October in Lubec

We have visited Lubec, Maine almost every summer since 2009. It’s a long drive from our home in Walpole, New Hampshire, but well worth it. Lubec has a little bit of everything we love: The drama of Maine’s bold coast, ancient peat bogs and drowned forests that hint at a glacial past, coastal woodlands draped in strange mosses, powerful whirlpools and some of the world’s most extreme tides . . . it’s truly a world of its own.

My husband’s parents have a cottage in Lubec now, so we are able to visit whenever we feel up to making the drive, and we thought it would be fun to see the area in the fall. Although it wasn’t quite peak foliage yet on the coast, we still got to enjoy the beautiful colors of the season—from the cheerful lavender of woodland asters to the ferns glazed in autumn’s rusty hues. Plus, there is an amazing sunrise and sunset pretty much every day!

Last summer a collection of fifteen privately-owned nature parks and trails called Cobscook Shores opened to the public in Lubec and the surrounding area, and we were finally able to visit a few of them this past week. With its meticulously maintained trails, post-and-beam pavilions, and miles of shoreline to explore, Cobscook Shores is an incredibly valuable addition to the rich tapestry of state parks and conservation lands already present in the area.

The highlight of our trip was hiking out to Cobscook Shores’ Red Point Island during low tide. Because it was nearing the end of the season, we were the only hikers out there. For the first time in our lives we had a whole island to ourselves!

We also spent some time in town visiting the Lubec Brewing Company and Mowry Beach. And, of course, we had to hop over to Eastport to stock up at Raye’s Mustard. While we were there we visited Shackford State Park and took in an amazing view of Lubec from the other side of the bay. We can’t wait to go back in the spring!