UKC

Dear climbers and general outdoor people,

I'm looking to relocate to Maine, USA from the UK. I'm a climber, mountaineer and paraglider but my initial research has made Maine look like a slightly underwhelming outdoors destination....please tell me I'm wrong. 

I need your help doing some research - because I've got flexibility to work anywhere in Maine. Portland, Maine seems like a popular place. But from an outdoors perspective where would you choose?

There are mountains in the North on the border with Canada. Acadia National Park on the East looks nice. But where's the climbing? What outdoor stuff is Maine actually good for? Kite surfing? Where are the dirtbags? 

Thanks in advance.

Henry

Also ask on the Mountain Project forums if you haven’t already.

Have been visiting relatives in Maine for 20 years, first in Portland then more recently in Acadia.

From Portland it's an hour or two to North Conway granite in New Hampshire. Lots of rock climbing. Another hour gets you to Cannon Cliff in Franconia Notch. 5000ft mountains, all tree covered up to about 4000ft.

Maine coast has some smaller rock climbing gems at Camden and Acadia National Park. The state is huge but big empty roads get you quickly to Baxter state park for big mountains and winter ice.

Cross Country and downhill skiing in the mountains.

The coast goes on for ever, mostly rock and flat. Would imagine its ideal for sea kayaking. Some surfing near Portland.

Summers are very hot and winters very cold by UK standards. 

The people from Maine really love Maine.

Edit; Mrs Moore says Fryeburg is a cool, New England mountain town compared to the bright lights and tourists of coastal Portland.

Thanks Mr and Mrs Moore! This is exactly the sort of info I was hoping for. I've learned the paragliding here is a no-go so I'll be exploring the climbing and snow sport potential. You've made it sound quite nice. Have you climbed at Smith Rocks before? 

Fryeburg looks like a lovely mountain town. My thoughts are it might be a bit small and harder to integrate in as a solo migrant compared to a place like Portland though (?).

Cheers, Henry 

Smith Rocks Oregon? No, not me.

Yes, Portland is far more cosmopolitan.

Friend went out there, Peaks Island, to work as a sea kayak guide thirty years ago. He's still there. 

For paragliding in New England be prepared to drive. Cannon Mtn and Morningside in NH, Burke and West Rutland in VT. If you're an XC pilot, there's a good crowd of friendly pilots all willing to share lifts. Join the Maine HG and PG Facebook page. Have a chat with one of the many ski mountains and see if they're happy for you to launch from them. When it's on, the flying is great.

Portland, ME is a fun town, plenty to do in and around, Lots of outdoorsy folk. But if you don't have to live in ME then North Conway, NH is more of a year round mountain town vibe. Great climbing nearby with Cathedral Ledge and Cannon Cliff. Rumney, NH is a quality sport crag.

Some blog posts from our New England road trip including a few areas in Maine here: https://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/category/usa/north-east/ TBH we weren't blown away by the seacliffs in Acadia NP (Gogarth it ain't!) but there's other stuff. Have a browse.

There's also some high quality cragging across the border into Canada https://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/category/canada/

... and finally a trip report which gives a good overview. https://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/looking-for-new...

I'd really recommend the suggestion above to reach out to the folks on Mountain Project (they have regional sub forums). I've always found them super friendly and we'll-informed. Cheers, Dom 

Are you confusing Portland, Maine, with Portland, Oregon?

I lived in North Conway for 12 years.
There's climbing scattered all over maine, but the best cliffs are the gneiss and mica schist (think Dunkeld) crags in the south western corner of the state. A lot of that stuff (mostly sport) is really good esp in the 5.12 (7's) range. All that stuff is right next door to Fryeburg ( which is about 10 miles from N Conway (mostly trad) which is the main hub for climbing in the region. You can easily drive to Cathedral and the other north conway crags for an evenings cragging from Fryeburg.
Not much "mountaineering" as such, but tons of really good ice and mixed climbing, I'd almost call it world class but I understand that warming temps are having an effect. Lots of good ski mountains all around. Hiking/peak bagging is fun, but has a completely different feel from the stuff in the UK since you're mostly in the trees.
Mind you, Fryeburg is really really rural, if you're ok with that it's a good base for climbing with a very active scene nearby. Portland is a really nice, lively town if you prefer a bit more action. Its a bit of a trek to climbing (usually 1.5 hrs and a bit of a pain) but there are quite a few surf spots and the coast in general is beautiful.