It’s a Maine Thing - Hezzy’s Sidewalk Talk

We are always looking for an excuse to head way Downeast…our definition of Downeast being east of Hancock Village on Route 1. So a recent hiking outing east of Machias made for a great outdoor escapade.

After waking up early one morning last week we headed up to Cutler, just east of Machias on the road to Lubec, for our semi-annual hike along the bold, open ocean cliffs of the Downeast Maine coast. Known as the Cutler Loop Trail this parcel of land is managed and maintained by the State of Maine Bureau of Public Lands. We think this is one of the best day hikes in the US and certainly the best coastal hike in Maine. The backdrop of the Bay of Fundy, with Grand Manan Island only 8 miles away by water (but hours away by car) and the bold coastal topography makes for an outstanding day hike.

The 11 mile loop is a figure 8, running along the ocean with the trail ascending and descending between cliffs, forest and pocket beaches. The inland section of the trail comprises of wetlands that are filled with an abundance of redwing blackbirds, and an old growth forest where the forest floor is covered in moss, lichen and ferns. We started the hike in the quintessential fishing village of Cutler Harbor, which is arguably the most scenic harbor on that stretch of coastline, and spent the better part of the day hiking the 11 mile loop of mostly rugged, but relatively flat, trail.

The fog moved in and out throughout the morning, but by noon it had all but disappeared and the sun blazed down on us for the remainder of the day. The weathered trees, scrubby bushes, jagged rocks and trails overgrown with foliage made for a wonderful adventure which we love to do in the summer and the fall, although an early spring hike last year was a great day outing on the Cutler Loop Trail.

We ate lunch along the trail and tried out our new banana guards, the amazing device that protected our banana from getting mushed and drank cool water from our Klean Kanteens , both of which we snatched from our coffee bar, Maine Grind in  Downtown Ellsworth.

We love this hike and are looking forward to going back up in the fall when the foliage is in full dress. Next time maybe we’ll spend the night so we don’t have to make the drive home after a day on the trail.