You'll have to do some driving to get into Greenville and arrive at the lake, whether you make the whole journey in a car or fly.
There are three main routes you may find yourselves taking, we've put together a little description of each one and some of the highlights and other useful things to know along the way...
Over the Mountains (from the west)
This will probably be the road less taken, you'll only be on it if you're coming from Western New England. We make this drive occasionally when we're lucky enough to be headed from Moosehead to Ahmic lake.
Route 2 is pretty much the only east - west road of any significance. It's a beautiful drive but there isn't too much along the way except for the scenery. You're along rivers for most of this drive up through the mountains of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine and through the White Mountains and the Presidentials.
The short version is you take Route 2 from Montpelier to Skowhegan and then 150 up to Guilford where you pick up 15 to Greenville. It's a left turn onto 15 with a gas station on your left and the little downtown ahead of you in Guilford, if you go over the bridge and make a right turn on 15 you're headed the wrong direction. (Google Maps directions for the drive the way we do it, about 5 or 6 hours)
You get started in Montpelier, VT which is an awesome little town. We always spend a few minutes in Bear Pond Books at 77 Main Street when we pass through. The New England Culinary Institute runs a bakery and cafe downtown (89 Main Street) where you can get a terrific bag lunch for the drive.
One of the side attractions that we've been meaning to check out is the Cabot visitors center not far from Montpelier.
After that it's up and down and up and down. There is a particularly pretty stretch just before you cross the Connecticut River and head into New Hampshire. The gas station just over the bridge is a pretty good place for a pit stop as well.
As you head through the Presidential Range keep an eye out for tourists (traffic can get bad) and for the Highway Patrol, particularly on the big down hill runs. You can also gawk at Santa's Village and Six Gun City as you drive past.
You pick up the Mighty Androscoggin in Gorham and once you're into Maine things will be quieter again. You zig zag your way through Rumford and Mexico around the big bend in the river and past the big paper mill.
You'll swing through another pretty little former mill town in Farmington, home to Maine's first public university originally a Normal School and now known as U Maine Farmington.
Then it's onto Skowhegan and the Kennebec River, home to one of New Balance's factories, pretty sure you can stop and pick up some kicks at the factory store if you're interested.
We take State Road 150 north out of Skowhegan and up to Guilford where you pick up 15 for the last stretch into Greenville.
There are a number of little roads and routes that will get you up to 15 but we've found 150 to be in the most reliable shape when we've made this drive.
From Bangor
We'll use the airport as the starting point for this drive, there are other reasons to go into Bangor from the lake but the airport is the most common one. This is a pretty simple drive where you're on 15 pretty much the whole way.
The short version is you take a left as you exit the airport and take a right at the first light, Griffen, then left onto 15 which will take you all the way into Greenville. (Google Maps directions here, about 1.5 hours)
If you're starving there are some fast food spots around as you come out of the airport, in the mall across the street and to the right. If you turn right and keep going it will take you into downtown Bangor which has a cute little section down towards the river.
Along 15 there isn't much except the countryside for a while. Up on top of hill you'll pass the jail which used to be a cold war Air Force radar station. Eventually you'll come into Dover-Foxcroft. In Dover Bob's natural food shop is worth a stop, for snacks or to grab some more interesting ingredients than can be had in Greenville. Go over the bridge right in the middle of town and make a hard (almost u-turn) right onto Lincoln St and it's right there.
Keep your eyes open as you're leaving Dover since there's at least one (and we think two) good little roadside ice cream shacks between here and Guilford, but we can never remember exactly where they are. Both are on the river side of the road though so you can enjoy that view as well.
About 5 miles outside of town you'll pass a cool covered bridge and then the mecca of meat that is the Herring Brothers shop will be on your right a little further along (you want the retail shop right on the road not the sign for the commercial workshop which comes first). This is a must stop if you'll be doing any of your own cooking while you're in Greenville. The bulk sausage in the freezer box is insane particularly the garlic and the hot (ask us about how we found the place, it's a good story) and all of the meat is very good and local. They're pushing their beef jerky these days, which we thought was tasty but not the main attraction.
After that you'll be rolling into Guilford and the home stretch up to Greenville.
