Maine Ranked One of America's Best States for Summer Road Trips

"Vacationland" continues to be a fitting nickname for the Pine Tree State, according to a newly released report.

Wallethub.com, a personal finance website, recently published a report of the best and worst states for summer roads trips. The great state of Maine found itself as the 7th best in the country. That's a pretty good ranking for our small and picturesque state.

Maine finished just behind Texas and ahead of Georgia in the rankings, while Minnesota claimed the top spot for summer road trips.

Maine earned a total score of 58.15 out of a possible 100. The rankings were based on three major categories: cost, safety, and activities. Those categories were further broken down into 32 subcategories to create as detailed a ranking as possible. You can read more about the methodology here.

What Makes Maine One of the Best States for Summer Road Trips?

Maine's scores in both cost and activities were respectable, ranking 29th and 32nd, respectively. However, the state truly excelled in the safety category. According to WalletHub, Maine was ranked No. 1 in the nation for safety, which helped propel it to an overall ranking of 7th.

The results are interesting, to say the least. While it's no surprise to see Maine rank so highly for safety, it's a bit surprising to see the state finish only 32nd in the activities category. After all, Maine is packed with incredible things to do, especially during the summer months. From beaches and mountains to hiking trails and charming coastal towns, one could make a strong argument that the state deserved a higher ranking in that category.

Still, 7th place is more than respectable, especially when compared to the rest of New England.

What are the Best New England States for Summer Road Trips?

Here's a look at how the rest of the region fared:

41. New Hampshire
44. Vermont
45. Massachusetts
48. Connecticut
50. Rhode Island

Talk about a bloodbath. New England didn't exactly cover itself in glory on this list. If nothing else, it's another reminder of why Maine remains one of the region's premier summer destinations.

You can check out the full rankings here. Where are you road-tripping this summer?

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Source: Maine Is the Highest-Ranked New England State for Road Trips

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