If you’re planning a trip to Coastal Maine (such as the Coastal Maine in 7 Days Trip), it’s helpful to know a little about the location before you go. Probably the most important information is when to go and what the weather will be like at that time. This impacts everything from what you do to what you pack. Keep reading for full Coastal Maine – Know Before You Go information.
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Timing Your Trip
Coastal Maine is known for its outdoor sights and adventures. The best weather to enjoy the outdoors of Maine is undoubtedly the summertime. However, as with most vacation and tourist destinations, the best time to go is also when large numbers of visitors descend on the area.
Late May through early September brings the temperate climate that makes Maine outdoor activities enjoyable. Traveling to Maine outside of this timeline will see much colder weather and a resulting decrease in visitors. Due to this, many hotels, restaurants, and activities close during the off-season. Because you won’t be able to enjoy all the activities that Maine has to offer, it is hard to recommend travel anytime outside the summer season (unless you are planning winter sports).
An influx of visitors is a given during the summer months in Maine. However, there are some things you can do to limit the crowds you will experience during your trip. A large number of visitors revolve around the Northeastern United States school schedules. Most public schools in the Northeast US region start summer break the third week of June (around June 20th). Public schools return to the classroom after Labor Day (the first Monday of September). Traveling to Maine in late May and early June is the best combination of smaller crowds and good weather. Mid to late September will also see smaller crowds, but the weather starts to become a gamble with some colder days around this time. If you only pick up one thing from this Coastal Maine- Know Before You Go page let it be this: try to go around school schedules.
Weather
When looking at the state of Maine as a whole, weather and temperature can swing to the extremes. However, Coastal Maine is tempered by the ocean and features a much smaller variance in weather. The ocean also creates milder temperatures in both the summer and winter than much of the rest of the state.
Summer
The prime summer season runs from June to August in Maine. Early September can also be nice, but the weather starts to become less predictable and cooler around this time. During the summer, the average daily highs feel quite nice. During the peak of summer, a couple of days can break into the high 80s or even into the 90s on occasion. When this does occur, one saving grace for Maine is the low humidity. For those of you used to humid heat, the 80-90° days will still feel nice. Low temperatures during the summer generally reside in the mid to upper 50s. The threat of rainfall is generally low year-round throughout Maine. Without a real dry or rainy season, the percentage chance for rain daily ranges between 25% and 33%.
| Highs | |
|---|---|
| Portland | 69°F – 78°F |
| Bar Harbor | 65°F – 73°F |
| Lows | |
|---|---|
| Portland | 52°F – 62°F |
| Bar Harbor | 49°F – 58°F |
| Rainfall | |
|---|---|
| Portland | 2.9 – 3.7 inches/month |
| Bar Harbor | 2.6 – 3.5 inches/month |
Shoulder Seasons (Fall and Spring)
The spring and fall seasons in Maine run from March through May and September through November, respectively. These seasons are characterized by weather and temperatures that are less ideal. The spring and fall either start out very cold or bring on rapid cooling of the state. While the chances of precipitation are pretty constant throughout the year, the threat of snowfall begins to appear during the coldest months of spring and fall. With highs between 40°F and 60°F and lows between 26°F and 52°F, layers will be important. While the temperatures aren’t frigid during these seasons, they don’t match the perfect weather in the summer.
| Highs | |
|---|---|
| Portland | 41°F – 69°F |
| Bar Harbor | 40°F – 65°F |
| Lows | |
|---|---|
| Portland | 26°F – 52°F |
| Bar Harbor | 26°F – 49°F |
| Rainfall | |
|---|---|
| Portland | 2.5 – 3.7 inches/month |
| Bar Harbor | 2.5 – 3.5 inches/month |
Winter
The winter in Maine runs from December to February. Maine is brutally cold during the winter and experiences a large amount of snowfall that doesn’t melt. The high temperature primarily sits between freezing temperatures up to about 40°F. Lows are almost always constantly sub-freezing temperatures. It is also this point in the year where the snowfall will start to accumulate. Most importantly, many restaurants, shops, and activities close down and many seasonal workers leave during the off-season. This will impact the activities that are available to you.
| Highs | |
|---|---|
| Portland | 32°F – 41°F |
| Bar Harbor | 31°F – 40°F |
| Lows | |
|---|---|
| Portland | 16°F – 26°F |
| Bar Harbor | 16°F – 26°F |
| Rainfall | |
|---|---|
| Portland | 1.5 – 3.5 inches/month |
| Bar Harbor | 2.5 – 4 inches/month |
Daylight
With outdoor activities being the primary attractions in Maine, the amount of daylight available is a chief consideration. As one of the most northern regions of the United States, the length of daylight is highly variable between winter and summer. The winter sees as little as 8 hours and 51 minutes of sunlight, with sunrise at 7:05 AM and sunset at 3:56 PM. The early sunset during the winter is another reason to avoid the region for outdoor activities during this time.
Summer is much more conducive to outdoor activities with up to 15 hours and 32 minutes of daylight. The summer solstice (June 20th) has sunrise around 4:48 AM and sunset around 8:20 PM. This amount of daylight is great for being able to take in hikes, sails, and outdoor dinners all before the sun goes down. Check sunrise and sunset times for when you plan to go to help identify when the best time for different activities is.
Connectivity
All major US carriers generally have good coverage along the Maine coastline. As with many national parks and wilderness areas, there are some areas where coverage can be spotty, but they are relatively few and far between. Even with the good cell coverage, it is best to have backup plans of downloaded information while you are hiking or in areas where coverage could be spotty.
