Saved Account Join
A dirt road winding through a hardwood forest carpeted in fallen leaves, birches along its edge.

The Overland Directory

Tires in Maine

Tire and wheel shops that understand load ratings, airing down and what a loaded overland vehicle asks of its tires.

Get free quotes

We’re working on adding the latest tire shops in Maine here.

In the meantime, tell us about your project and we can get you connected with free build quotes.

Tell us about your project List your business

Maine by the numbers

of Maine is federal land 1
1.5%
305,213 of 19,847,680 acres, and none of it BLM
acres of private forest open through checkpoints 5
3.5M
North Maine Woods, Inc., a private non-profit, by its own account
checkpoints into the North Maine Woods 7
14
Every visitor must log in and log out on each visit
campsites inside the private forest 6
~350
First come, first served. No reservations are accepted
Katahdin, the state high point 2
5,268 ft
USGS, and the park authority settled on the same figure in 2026. The National Map gives 5,267; our own reading gives 5,263
acres in Baxter State Park 14
209,644
Its own authority, its own rules, and vehicle limits stricter than anywhere else here
federal campgrounds a vehicle can reach 4
7
6 Park Service and 1 Forest Service; our build of the federal recreation database
acres run by the Bureau of Parks and Lands 27
700K+
More than half a million of it public reserved land; over 2 million counting easements and leases

Tyres for sharp rock and a long way from help

Carry a full-size spare and know how to fit it. The Bureau of Parks and Lands says so explicitly in its Deboullie guide, and the reason is on the same page: cell coverage is spotty to non-existent, and there are no tow trucks in a working forest.

Sidewall protection matters more than tread pattern here. The rock edging these roads is sharp, and the failure that ends a Maine trip is a cut rather than a loss of traction.

The full guide to overlanding Maine

What a good tire shop does

Tires are the only part of the vehicle that touches the ground, and on a loaded rig they work close to their limits. A good tire shop starts with load rating and size, then tread. It will also tell you when the tire you want will rub, need different wheels or throw off your gearing.

Expect help with

  1. 01Choosing a tire by load, terrain and season
  2. 02Wheels with the right offset and load rating
  3. 03Mounting, balancing and tire pressure sensors
  4. 04A matching full-size spare
  5. 05Alignment, rotation and repairs

How to choose tires for overland travel

Tread pattern is the last decision, not the first.

  1. 01Match the load rating to your real axle weights, not to the badge on the fender.
  2. 02All-terrain tires suit most overland travel. Mud-terrains are louder, heavier and wear faster, and earn it only in real mud and rock.
  3. 03Buy five. A matching full-size spare that you rotate in is worth the money when the nearest tire shop is a day away.
  4. 04Check the wheels too. Wheels have load ratings, and the wrong offset stresses bearings and rubs.
  5. 05Ask whether the shop can move or reprogram your tire pressure sensors.

What to have ready before you ask for a quote

A tire quote is quick when the shop knows what the tire has to carry.

  1. 01Vehicle, current tire size and wheel size
  2. 02Lift height, if any
  3. 03Loaded weight, or a list of what is on the vehicle
  4. 04Where you drive most: pavement, gravel, rock, sand, snow
  5. 05A budget range for five tires

Questions people ask

What does load range mean?

It describes how much weight a tire can carry at a given pressure. Heavier builds, vans and truck campers usually need a higher load range than the vehicle came with. The tire's sidewall and the placard in the door jamb are the places to start, and a tire shop can work through the numbers with you.

How big can I go?

Every platform has a size that fits at stock height, a size that fits with a modest lift, and a size that needs trimming and gears. Tell the shop your lift and wheels and ask what fits without rubbing at full steering lock and full compression.

Should I air down?

On washboard, sand and rock, lower pressure gives a better ride and more traction and is easier on the vehicle. It also means you need a way to air back up before pavement. How low depends on your tire, your weight and your speed, so ask your tire shop and start conservatively.

How high is Maine?

From Bar Harbor at 54 feet to Katahdin, Baxter Peak at 5,268. Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.

Towns

  1. Rangeley Western mountains services on the Rangeley Lakes byway 1,549 ft
  2. Jackman The Old Canada Road, and the last town before the border 1,200 ft
  3. Stratton The village by the Bigelow Preserve’s 36,000 acres 1,158 ft
  4. Rockwood Upper Moosehead services before the private forest roads 1,080 ft
  5. Greenville Moosehead Lake, at the gateway to the North Maine Woods 1,038 ft
  6. Bethel The Maine side of the White Mountain National Forest and Grafton Notch 728 ft
  7. Ashland The southern way in to Deboullie by way of the Fish River checkpoint 698 ft
  8. Allagash The northern end of the waterway, and a checkpoint of the same name 623 ft
  9. Patten The northern approach to Baxter, 24 miles from the Matagamon gate 604 ft
  10. Fort Kent The top of the state, and the St. John Valley byway 556 ft
  11. Presque Isle Full services in Aroostook County before heading west 453 ft
  12. Millinocket The southern approach to Baxter, 20 miles from the Togue Pond gate 363 ft
  13. Brownville One corner of the KI Jo-Mary Forest 357 ft
  14. Medway Where the interstate meets the Katahdin region roads 282 ft
  15. Machias The Bold Coast, and the Cutler Coast public lands 83 ft
  16. Bar Harbor Acadia, the Park Loop Road and the Cadillac reservation 54 ft