The Main Drag - 95
95 is a very long road and if you decide to drive, you could be on it for quite some time. We'll cover just the last while of it with the quick stretch through New Hampshire and then the route through Maine.
If you're coming from Manchester, Portland, Boston or anywhere further south you'll do all or part of this drive.
The quick version is you take 95 north, take the 295 piece closer to Portland and along the coast, it's prettier and more interesting and the traffic and timing tends to be six of one with the interior 95 stretch. You get off the highway in Newport and on to State Road 7, in Dexter you take 23 (a left turn) which dead ends into 15 where you take a left. There is a zig zag through Guilford where you have to make a sharp right turn after the bridge to stay on 15 which then takes you all the way into Greenville. (Google Maps directions from Portsmouth, NH)
From Portsmouth to Brunswick, ME Route 1 parallels 95 and can provide an escape route if traffic gets really bad (sometimes it's worse on 1 though, but if 95 stops moving it's a good option to have).
We're sure there's more to NH than the state liquor stores, but they really are worth a stop if you even remotely need to stock up on beverages, they also have nice bathrooms and their own exits from 95.
Kittery has big outline signs as soon as you get into Maine but if you really want to do some shopping you should hold on until you get to Freeport.
Bob's Clam Hut in Kittery is a good place to grab some fried seafood, even when it's crowded the food comes out quickly.
Portland is a great little city and would be a good stop if you were making a several day road trip. Fun shops with great walking and hanging out spaces in funky neighborhoods downtown, good food, a kick ass art museum, the waterfront, not too shabby.
Freeport is home to L.L. Bean and a whole mess of outlets as well as some of the best Chinese food you'll find in Maine (China Rose on Main St.), it gets pretty overrun on summer weekends but weekdays are normally pretty tolerable.
Many of you will already know that you should make a stop at Fat Boy's as you drive past Brunswick (you could drive by the Bowdoin campus too if you felt like it. The Whopper Burger is not to be missed, ditto the onion rings, very good fried clams, and Erin says if you don't get a frappe (aka milkshake) we can't be friends anymore. It's a real drive-in, lights on for service.
There aren't many other highlights until you get off the highway in Newport. We almost always take a pit stop here. Turn left at the top of the exit ramp and after you pass over 95 you have a couple of gas stations and some food and coffee options if you need them. If you need to break up the drive there are a couple of small motels here as well (which are in scarce supply from Newport to Greenville). As you head out of town on 7 there is a Citgo station on the left next to an Aubuchon Hardware store with a dark brown building for the store. They have good sandwiches from a counter and pre-made along with some sides and some awesome jarred local pickles (the fiddleheads are classic).
There is a Renys in Dexter, if you've been to a Reny's before it probably isn't worth a stop, but if you haven't it's fun and a Maine institution. Turn left on Main St in Dexter and follow it down a couple of blocks and Renys is on your right.
Make sure not to miss the left turn onto 23 on the north side of Dexter. As you go across the lake on your right will be a pull out for a swimming beach and a sandwich shop which we've never stopped at but everyone says good things about.
Guilford has a bit of a tricky turn after 15 goes to the left and over the river it makes a sharp right which is an actual turn onto a different road, it can be easy to miss if you aren't paying attention.
There isn't too much else until you get up to Greenville, although you do drive through a couple more little towns and you'll pass the start of the Hundred Mile Wilderness just past Monson.
Shortly after that you might see a moose along the left side of the road near a salt dump for winter roads (probably not though, there are a couple of evening drives you can take if you have the time where you probably will see one).
Then you'll catch your first glimpse of Moosehead as the road goes up and down over some hills, as you come into town try to pay attention to the road instead of just staring at the view. Also note that like all of the other towns you've passed through the speed limit drops here. As you come up to the Indian Hill Trading Post (the main grocery store in town, and also a great place to pick up carharts, fishing gear, sunscreen, etc) the speed limit drops a lot and there occasionally is a cruiser waiting in the parking lot so slow down.
That pretty much brings you into town. The map has many of the places to stay that we mentioned on it along with other local attractions and information.
Get here safely, we can't wait to see y'all!
More soon...
