Acadia National Park

I go to Maine every summer but I’ve never been to Acadia National Park. I’ve heard it’s really beautiful there and this might be the summer I go.

New England cruise
August 2007

I’ve lived in Maine my whole life and have traveled a fair amount, Acadia National Park is and always will be one of my top 5 favorite places to be in the entire world.

Camp in Acadia or stay at one of hundreds of hotels in the surrounding towns. If you want Blackwoods Campground reservations in the summer, you need to reserve months in advance (we tried last year in May for August and were too late). Cleanest bathrooms you ever did see. There is lots of fun hiking – I recommend the Beech Cliffs hike over Echo Lake – less than a kilometer, but much of it vertical, some on ladders, so it’s strenuous and fun. The carriage roads are flat enough to push a stroller and have lots of rock scrambles for kids and kids-at-heart to climb on. There are wild blueberries (in August) to pick in the field below Jordan Pond House. Sunrise on Cadillac Mountain is the first it can be seen in the U.S. Bar Island is only an island at high tide, so you can walk over at low tide, picnic and explore and stare out over the crags and waves, and then return about 12 hours later on foot. The Island Explorer shuttle has bike racks and spares you parking hassles all over the park (there are TONS of people at this park) but watch out for the last connection of the night lest you be stranded in a park with no cell phone reception and pay phones that don’t accept calling card 800 numbers. Lots of places to buy local produce (think blueberries) and ice cream or go whale watching or just be a tourist in the shops of Bar Harbor. The Whale Museum was really cool and only $2 for adults (8/2007). The only drawback is the crowds – no moose or bears on the island because they’ve decided it’s just too thick with people. Oh, and we got a nice long audience with a barred owl in the trail at Sieur de Monts Spring.

I lived in Maine for 7 years and found Acadia National Park to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! My family and I had a season pass and visited often. It has spectacular views, beautiful vistas, and breathtaking scenery. Unfortunately most visitors don’t get off the park drive to really appreciate all it has to offer. To really appreciate the park – you have to camp. If you don’t have reservations, you can still get into Bar Harbor Campground without reservations – if you get there by Thursday you’ll have no problem getting a site – that’s what locals do. If you go in August you can pick your own blueberries to add to your pancakes in the morning. After feeling refreshed from your cool night under the stars – it’s time for a hike or bike road. I have two kids – ages 8 – 10 and we bike the carriage trails – there is no comparison to biking the trails around the lake and communing with nature. A trip isn’t complete without a popover or ice cream at Jordan Pond – the view is spectacular – walk off the calories by taking a stroll around the pond. You also don’t want to miss the drive to Cadillac Mountain – we caught sight of the Queen Elizabeth docked in the harbor the last time we visited and it was truly majestic. If shopping is your thing – you’ll have to make time for Bar Harbor. There is so much to see and do – it’s a very special place which will appeal to everyone!

This is where I had my first camping trip with my husband, many moons ago! We slept in his old boy scout pup tent!

be sure to get off the loop road and hike, bike, walk or run on the carriage roads. Built in the 1920’s by JD Rockefeller commissioning Mr Olmstead (who planned and developed Central Park in NYC. This caused quite the controversy @ the time, ruining the natural surroundings. Today, any worry of such is put to rest. Lots off hikes

This is the most beautiful place on Earth. The trees, the ocean, the views, the salt air, the wildlife; lush green, and happy. I love the Thunder Hole best of all. I greww up on the Maine coast, and I’ve visited most every town in Maine, this is the ultimate best of Maine, best of the world. Someday I hope to live here.

Beautiful, accessible forests. Combines great hiking with very rewarding 360 degree panoramic views of the ocean from every summit.
Bar Harbor is a cute little town too.

One time, I went to Maine with my husband for vacation. We were camping at Acadia with my husband’s brother. After setting up camp, we decided to go for a hike. We started at Sand Beach, walked down to Thunder Hole, then decided to go up Gorham Mt. On our way down Gorham Mt we noticed a trail for the Beehive. Somehow I had gotten the idea that the Beehive was a reverse falls and we thought it would be a cool thing to see. So we set off along the Beehive trail. The Beehive is not a reversing falls. It’s another mountian. We arrived at the summit to find it shrouded in fog so think we could hardly see the treeline below us (and this is Maine where the mountains aren’t that high). We then had to climb down the Beehive, which means going straight down with iron railings and ladders and things, in the fog. It was quite the adventure.