BICYCLING

Rocky shorelines, quiet country byways and mountaintops with ocean views make Midcoast Maine a unique cycling vacation destination. Whether you prefer bicycling our uncrowded and driver friendly back roads or our challenging off road terrain, the Camden area has a cycling smorgasbord for you!

Your innkeeper, Jim, is an avid cyclist and knows the best rides in the area. Jim will send you off with route maps and recommend rides based on your skill and desires for a day’s adventure. Relaxing country road rides of 3 to 5 miles with ocean views pedaling past our famed “oreo cookie” cows begin right at the Inn. For the more adventurous, rides of 25 to 100 miles give you all the challenge you desire!

Looking for a Maine bicycling vacation experience? We are proud to partner with Summerfeet Cycling , a Maine based company, hosting their guests on all inclusive coastal bicycling adventures.
Choose from several trips – each perfectly planned for your enjoyment. Ask us for details.

Excellent cycle shops are nearby. They are happy to help you with repairs, gear or quality touring bike or high end bicycle rentals. Group rides, organized by local clubs, are regularly scheduled throughout the season.

Want to take along a picnic? We’re happy to pack one for you or to tell you about little places to stop for lunch along the way. And, don’t forget your camera! Wherever you ride, you’ll bring home memories of Maine!

SKIING, SNOESHOEING, RIDING AND CROSS COUNTRY

In winter Camden Maine is blessed with bountiful and usually dependable snow. For the last several years we have averaged 80” of the white stuff…almost 7 feet. We are further blessed with an excellent town owned ski complex, the Camden Snow Bowl, where downhill and x-country skiing, snowshoe trails, toboggan runs and a tubing slope are available. Rentals are available both at the complex and from local ski shops. Did we mention that you can see the ocean and the islands while skiing at the Snow Bowl?

The Camden Snow Bowl is the only ski area on the East Coast where you have an ocean view. And it is also home to the US Toboggan Nationals, a three day event run every February.

If your interest is in more remote adventuring, our Camden Hills State Park and Tanglewood 4H facility and Georges Highland Path are just a few miles away with numerous trail systems for scenic x-country skiing or snowshoeing. From many trails you will have an ocean view.

For those who may picture themselves gliding across a frozen pond, try ice skating on any of our numerous lakes and ponds or indoors at the Midcoast Recreation Center just a few miles from the Inn . Rentals are available.

A great way to spend the day is to adventure outdoors in our fresh air and snow (perhaps with a picnic lunch packed by your innkeepers); then come back to Blackberry for a glass of wine or some hot mulled cider in front of the woodstove. Then plan to stay in and enjoy Saturday Night Dinner with us here at the Inn . Mmm!

Links:
Skiing; Downhill

The Camden Snow Bowl: www.camdensnowbowl.com

Cross-Country Skiing

The Camden Snow Bowl: www.camdensnowbowl.com

Tanglewood X-C Area: www.tanglewood4h.org

Georges Highland Path: www.grlt.org

Ice Skating

Indoors at Midcoast Recreation Center: www.midcoastrec.com
Outdoors on many of the areas ponds and lakes - weather permitting.

Tubing & Tobogganing

The Camden Snow Bowl: www.camdensnowbowl.com
US Toboggan Championships: www.camdensnowbowl.com

KAYAKING and CANOEING

Water, water, everywhere! So many choices!

Maine has about 3,500 miles of coastline and over 4,000 lakes and ponds. Some of the loveliest coastal coves and jewel like lakes are right here in the Camden area!

From the Inn you can walk to Camden harbor and kayak. Daily adventures, under the leadership of a Maine guide, head out for Curtis Island where our resident Bald Eagles nest. Kayak adventures to the island bring visitors ashore to enjoy Curtis Island lighthouse and a picnic lunch. Keep a eye out for harbor seals along the way!

If you prefer a more remote adventure, you can canoe or kayak on one of our quiet lakes. Only a short drive from Blackberry, are dozens of lakes, some connected to each other, some totally uninhabited where you can see nature at its best. Loons, ducks, bald eagles, osprey … even an occasional moose … may be spotted.

