We wanted a short summer getaway, and Campobello Island in Canada fit the bill. Campobello Island lies on the border between Maine and New Brunswick, just 6 hours from Cambridge. It was the summer home of FDR, and has the world’s only national park administered by two countries. It’s connected by a bridge to Maine, but to arrive from Canada one must take two ferries – with schedules that aren’t coordinated.
With Canadians loathe to travel through the USA, the island – which is clearly never very busy – was extremely quiet. It’s largely undeveloped, with only a handful of small lodges, fewer restaurants, and no gas stations. Approximately 40 % of the island is protected parkland.
We crossed back into Maine for a whale watch – where we saw minke whales, harbor seals, grey seals, Atlantic white-sided dolphins, bald eagles, osprey, numerous types of gulls, common terns, northern gannets, kittiwakes, black guillemots, and other species that we couldn’t identify. Sadly, we didn’t see any puffins.
The former FDR estate has numerous former carriage roads that are now gravel bike trails. We toured the Roosevelt “cottage” and also attended a very interesting lecture on Eleanor Roosevelt’s contributions to so many causes.
There are numerous hiking trails that overlook the rugged rocky coastline. We spent our time bicycling and hiking throughout the park, or just watching the sunset over the water from our cabin.
Logistics:
Fort Knox Park Inn, Bucksport, ME1
We stopped for a night here on the drive up. The room had a perfect view of the harbor (and the “other” Fort Knox). There’s a walk along the water’s edge.
Pollock Cove Resort, Wilson’s Beach, Campobello Island, NB
There aren’t a lot of choices on Campobello Island, but this is an excellent choice. We stayed in cabin #9, which is one of the newer and larger cottages, with a deck that overlooks the bay.
Downeast Charter Boat Tours, Lubec, ME
This was a small’ish boat which held about 25 people. The PA system was hard to hear, and they didn’t identify the majority of the birds we were seeing. But it was great to be out on the water. There is another whale watch company on Campobello, but they were booked.
The only ice cream shack on the island serves EXCELLENT ice cream!
