Northeast Discovery
Trip Summary
For 2026, Adventure Treks is bringing back its beloved Maine adventure camp for young middle schoolers wanting to step into outdoor adventure for the first time. Join us in Acadia National Park, famous for being the first place in the US to see the sunrise in the morning and one of the most breathtakingly beautiful outdoor destinations on the east coast. Sea kayak through the calm waters of Frenchman Bay, and then trade your paddles for climbing shoes and a helmet and rope up to scale Acadia's beautiful sea cliffs. Finally, no trip would be complete without a rafting day down the Penobscot River!
As an introductory outdoor adventure, this trip is just as much about building confidence and independence, making great new friends, and achieving big things as it is about learning to love nature!
Itinerary
Day hike in Acadia National Park
With Acadia's fascinating ecosystem, you can be winding through fragrant pine forests one moment, and the next you're scrambling over pink granite cliffs with the Atlantic down below. Hiking in Acadia means you get the best of everything: Mountaintops with 360-degree panoramas, coastal views, and rocky shorelines with tidepools teeming with marine life. Plus, the wildflowers in summer make for insanely colorful landscapes!
We'll have at least two full days of hiking in Acadia, and with this national park's extensive interconnected trails, we'll get to cover so much beautiful ground through lush forests with a thick carpet of vividly green moss, past endless creeks home to frogs, toads, and salamanders, and to the top of some of Acadia's peaks above which hawks, peregrine falcons, owls, and eagles hunt for their prey.
Sea kayak in Frenchman Bay
For two days, hang up your hiking boots and strap into a PFD as you hop into a tandem sea kayak with a friend and paddle out to the craggy Porcupine Islands. Here, porpoises and harbor seals hang out as lobster fisherman bob out at sea. We'll even get to park our boats on the shore and explore one of the islands, beach-combing for treasures.
Rock climb on Acadia's cliffs
Two days of rock climbing in Acadia feels like an adventure straight out of a movie: You'll scale granite walls as salt spray from the ocean drifts through the air and seagulls "ha-ha-ha-ha" overhead. The crag we'll visit is perfect for both first-timers and those looking to challenge themselves.
Day hike to Owl Mountain
You've now built up your hiking endurance, and it's time to hike up to the Owl in the rugged wilderness of the North Maine Woods. Because of Baxter State Park's huge wilderness setting, animals like moose, black bear, deer, beaver, river otters, snowshoe hare, and many more animals call this forest home. This trail lends itself to excellent views of its famous looming neighbor, Mt. Katahdin. Hike along a pretty stream, scramble up some rocky terrain, and finally spill out to panoramic views at the open summit. On the way down, stop at Katahdin Stream Falls to take a dip in a refreshing swimming hole!
Whitewater raft the Penobscot River
We're confident at this point you won't want to head home, but we'll make the most of our last day with a big celebration on the Penobscot River, known as a whitewater playground for local paddlers. Launch your raft into the stunning Ripogenus Gorge, renowned for steep canyon walls and thrilling rapids, and enjoy a riverside lunch.
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