We’ll help you with rentals or tell you where to launch your canoe or kayak. Guided tours happen daily; weather permitting. And just a bit further from the inn, are kayaking adventures along the coastal habitat for native puffins. Whatever your comfort and skill level, there is an adventure you will not want to miss!

Picnic lunches are a favorite for guests heading out on an adventure. We’re happy to pack one up for you!

Kayak rentals, guided tours and canoes are all available from June through October.

Let us help you plan a real Maine adventure you’ll remember for a lifetime!

HIKING and WALKING
Midcoast Maine is a walkers and hikers paradise!

Whether you prefer a leisurely walk along treelined village streets to quiet coastal coves or an ambitious hike up the face of a rocky peak, Camden is the perfect location!

Within only a few blocks of the Inns At Blackberry Common you can be at the trailhead of a great hike leading you to the top of Mt. Battie in Camden Hills State Park . Whether you take this trail, or the more leisurely Nature Trail to the top, getting to the top of Mt. Battie is a MUST for any Camden vacation.


Camden Hills State Park has over 30 miles of trails including some with miles of ridge top paths with panoramic 360 degree views of mountains, lakes and Penobscot Bay dotted with islands.

The Georges River Land Trust offers thirty us miles of trails with rugged mountains, deep forests, quiet hills and glimpses of ocean.

Camden’s Coastal Mountain Land Trust protects our farms, forests and water resources. They have conserved over 15,000 acres of land and much of this is available for hiking. The Inns At Blackberry Common are a member of the Trust and each year we get our organic blueberries from their blueberry barrens. If you are here during blueberry harvest time, it is an experience not to be missed. The lands they steward include mountains, coastal island, bogs, rivers and watersheds. Come, hike the trails, visit the newly restored Beech Hill hut and ask us how you can help with their efforts.

Yankee Magazine has deemed the walk from Rockport to Camden as “The Most Beautiful Walk In the World” and we believe it is! It is a wonderful walk along tree shaded village streets, country lanes past our “Oreo Cookie Cows” (Belted Galloways) and rocky scenic byways. It is lovely anytime of year…but spectacular in autumn’s colors.

Let us help you plan several wonderful walks and hikes while you are here with us in Camden . Take a picnic lunch along…bring your camera…and we’ve got the binoculars and backpack set aside for you!
 

SAILING
The waters of Penobscot Bay are known in the boating world as among the finest sailing waters on earth. We’d have to agree!

And once you’ve stepped aboard a Maine historic schooner for a sail, it will be one of your fondest Maine vacation memories.

Camden harbor is home to several of the Maine windjammers and while in port, these impressive three and 4 masted ships lend a stately presence. Enjoy watching the supplies come on board for the 3 to 7 day excursions past islands, through channels and along the rocky coast. Passengers of the Mary Day, Angelique and Mercantile feast aboard ship, listen to sea shantys and try their hand at the helm or trimming the sheets! All who come back to the inn for a bit of pampering after their voyage share memories they’ll take home and savor for a long time.

Midcoast Maine is also home to many Maine schooners that set sail daily for two hour or half day trips giving passengers a taste of the sea. It’s a MUST do while in Camden ! Enjoy Schooner Surprise, with Captain Jack and his first mate Barbara, in their 25th season of sailing this beautifully restored 57 ft. schooner. The Appledore is the largest of the day sail vessels. Lazy Jack and Olad also set sail several times a day. Don’t forget your camera! Leaving from Camden , you’ll sail past Curtis Island where you will have a great opportunity to photograph Curtis Island Lighthouse. And, you might get a glimpse of our resident bald eagles or friendly harbor seals.

Nearby Rockport and Rockland harbors are home to other sailing schooners. Trips from these harbors will take you past Indian Island Lighthouse, or past the Rockland Breakwater Light and the Owl’s Head light. Every harbor is different; every site a delight!

There’s no better way to see the coast of Maine!

Schooner Surprise: www.camdenmainesailing.com

Maine Windjammer Association: www.sailmainecoast.com

Appledore: www.appledore2.com