There are few better ways to understand Maine than from the road. Roughly tracing Route 1 as it winds north along the coast, this journey takes in fishing harbours and rocky headlands, roadside lobster shacks and blueberry farms, island ferries, surf beaches and small towns where the Atlantic is rarely far from view.
Photographer Cait Bourgault knows this landscape intimately. Born and raised in Maine, her documentary-led approach is shaped by a lifelong love of the outdoors and a desire to capture people naturally within the places they inhabit.
Her journey runs from southern Maine into the far reaches of Downeast and the border with New Brunswick, taking in working waterfronts, weathered lobster buoys, old theatres, fishing boats and locals plunging into Casco Bay. Food is never far away, from lobster rolls and wild blueberries to potato doughnuts. Together, Bourgault’s photographs capture a coastline still deeply shaped by the sea, and the communities and traditions encountered along the road north.
A surfer catches a clean break at Snowberry Beach in Scarborough, where Maine’s southern coast offers some of the state’s best waves
Weathered lobster buoys hang from a pine branch beside the Coastal Trail, en route to Cutler’s dramatic Bold Coast
Wild blueberries ripen along Maine’s rugged coastline, one of the state’s most distinctive summer crops and a staple of the local landscape
An angler fishes at sunset from Diamond Island Ledge in Casco Bay, framed by a wash of pink and blue sky as evening settles over the water
Members of Portland’s Old Port Pub Run cool off after a group run, jumping from the pier into the harbour as fishing boats return to shore
Ram Island Ledge Light stands silhouetted against a fiery sunset in Casco Bay, its granite tower marking the approach to Portland
![true blue: [near bottom left] Wild Blueberry Land, a blueberry-shaped building in Columbia Falls, serves baked goods alongside a museum on Maine’s blueberry industry](https://cdn.escapismmagazine.com/dynamic_height_full_400/6abb885d17d5c.webp "true blue: [near bottom left] Wild Blueberry Land, a blueberry-shaped building in Columbia Falls, serves baked goods alongside a museum on Maine’s blueberry industry")
Wild Blueberry Land, a blueberry-shaped building in Columbia Falls, serves baked goods alongside a museum on Maine’s blueberry industry
A collection of Maine’s classic lobster licence plates, whose fees help fund research and conservation efforts supporting the state’s lobster industry
Still pulling the right strings a century on, The Strand has hosted live music since 1923 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Granite cliffs rise above Otter Cove in Acadia National Park, just beyond a short trail near Blackwoods Campground on Mount Desert Island
A freshly made lobster roll from Scarborough Lobster on Route 1, piled high with sweet Maine lobster and served in a soft, lightly toasted hot dog bun
Passengers stream off the ferry at Peaks Island, a short ride across Casco Bay from Portland and one of the most accessible island escapes
The Ferris wheel at Palace Playland, a much-loved amusement park on the southern coast, towers above Old Orchard Beach
El Frijoles is a staple of the Blue Hill Peninsula, serving burritos, tacos, empanadas and other Mexican-inspired favourites from its rustic roadside home
A lobsterman works the dock in Cutler Harbor, hauling gear in a working waterfront, where the lobster industry shapes daily life
An angler fishes at sunset from Diamond Island Ledge in Casco Bay, framed by a wash of pink and blue sky as evening settles over the water
At Five Islands Lobster in Georgetown, a worker handles freshly cooked lobster at a must-visit seafood stop
Rosie’s Hot Dog Stand in Eastport, a local favourite serving classic hot dogs and simple comfort food in Maine’s far east
