Photography by Craig Mackay (see Craig’s full photo journal here)
I’ve been bursting at the seams to share these photos with all of you. Despite it being a rather quick trip, Craig and I managed to pack a lot in during our trip to Camden, Maine last week. Once we arrived, neither of us could believe how truly beautiful the little seaside town is and that we had never made the trip before. We’ve both been to Maine in the winter many times, but never in the fall. It was everything you could possibly imagine and more. We arrived just as the leaves were starting to turn and I’ve never seen more beautiful foliage.
The first morning Craig woke up before sunrise to take pictures of the harbor. As you can see the golden light was pretty magical. The town is quite small and very walkable. We stayed at the Whitehall Inn part of the Lark Hotels group which is just a short distance from the downtown area.
The tourist season was coming to an end in Camden so there weren’t as many boats in the harbor. I can’t even imagine what it’s like in the summer. It is a summer town with most businesses and many inns closing for the season in November. We were so lucky with the weather. There was little wind and the day temps were in the low 60s.
I loved where we stayed, the Whitehall Inn. The Inn was renovated in 2015 and while they maintained much of it’s original charm it has nice modern amenities and updates. From the front porch with rocking chairs to soak up mid-day sun to the fire-pit on the patio and cozy details in the guest rooms it is a wonderful place to stay if you are in Camden. They also have an on-site restaurant Pig + Poet, we didn’t get a chance to eat there but I can speak to their coffee, it is so good, and I am very picky about my coffee.
We stayed in a suite which was really nice because it had a separate sitting area from the bedroom with a couch and tv. We didn’t spend much time in the room because we were trying to get out and explore as much as possible but it was a nice place to rest our feet and re-group after exploring and hiking.
Sweater / Jeans / Ankle Boots
Right across the street from the Inn was a quiet residential street that led down to the water. We went down to the beach a few times and never saw a person. It was absolutely beautiful.
We brought a little picnic down and had our own private happy hour at the beach one afternoon. The views of the foliage and the harbor were breathtaking.
Sweater (wearing small) / Jeans / Ankle Boots / Plaid Shirt / Blanket
It was really cool to watch the tides during our stay. The difference between high and low tide was really extreme. There were so many beautiful homes right on the water. We definitely spent some time daydreaming about living in Camden.
Another can’t miss spot is Camden Hills State Park. It’s a $6 entry fee for non-residents to drive into the park where you can see these magical views. They also have hundreds of hiking trails. You can see the entire bay and town of Camden from the top and as you can see from the photos it is beautiful.
The next time we go back I definitely want to spend more time hiking in the park. You can also camp on the site in designated areas.
On our last morning we had breakfast in town at Boynton McKay and then walked along the harbor to get a view from the other side (Camden Hills State Park is in the background). It was foggy and a little drizzly but warm.
The grey sky really made the foliage pop, I only wish we could’ve stayed a little longer because I am sure it’s even more beautiful now as the leaves keep turning. One thing that surprised us both a bit is how good the food was in Camden. We had some of the best meals of our lives. For dinner we went to the Thai fusion restaurant in town called Long Grain. It was so good we ate there twice. I definitely recommend making a reservation.
Camden is about a two hour drive from Portland, where we stopped on our way up for lunch at a great little cafe. While we only had a few days in the charming little town we are already planning a trip back and next time we’ll be staying a lot longer!
Barbour Jacket c/o / Jeans / Ankle Boots / Backpack
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