Best time to visit Maine for extended stay (to rent, home)

[WorldKlas]

We love to hike but also love to be near shops and cafes. We enjoy concerts and stage performances. We would love to rent a place for a couple of months and just chill in Maine. What time of the year and where in Maine would you suggest. We are a couple in our 60's.

[slyfox2]

Where in Maine? Maine is bigger than all the other New England States combined.

[River Runner]

Before I make any suggestions I want to clarify something. When you say "hike" what is your interpretation of that word? I have come to understand not everyone uses this word to describe the same thing. We talking hiking the Knife's Edge on Katahdin or a walk through a pine forest? My definition tends to more of picking your way through a boulder field or making sure you are staying to the right on the trail because if you go left you're a goner (ah what fond memories). But I have found when others talk about 'hiking" they may mean just hiking through the woods on a clearly marked trail perhaps with a slight incline to get a view. Or something entirely different.

After you clarify that I might have a suggestion. Without that I can say there are a few things to keep in mind overall in terms of taking hikes. We often still have snow in April and snow in the woods is the last to go and it has snowed in late October but November for sure at elevation.

Two other considerations for the springtime are mud and bugs. Let's just say when all that snow melts it makes a bit of mud. Not only does it make hiking slippery but when you straggle back into town all mud covered you get some odd looks. Then there are the bugs most notably the black flies. When they are thick particularly around wet areas like swamps and marshes there can distracting and annoying. Hard to enjoy the scenery when you are fending them off.

Now it can get humid in Maine in the summer. Nothing like down south but enough that hiking too far might not be a pleasant experience. July and early August tend to be the most humid. Although this year it was humid into September a bit. But there are cooler days mixed in for sure. I like late summer and fall for hiking but plenty of opportunity over the summer if you watch the weather forecast and supply your backpack appropriately.

But clarifying your definition of hiking will help figure out and narrow down where you can go to do that but still be within a reasonable drive for the shops and cafes you are looking for - ya know since it takes about seven or eight hours to drive from the bottom to the top of Maine.

[gf2020]

I think September and October are the best months of the year.

[slyfox2]

I love it when people ask questions and then never return to respond to the people who took time out of their day to respond to their questions. Not actually.

[WorldKlas]

When I ask about hiking, I prefer hiking trails where I don't fear falling off a cliff.

Thanks, it looks like late summer/early Fall is good black fly avoidance time!

[Northern Maine Land Man]

If you like hiking, many snowmobile trails provide good hiking and you won't fall off a cliff. Maps are available all over Maine.

If you like snowmobiling, January and February. If you like fishing, April and May. If you like the coast, June and July (before the 4th of July). Summer theaters and the world's best clambakes are in August and September and it's country fair time too. October and November are hunting season. Everybody wants to be home inDecember for Christmas.

[Last1Standing]

I think May, June, or September. I would favor June because the days are so much longer. October is beautiful but the sun sets too early and it can get pretty cold.

[woxyroxme]

I like going up mid to late September when the tourists are gone.

[IHeartMaine]

Originally Posted by woxyroxme

I like going up mid to late September when the tourists are gone.

Problem is......they don't leave until Columbus Day now.......