Top Ten Alternative National and State Parks

Yosemite National Park: Spring Backpacking

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10. Camden Hills State Park, Maine
(Instead of Acadia National Park, Maine)
In lieu of dodging the regular influx of visitors to Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, those in the know choose the state's "other coastal park" at Camden Hills. Maine's largest state park has 30 miles of hiking and mountain-biking trails along forested slopes fragrant with balsam. At 1,385 feet, Mount Megunticook is the highest point in the park and the tallest peak on the coastal mainland (Cadillac Mountain in Acadia is 147 feet higher, but it's technically on an island). Those who make it to the top of the open, rocky summit of Mount Battie are rewarded with sweeping views of the islands that dot Penobscot Bay, where whales and puffins can often be spotted. On a clear day you can see all the way up the craggy, undeveloped coastline to Acadia. In fall, this lookout provides gorgeous vistas of the flaming foliage covering the surrounding hills.

Maine Parks & Outdoors Travel Guide