Passes, high roads and summits

  1. Katahdin, Baxter Peak The state high point. The park authority settled on 5,268 feet in 2026, the figure USGS publishes; the National Map gives 5,267 and our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point gives 5,263 5,268 ft
  2. Sugarloaf Mountain Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in Franklin County 4,229 ft
  3. Old Speck Mountain Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, above Grafton Notch 4,185 ft
  4. Traveler Mountain Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in the north of Baxter State Park 3,535 ft
  5. Caribou Mountain Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, on the Maine side of the White Mountain National Forest 2,838 ft
  6. Deboullie Mountain Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, on the public land inside the private forest 1,935 ft
  7. Grafton Notch Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, on Route 26 in Oxford County 1,603 ft
  8. Cadillac Mountain The Park Service calls it the highest point on the eastern seaboard. Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point gives 1,527 1,530 ft
  9. Cadillac Mountain Cadillac Summit Road 1,530 ft

Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates), retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.

Free build quotes

Looking for tire shops in Maine? Tell us about the project and get free quotes.

Tell us about your project

Free build quotes

Tell us about your project

What are you building on?

Do you have it yet?

What do you want done?

Choose everything that applies.

What are you working with?

Budget for this work

When you want it done

A range is enough. It tells a builder which conversation to have with you.

Where should the shop be?

How far will you go for the right shop?

Where should the quotes go?

Best way to reach you

Free, and no obligation. We use these details only to connect you with builders. See our privacy page.

Sources for this page

38
  1. Congressional Research Service. Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data (R42346), Tables 1 and 2, data as of September 30, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  2. U.S. Geological Survey. Elevations and Distances in the United States, online edition. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  3. U.S. Geological Survey. Geographic Names Information System and 3D Elevation Program point query. Elevation of the 3DEP surface at the GNIS coordinates of the named place, rounded to the nearest foot. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  4. Recreation.gov. Recreation Information Database (RIDB) full export, the site’s own build of it. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  5. North Maine Woods, Inc.. What is North Maine Woods. A private non-profit organisation, not an agency. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  6. North Maine Woods, Inc.. Frequently asked questions. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  7. North Maine Woods, Inc.. Checkpoints. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  8. North Maine Woods, Inc.. Fees. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  9. North Maine Woods, Inc.. Regulations. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  10. North Maine Woods, Inc.. Things to know before you go. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  11. North Maine Woods, Inc.. Camping in the North Maine Woods. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  12. North Maine Woods, Inc.. What is KI Jo-Mary, and the KI Jo-Mary regulations. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  13. Baxter State Park Authority. Rules and Regulations, 94-293 Chapter 1. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  14. Baxter State Park Authority. General information, and Camping. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  15. Baxter State Park Authority. What’s new this year: settling the elevation of Katahdin. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  16. National Park Service. Park Loop Road. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  17. National Park Service. Cadillac Mountain. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  18. National Park Service. Vehicle reservations. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  19. National Park Service. Camping in Acadia, and Fees. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  20. National Park Service. Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument: frequently asked questions. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  21. National Park Service. Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument: directions, and basic information. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  22. National Park Service. Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument: safety, and conditions. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  23. National Park Service. Frontcountry drive-to campsites. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  24. USDA Forest Service. Hastings Campground. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  25. USDA Forest Service. Forest roads status, White Mountain National Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  26. USDA Forest Service. Camping and cabins, White Mountain National Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  27. Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. About the Bureau of Parks and Lands. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  28. Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Maine Public Reserved Lands. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  29. Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Rules for the use of Public Lands. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  30. Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Deboullie Public Lands guide. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  31. Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Allagash Wilderness Waterway rules. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  32. Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. State park rules, and RVs and campers. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  33. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. ATV laws and rules, with 12 M.R.S. 13157-A. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  34. Maine Forest Service. Frequently asked questions on the open burning laws, March 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  35. Maine Department of Transportation. Posted roads. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  36. National Weather Service, Caribou. 2025 annual narrative for northern and eastern Maine. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  37. Federal Highway Administration. America’s Byways in Maine, with the published length of each of the seven. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  38. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge. Retrieved September 25, 2026.

Reviewed September 25, 2026. Conditions, closures and rules change; check with the managing agency before you travel.

More in Maine

Keep going

Join Overlanding Life
Saved Account

Start with a region

Browse the directory