Maine
Acadia All-American Road
Maine's Scenic Byways
Maine boasts one of the oldest scenic byway programs in the nation. Maine’s 14 scenic byways provide Mainers and visitors with spectacular views of the state’s natural landscape. As a means of encouraging tourism, Maine’s scenic byways act as an important economic developmental tool for the state’s more rural communities.
Key Points
- Maine is home to 14 scenic byways, including one All-American Road, six national scenic byways, and seven state scenic byways.
- The tourism industry supported over 116,000 jobs in 2019, making up around 17% of the state’s employment.
- Acadia National Park, serviced by Acadia All-American Road, generated over $500 million in economic output in 2017, supporting over 4,000 jobs in gateway communities.
- Maine’s national parks generated $560 million in total economic output in gateway communities in 2019.
Maine Byways
Map Key:
- All-American Roads
- National Scenic Byways
- State Scenic Byways
All-American Roads
Byways Provide Access to Public Lands
Maine byways provide access to the state’s most spectacular public lands, including Acadia National Park, White Mountains National Park, eight state parks, 18 national recreational trails, and two wildlife refuges.
About the National Scenic Byways Program
The National Scenic Byways Program, established by Congress in 1991, recognizes historic, scenic, and culturally important roads, all of which promote economic development and tourism in communities around the U.S. There are more than 1,200 byways in all 50 states.
All scenic byways exhibit one or more of six core intrinsic qualities — scenic, historic, recreational, cultural, archaeological, or natural. For a road to be named a national scenic byway, it must first be designated a state, tribal, or federal agency scenic byway. Once achieving that, a road may apply for national scenic byway designation, but its intrinsic quality must be of regional significance. All-American Roads are the very best of the national scenic byways, demonstrating at least two intrinsic qualities of national significance.