Northern Tier Route to Portland Maine

[Fleabit]

Will be travelling the Northern Tier Route and would like to divert to Portland Maine to catch the ferry to Nova Scotia.  Can anyone suggest a route that leaves the Northern Tier and goes to Portland?

[BobG]

-Leave the Northern Tier Route at Conway NH.
-Turn right (S) on NH 153 at the light in the center of  Conway
-Follow 153 to Freedom NH
-Just beyond Freedom turn left (E) on NH/ME 25 to Westbrook  ME
-Continue straight onto ME 25 bypass to avoid downtown Westbrook
-Turn right on Stroudwater St which becomes Westbrook St.  Follow to ME 22, Congress St.
-Turn Left onto Congress St. See map details to ferry terminal

NH 153 is a rural country road past a couple of lakes. NH/ME 25 has traffic but also a good shoulder all the way. Avoid ME 113 from Fryeburg. Disappearing shoulder with lots of oil and Poland Spring Water trucks.

https://goo.gl/1Jquje

[BobG]

The above suggestion is the most direct, somewhat bike friendly route to Portland. If your date falls between June 25 and Sept 5 a more fun way to get to Portland is to follow the NT all the way to Brunswick ME. Leave the route there and ride 15 miles down a peninsula to Bailey Island. Catch the Casco Bay Lines boat for the 1.75 hour cruise back to Portland. I did this one year when I finished the NT with a group and I had to retrieve my vehicle at the Portland Jetport. You may want to call ahead to confirm space for a one way trip.

http://www.cascobaylines.com/schedules/bailey-island-schedule/

https://goo.gl/F28HMz