Bold Coast Trail Hike in Cutler, Maine

For my birthday, Thomas and I took a camper-van trip to Northern Maine with the intention of hiking the Bold Coast Trail at the Cutler Public Land Reserve in Cutler, Maine near Lubec. This trail is not for the faint of heart but the views make the tough trek infinitely worth it.

Thomas and I hit the trail on Saturday around 11 AM - a bit later than we had anticipated getting going but we were in full on vacation mode took our time at our Cobscook Bay State Park camp site in the morning. Thanks to some research on All Trails, my favorite trail app, we knew that part of the inland trail was re-routed adding 1.5 miles to the total trip. We planned to spend about 5 hours doing the Coastal trail and Inland trail via the Black Point Cove Cutoff for a total of 7 miles, including the re-route.

When we got to the Cutler Coast Public Land Reserve, the parking lot was completely full but the shoulder on the main road is wide enough to park on safely.

We weren’t the only group getting a later start, either! The trail head was fairly crowded. After a quick but thorough spray down with bug spray, we hit the trail with our two dogs, Paige and Peaches!

By a happy accident, we headed out on the Inland Trail. Most people head towards the Coastal Trail first or completely skip the Inland Trail all together. Given how crowded the parking lot was, we were expecting to run into a lot of other groups but we didn’t see another soul until we got to Black Point Cove. I wasn’t mad about it at all.

The Inland trail provides stunning scenery. With stone stairways and moss-covered plank ways, the Inland trail is it’s own kind of beauty.

The woods open up to a meadow of shoulder high wildflowers.

As you press on, the rocky coast begins to reveal itself in the landscape.

Steep inclines and steeper declines eventually leave you breathless. Just when you’re ready to give up and call an Uber, the Bold Coast appears.

And it is absolutely splendid. And so I smiled like a fool.

If you are ever in Cutler, Maine, do yourself a favor and make a stop over at the Bold Coast Trail. Take in the spectacular views of the Bay of Fundy and be at one with the untamed wilderness of the northeast.