Old Canada Road Scenic Byway
Appalachian Trail, ME

Eighty years ago, Benton MacKaye dreamed of a footpath running along the eastern mountains. The dream became a reality in the form of the Appalachian Trail, which extends more than 2,160 miles from Maine to Georgia. The section of the trail between central Maine and western New Hampshire offers some of the most rough and challenging terrain coupled with some of the harshest weather conditions. Some people have hiked or walked the entire Appalachian trail -- a feat that can take from six to eight months.

Old Canada Scenic Byway crosses through the central portion of the Appalachian Trail in Maine. This part of the Trail has a short, rugged stretch, but is the least strenuous hiking in Maine. However, hikers do have to cross the widest unbridged river along the Trail, the Kennebec. Luckily, there is a free canoe service that ferries hikers across the Kennebec at specific times from late May through mid-October.