By Tony Chamberlain, Globe Staff, 10/17/97

ACADIA, Maine -- One blistering cold day last January, Kenneth LaFoie, a ranger at Maine's Quoddy Head State Park, took great pleasure in walking me to the easternmost piece of turf in the United States and noted that his vast state breaks into three regions, at least for people who like to travel by foot.

Which these days (as opposed to Thoreau's) means driving to places and getting out of cars to travel on foot.

``There's Downeast,'' says LaFoie, ``Baxter Park, and all the woods in between.''

Of course, New England's largest and geologically most complex state defies oversimplification, even with LaFoie's formula.

- The coast (``Downeast''), with its hundreds of miles of craggy shoreline, bays, fjords, and islands, takes years to explore. A boat is not needed for the full coastal experience of Maine.

- Former Maine governor Percival Baxter spent a lifetime consolidating the pristine wilderness park that bears his name. The 201,000-acre tract in the center of the state has a mile-high mountain, Katahdin, which is the second-highest peak in New England.

- Katahdin is terminus to a skyline hiking route, the Appalachian Trail, that enters Maine from New Hampshire at the Mahoosuc Range for the last 270 miles of the 1,500-mile trek that begins in Georgia.

COAST

Acadia National Park is unique on the East Coast in that, rather than beaches and marshy lowlands, mountains meet the dramatic shoreline of 34,000-acre Mt. Desert Island, along with Schoodic Penninsula and Isle au Haut.

Cadillac Mountain is both the highest point on the East Coast's shoreline and one of the most accessible summits anywhere. In fact, what endears Acadia to day hikers of every type is the ease of gaining elevation that affords truly spectacular views of Pennobscot Bay and surrounding Hancock County.

Though high for coastal summits, Acadia's peaks are relatively low by mountain hiker standards, with as many options as the area has old cart and bridle paths throughout the region.

Acadia has about 40 miles of carriage roads with campgrounds, trailside lookouts, and picnic areas. All these amenities, along with the parking lots at the base of Cadillac, give the experience something less than a feel of roughing it. In fact, many day hikers wind up a fall hike over a bowl of clam chowder at a nearby restaurant.

Other peaks worth a trek are Mt. Champlain (highest peak on Isle au Haut), Beech, Pennobscot, and Sargeant mountains. There are some hiking paths close to the ocean, though these tend to be rougher than the upland ones because of the rock formations.

BAXTER

This crown jewel in the state's vast outback is, like the coastal area, fairly easy to reach, auto friendly, and very well-mapped for even novice hikers. It also has clearly designated hunting areas to the extreme north and south of the park. (This time of year, all folks in the woods should wear plenty of blaze orange.)

Hikes range from short walks along any of Baxter's gravel-packed roads to level-3 undulating ascents up Katahdin. At 5,271 feet, this granite monolith can be as daunting as Mt. Washington, with weather that can turn from summer to winter in a matter of hours. Obviously, hikers should be prepared and literate about the extreme high country. There are guides and maps at the visitors' center.

One of the best ascents to Katahdin, challenging but within most hikers' ability, is the Hunt Trail, which originates at Katahdin Stream Campground on the southwest approach to the mountain. This 5-mile walk runs along the stream at a moderate grade, then plunges into woods and grassy clearings strewn with great boulders of pink and gray granite.

After a tougher early part of the climb, the trail eases out along the Tableland and eventually to Baxter Peak. In nice fall weather, this climb is a joy, but with a great deal of exposed ledge -- not to mention the famous Knife Edge trail -- the merest hint of approaching weather should send hikers back to the woods. All in all, expect at least two dozen great hikes in Baxter.

APPALACHIAN TRAIL

Though foliage is long past peak along this trail, the hiking is still as spectacular as it gets. In fact, many through-hikers from Georgia finishing this time of year consider the trek from the Mahoosucs to Katahdin among the most inspiring hiking on the whole trip. The sawtooth Mahoosucs are certainly among the toughest.

The trail hits all the highest peaks along this stretch, and for shorter day and weekend trekking, you can choose from some of the best backcountry hiking in the East: Old Speck in Grafton State Park, Crocker Mountains in Carrabasset Valley, Sugarloaf, Spaulding, Bigelow Range, and Saddleback. Just one of these trips can easily consume a weekend or more. You can obtain guidebooks from Appalachian Trail Club HQ, Box 283, Augusta ME 04330.