Anyone know what the road conditions are usually like in Maine in mid-march?
I want to run I-95 to Alt 1 into Bar Harbor.....are the roads ice pack or or they usually dry (unless of course there is an active storm)????????

 

Road tend to be dry a day or two after a storm. Mid-March you can run into wet spot from snow melt running down and often across the road. Highway are often salt stained unless a rainstorm has washed them. Back road will have sand on inside corners until they get swept or washed form rain in April. Should not pose any issues as I see a bike every non snow day on 95 headed to work. Watch the weather for sure as that is obviously the biggest determining factor. The farmer's almanac call for a cold winter with late year snow storms. They were extremely accurate in their prediction of last winter's weather. Big snow in March is not uncommon. Give your bike one hell of a wash when you get back home.

Adam

 

Really depends how hard snow hits in February and how warm early spring is around here. I live in NH and the bike doesnt come out before April. Lots of crap still on the road in mid March whether its salt,sand,ice or snow none of it makes for a good bike ride. There are members here that live up that area, but what we get they usually get worse so i know how conditions are that time of year. Good luck either way and be safe.

 

What has been said already is true. It can be cold too. March has some wild weather swings. I started riding in March this year, but it can be dicey. Good luck.
And most everything is still closed in Bar Harbor in March - not everything though.

 

+1 on what everyone else mentioned about snow and gritty roads. I've seen snow here in late April, so watch the weather on the way up. It will also be alot colder in Bar Harbor as we are so close to the water, as will Rt 1, Electrics are your friend!

We loaded up for Daytona last year (yea, go ahead and rag on me, we trailered down) in 10 degree weather (minus -17 with wind chill) the first week of March, and we came home to snow still on the ground and 40 degree temps in mid-March.

One other thing to keep in mind, Acadia National Park does not open the Loop Road till April 15, so riding in the park is not an option.

There is a B&B in BH that offers HOG discounts, secure parking, and is open all year, PM me for details if you decide to come up.

 

Didn't they open loop road earlier this year because the roads were clear? I thought I read that in the Bangor Daily. I could be wrong though.

 

Nope. With the federal budget cuts they now have a 'hard' date on when they open and close the road, it used to be when the weather was good they would but not for a few years.

 

I have ridden my bike down from Caribou Maine in mid January when the snow was piled up to the telephone wires and had to plow through snow drifts three feet high and by the time I got to Bangor the snow was long gone. Still cold, but no snow. But it is Maine and a storm could come through at any time.