Route 15 South

Ride: Sunday July 24, 2001

Where: Route 15 from Brewer to Caterpillar Hill roadside picnic area and return.

Road conditions: good to excellent - some new pavement, significant bumps are few and far between but route 15 south of route 1 has many small bumps.

Short cut - As you are heading south on route 15, about 4.3 miles past the turn off to route 199, route 15 takes a very sharp left turn. Here you should “turn right” onto Hinckley Ridge Road. After another ~ 3.9 miles there is another fork in the road. You don’t want the left branch is Union Street and takes you into Blue Hill. Instead take a right (i.e. go straight) on Beech Hill Road. In about two-thirds of a mile you’ll reach an intersection where you will go right onto the Mines road. This will put you back on route 15.

There’s a marina and small park in Bucksport, both of which will provide excellent views of Bucksport Harbor and Fort Knox, The latter is now a state park which is across the bay in Prospect.

Caterpillar Hill picnic area provides scenic views of Penobscot Bay and it’s many islands, and the Camden Hills on the west side of the bay.

Brewer to Bucksport - good quality two lane road. Gentle curves and modest elevation changes, with occasional glimpses of the Penobscot River and Mt Waldo. Overall quality of this stretch of road is very good to excellent. Current road construction is aimed at eliminating severe bumps and could slow you down a little. Be careful at the five railroad crossings along the way, some of which cross route 15 at an oblique angle. Speed limit is variable as you go through several small towns where the speed limit is 35 mph. Traffic is variable depending on time of day and day of the week. On the weekends you’ll see many other bikers. As you approach Bucksport you pass the paper mill. There can be significant truck traffic when wood chips and other raw materials are delivered. Opportunities to pass are limited.

Route 15 merges with US 1 in Bucksport and the two are one for about four and a half miles and this stretch of road will likely have the most traffic as it is the coastal route to Acadia National Park. The road is excellent with passing lanes on the hills and wide shoulders. At the Shell station, route 15 branches off to the right and heads for Blue Hill. The route climbs over some ridges the exceed 400 feet above sea level. This high ground crosses blueberry fields and other open fields that were probably farmed in the not too distant past. These offer views of distant mountains and hills.

In or near Blue Hill, depending on where you took the proposed short cut, you will proceed west on 15 out of Blue Hill. The stretch passes by passed now abandoned copper mines that were active from the 1880 to the 1960s. This four mile segment it through wooded terrane and the road has some sharp, banked curves with rapid elevation changes and can be bumpy in some areas.

At Gray’s Corner, route 15 goes left and 176 goes right. As this is a ride on route 15, go left. The road quality is great as it knifes through both wooded and open countryside. The open areas are strewn with boulders deposited by retreating glaciers 13,000 years ago. As the road cuts across the west side of Caterpillar Mountain you’ll find an overlook equipped with picnic tables. Here you can look out over Penobscot Bay with it’s many islands. If the humidity is up the view will be hazy and if it’s down it will be crystal clear.

Round trip on the ride is about 2 hours.