookout. There is still wooden signage along the way, but the printed maps seemed to get more worn and illegible as the trail continues. There are blue and red trail markers along the way to follow.

The entire hike is mainly shaded amongst the trees and opens up when you reach the views at Ocean Lookout. It starts off relatively flat for the first 10 minutes, then gets increasingly more steep with large rocks and boulders to hop/climb over. The ascent isn’t sharp but it is constant uphill near the second half of the hike.

Relatively flat at the start

I’ll be honest and say that the hike itself wasn’t too enjoyable for me because most of it was on uneven ground with rocks and tree roots everywhere that were also partially buried by fallen leaves so we really had to watch our step. Rather than enjoying the hike, I was constantly watching the ground so I don’t trip or step on an uneven rock. I would highly recommend wearing a good pair of hiking shoes with ankle stability for this hike.

Stepping over rocks and half buried tree roots
Some red marker signs along the way as you ascend
There are also blue markers as well (which made it a little confusing, but just keep following red)
Never ending rocks to climb
Lots and lots of tree roots – gets a little slippery on the way down

However, as annoying as the terrain was, the view was definitely worth it. We finally reached Ocean Lookout after about an hour of hiking. It was beautiful! The views of the orange and red fall foliage below us and the extending coastline in front of us in the distance. The pictures just don’t do it justice. We would’ve stayed here longer to take in the views if we had more time, but the sun was starting to set and we were frantically trying to not hike down the mountain in the dark.

Nearly there
The view at Ocean Lookout!
We did it!
We did it!

We took a few photos and continued to follow signs to the summit, hoping for even better views (although they’d be hard to beat). The summit was another 0.3 miles away. It took us 15 minutes and disappointingly, it was just a pile rocks that marks the summit. No views, nothing. Buried amongst trees. Bah! This was extra time we could’ve used to get down the mountain before dark. </3

The sign to the summit
Mt Megunticook Summit – no views here

As we hiked back down towards the car, the sun was setting. When we reached Oceans Lookout again, we had unintentionally arrived exactly at sunset. The orangey/pink colours of the sky over the coastline was mesmerizing. I wanted to stay longer, but it was getting increasingly dark.

Sunset at Ocean Lookout

We tried as best as we could to get back to the car before the dark but we failed. It was a really annoying hike back. All the steep steps and boulders with slippery dry leaves that we dodged going up became hidden in the dark and we had to take our time being careful with our foot placement over the downhill descent of uneven rocks. It took us another hour to get back to the car even though we were going down hill. If you’re going to do this, bring a headlamp and maybe some hiking sticks for stability. It was 6:30pm by the time we reached the car and got down the mountain before the gate closed at 7pm. After this strenuous hike, we went to Claws in Rockland for dinner (our favourite lobster restaurant) then headed to our BnB for the night near Acadia.

Some final thoughts:

  • I’d recommend driving up to Mount Battie and paying the toll rather than hiking up.
  • Save your energy to hike Mount Megunticook for the views at Ocean Lookout.
  • Don’t bother hiking the extra bit to the summit of Mount Megunticook – it’s a bunch of rocks.
  • The signage at this park sucks. Bring a map or screenshot one on your phone.
  • Have good shoes with ankle support.
  • There’s always time for a lobster dinner.

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Mount Battie and Megunticook: Your Camden Hiking Guide


Camden Hills State Park sits just outside the small coastal town of Camden, Maine. This park has a number of hiking trails with the most popular ones being Mount Battie and Mount Megunticook. Both of these trails offer panoramic views of the ocean coast and sweeping colourful fall foliage trees below. If you’re driving through the…

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