Old Canada Road Scenic Byway
Old Canada Road Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway in Maine. Within Maine it covers roughly 75 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Old Canada Road Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
The Old Canada Road National Scenic Byway follows US Route 201 for 78 miles from the Robbins Hill Scenic Overlook in Solon north to the Canadian border above Jackman. It traces the Kennebec River, Wyman Lake, and the Dead River nearly the entire way. Work on this corridor began in 1813 with funding from the Massachusetts Legislature (Maine was still part of Massachusetts at the time), and between 1813 and 1900 more than a million immigrants used the route seeking work in the mills of Maine and New England, giving the byway genuine claim to its 'Old Canada Road' name. Seven interpretive rest areas and additional scenic turnouts, including the Attean Overlook and a stop at Lake Parlin, punctuate the two-lane paved route. At The Forks, where the Dead and Kennebec Rivers converge, the byway passes through one of New England's premier whitewater rafting hubs, adding modern outdoor recreation to a road built on 19th-century immigrant history.
- 78 miles of US 201, Solon to the Canadian border
- National Scenic Byway
- Follows the Kennebec River, Wyman Lake & Dead River
- Route dates to 1813 Massachusetts funding
- 1M+ immigrants used the corridor by 1900
- The Forks whitewater rafting hub
Plan a drive on Old Canada Road Scenic Byway →
What is a National Scenic Byway?
National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.
Where to Stay along Old Canada Road Scenic Byway
1 campground or RV park sits within about 5 miles of Old Canada Road Scenic Byway.
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