This Cozy Airbnb Is the Perfect Home Base for Maine’s Best Hiking Trails

For outdoor enthusiasts, Maine’s federal and state parks offer hiking trails for every hiker, from trails through thick, lush forests to coastal ones with stunning views of natural inlets and the Atlantic Ocean. Hikers can easily enjoy both from this coastal Downeast Maine cottage with a water view in Steuben.

First, the cottage: it’s privately situated on 3.5 acres overlooking Pigeon Hill Bay and Bois Bubert Island, so it boasts both bay and ocean views. Outside, there’s an outdoor shower, deck, fire pit, new grill, and plenty of Adirondack chairs. There’s also a kayak for use on the bay, and the property sits next to the Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge.

Indoors, there’s a massive stone fireplace in the living room/dining room and a roomy, well-appointed kitchen. The house sleeps up to nine people with one king bed, one queen bed, a sofa bed, and three single beds up in the light-filled loft. It’s perfect for a large family or two smaller ones, but also a friends’ fishing, hiking, or biking trip—and dogs are allowed. Summer evenings include breathtaking sunset displays over the water you can watch from the deck or around the fire pit; come fall, enjoy colorful displays of foliage in the daylight before toasting your toes by the lit fireplace after dinner.

Now, for proximity to great trails: the house is just under an hour’s drive north from Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, which is home to many of the top-rated hiking trails in Maine and called the “Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic.” With that in mind, you’ll want to dedicate either your whole weekend if on a short trip, or a few days of a longer vacation to these trails.

The first can’t-miss hike is the Beehive Trail Loop—though do take note that while it’s only 1.5 miles long, its difficulty level is hard, with rung and ladder sections along cliff sides and steep granite stairs, and dogs are not allowed. It’s worth it for those who are up to it, as it includes incredible ocean views over the treetops. The trailhead shares a parking lot with Sand Beach, so get there very early in warmer weather to get a spot and avoid having to park away up the road, and be sure to hike the trail counterclockwise to get through the steepest part of the journey first.

Back at the house in Steuben, it’s only a seven-minute drive north to Milbridge, Maine, which is the starting point of the Bold Coast Scenic Byway: a 125-mile route that runs up to Lubec and touches many parks and wildlife refuges along the way. Up towards the north end, just a little more than an hour from the cottage, there’s the Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land, and I highly recommend dedicating four hours to the moderately difficult, 9.4-mile Cutler Coast Public Land Coastal Trail. Along the route, you’ll be treated to majestic cliffside views overlooking the sparkling ocean that become even more dramatic if the fog rolls in.

After that long hike, I like to drive just another 25 minutes north to picnic at the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse up in Lubec. It’s in Quoddy Head State Park, my favorite Maine state park, and is home to both the easternmost point in the continental United States as well as the only candy-striped lighthouse in the country. There’s also plenty of shorter, easy-to-moderate trails in the park, so you can always bypass Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land and head straight there—and it’s only about 80 minutes from the cozy cottage.

Looking for the perfect family getaway to book in Maine? Friends with a hiker who needs to know about these amazing trails? Save and share this article to be sure they make your trip’s itinerary.