Fort Kent, ME Road Trips

Fort Kent has amazing country sides with beautiful rolling fields used for potato farming. Do not be afraid to take side roads as they often lead to these. Some of the nicer ones are Charette Hill Road (Half is closed NOV-MAY), North Perley Brook Road, and South Perley Brook road. They all end up back in town one way or another so ride them until the end and take in the scenery. 1 University of Maine, 23 University Dr. Campus at Fort Kent.

Outdoor activities include canoeing down the beautiful St. John River (May - Sept.), snowmobiling (Dec. - Mar.), cruising to the Allagash and watch for moose along the way. Ployes Festival. Scarecrow Festival. Muskie Derby. Can-Am Dogsled Races. Held in March and they bring thousands to the town. Fort Kent Blockhouse. Fort Kent Country Club, Route 161 (3 miles West of town). Golf. Lonesome Pine Trails. Skiing. Fort Kent Outdoor Center, 33 Paradis Circle. Nordic skiing and biathlon. (updated May 2025)

Chain restaurants include Subway and McDonalds. Rock's Diner. China Garden. Swampbuck Bar & Restaurant. Al's Tastee Freeze. John's Shurfine Subshop.

If you cross the bridge to Claire, New Brunswick there is a bar that just opened in January 2012 that caters to a younger crowd. They also have a bowling alley that is under construction. JD's Tavern, 328 W Main St. Beer and poutine and billiards. Swampbuck. The most elite restaurant in town. Has a great full bar with a function hall upstairs.

There are several motels in Madawaska, Maine but that is close to 35 minutes away and does not offer the same small town feeling as Fort Kent does. The Northern Door Inn. Located in Downtown Fort Kent across from the Customs border. The obvious choice for those wishing to stay right 'in town'. The Overlook Motel. Located about 25 minutes out of town in Eagle Lake, Maine but offers private lakeside cabins in addition to regular motel style rooms.

There are only 2 roads into Fort Kent from the American side; The most scenic and practical way is likely to take you through the scenic and winding road that is Route 11, taken off Interstate 95 at exit 264. You can follow Route 1 all the way to the end anywhere from Key West Florida to Fort Kent, which historically ends in downtown Fort Kent. You can take the Cyr Bus line out of Old Town, Maine right into town. 1 Fort Kent–Clair Border Crossing (Clair–Fort Kent Bridge) (Fort Kent, ME – Clair, NB). 24 hours. (updated Dec 2024)

In addition to the roads there is a public multi-use trail called the Saint John Valley Heritage Trail, starting on Market St across from John's Shurfine and ending 17 miles west in the town of St. Francis. Through Fort Kent, the Heritage Trail travels behind town, but remains within a short distance of downtown. Often you will see locals with using the trail as a part of their daily commute, either on foot, bike, by snow machine, or by ATV. In the summer it is a leisurely way to go around town.