Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land

Ever wonder what Frodo and Bilbo saw on their trek through Middle Earth? I bet it looked a lot like this. In the summer, when all the deciduous trees are in leaf, this has to be one dark woodland. We took the coastal trail to the scenic 'overlook' (more on that later). The hike is 1.5 miles from the trailhead to the overlook. (Similar distance to walking from here to Shaw's.) Other than the similarity in distance, these walks are worlds apart!

Rather than yak on, this blog will be mostly photos. Enjoy! (Click on the photos to enlarge.)

Crossing the stream, perfectly placed stepping stones.

Crossing over the boggy bits.

We've hiked in a lot of Maine parks and I do have to say that this was one of the best preserved in regard to maintenance on the trails. There were a few new tree falls across the path, but they were easy to go over or under. Given how well the trail is maintained, my guess is they'll be gone soon.

The trail is so obvious that the tree blazes are almost not necessary but a couple of times we were glad to see them just to validate we were headed the right way.

I will say this trail is not for the faint of heart partly because of lots of rocks, roots and up and down hill, but mostly because of the scenic 'overlook'.

This, then, is the payoff for hiking over hill and dale, rock and root, boggy bits and all...the Bold Coast of Maine...

Thunder hole

The Bold Coast of Maine

The trees give way and that's the view from the scenic overlook. Well worth the hike! There is just no way to describe the 'ends of the Earth' feeling of stepping out of the woods and the ocean right in front of you, a long, long way down! You can see in the photo that the evergreens grow right along the tops of the cliffs.

Helpful hints- wear good shoes! This is not the place for open-toed sandals. Bug repellent will be a must in the summer. Bring along some tp for the outhouse! Vertigo? Hold on tight to the rocks, it's scary up there at the scenic overlook.

How to get here: Take Rt 1 north to Rt 191. Go thru the town of Cutler and the park is about 5 miles outside the village on the right. If you come in from Lubec, the park is about 10 miles from the intersection with Rt 189 (County Rd).

There are many more trails in the park that we did not have time to wander along. Here is a link to the park map.

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