(note: this is a long post, feel free to skip to pictures or to read in sections)
I was lucky enough recently to have the chance to visit Acadia National Park. For my mom's 50th birthday her siblings all pitched in to rent a house right in Bar Harbor, Maine. Since it was a large house there was room for Mom, Chris, Ashley, Amanda, Marlies, my girlfriend Erika, and I to all join her on this trip.
For those of you not familiar with Acadia it's a very special place. A place where the ocean crashes upon dramatic rocky coasts.
near Sand Beach and the Ocean Path
A place where conifers dominate the woods, even up to the oceans edge.
Spruce dominated coastal forest
A place where mountains rise steeply from sea level to nearly bald summits, providing panoramic views in all directions.
Looking over the south ridge of Cadillac mountain which is dominated by scrubby Pitch Pine and Blueberry bush
It is home to many lakes,creeks, and the only Fjord (technically a Fjard) on the USA's east coast.
Echo lake form the Beech Mountains Cliffs.
It is the oldest National Park east of the Mississippi River and really one of the only National Parks that preserves a large track of nature in the Northeast. The park encompasses most of Mount Desert Island and a few other nearby islands and peninsulas.
As we were staying right in Bar Harbor we were lucky enough to have one of the larger contiguous sections of parkland basically right out our front door.
The trip up to Acadia was uneventful an 8.5 hour drive from upstate New York to a region of Maine known as "Downeast" Maine. Though the long drive really started to drag at the end the first time the mountains of Mount Desert Island came into view I knew that the trip would be awesome.
Our first night in Acadia the family and I spent time catching up, eating a nice meal together, and relaxing. It was really nice to have everyone together.It has been several years since we've been able to all come together for a vacation so it was nice to have the whole family here.
The following morning I couldn't resist the urge to start exploring the trails in Acadia so after some studying of maps I decided on this route for a morning run:
(Map courtesy of mapmyrun.com)
I was joined on this run by Ashley, Amanda, and Erika who ran with me up until the Park Loop Road, and after that point I was left on my own to run through the low lying park paths and up and over Dorr Mountain. One of the great things about this route is that it involved no driving. I literally left right from our rental house and within less than a mile I was on trails leading to the main trail system in the National Park. The trail connecting Bar Harbor to the national park is called the "Great Meadow Loop". The great meadow loop can connect you to Cadillac Mountain, Mount Kembo, and the Sieur de Monts Spring visitor center. From the visitor center you can take trails to Champlain Mountain, Dorr Mountain, and many low lying trails. So if you can't drive to a trailhead for any given reason it's very doable to walk or run right into the park. Since every run I took on the vacation traversed the Great Meadow Loop I became very familiar with it and saw lots of interesting things. One morning I ran into a group of wild turkey.
make sure to spot the two chicks in the picture!
I also loved the views across the "great meadow" of the surrounding mountains.
looking at Dorr Mountain across a golf course which the Great Meadow path runs along.
After the Great Meadow section I took the Jeshub path towards the visitor center. This is a very level and beautiful trail going across boardwalks through low lying swamps, traversing hardwood forests of birch and maple, and eventually leading to the visitor center.
Spotted this Buck right off the Jeshub path.
From the visitor center I ran below Dorr Mountain next to the "tarn". This trail travels next to a small puddle of a lake and is very rocky from pieces of the mountain sheering off to the lowest point where the trail is. This made for some interesting running hopping from boulder to boulder.
This is looking at Dorr Mountain from the cliffs on Huguenot Head. You can see almost see my entire running route from this point. The right side is looking at Bar Harbor, The Great Meadow, and some of the marshy areas of the Jeshub Path. Below the mountain you can see The Tarn which my route traverses this rocky course alongside the pond. The route continues over the south ridge to the summit of Dorr. Then down the north ridge back into the valley.
The hardest part of the route was the descent on the north ridge of Dorr Mountain. It was a steep and rocky trail and many of the rocks are loose. This made for several periods of having to walk to make sure I didn't break an ankle. Other than that section though, it was a wonderful running route.
Some other notable things about the route. Dorr Mountain is very quiet and scenic. It lies between the much more popular Cadillac Mountain and Champlain Mountain. The two times I was at Dorr's summit I saw only one group of people compared to the droves at Cadillac. The summit ridge is very bare, rocky, and covered in Pitch Pines. This made for great running and beautiful views. I'd highly recommend a trip up Dorr to anyone visiting Acadia.
Later on our first day the whole family went out for a hike to Bar Island. This is an island not to far from Bar Harbor, which during low tide, a sand bar is exposed and the island can be walked to from Bar Harbor. Chris and I went out ahead and explored the shoreline of the island. It was very rocky and slippery but also very beautiful and an unique experience.
A particularly rocky section of Bar Island coastline.
While Chris and I were doing this Mom, Ashley, Amanda, and Erika were taking photos, collecting rocks, checking out the tidal pools, and just enjoying each others company.
A view of the tidal land bridge connecting Bar Harbor to Bar Island
Before leaving Erika and I spent some time exploring more of the rugged coastline of Bar Island.
Looking at a large expanse of exposed tidal land. The seaweed line is a pretty good indicator of how high the tide goes. With 10ft tidal changes, Acadia has some pretty serious tidal swings.
looking at Bar Harbor from Bar Island
Having some more time before dinner I decided to get out for a hike before dinner. I took the following route in the Sargeant Mountain area:
(map courtesy of mapmyrun.com)
This hike started up the Giant's Slide trail. This trail follows an old rock slide up to the mountain pass between Parkman Mountain and Gilmore Peak. The trail starts off very level through beautiful coniferous forest.
Northern White Cedar, Spruce, and Paper Birch line this swampy section of the Giants Slide Trail.
After crossing a carriage road I had the most peculiar animal encounter. Upon reaching the carriage road I heard some rustling in the woods. I looked towards the noise and there was a Ruffed Grouse. Normally when you hear a Ruffed Grouse it is either nervously clucking and walking away, or frantically flushing flying like a bat out of hell away from the scene as fast as possible. This grouse however had other plans as it was running towards me at full speed. I proceeded to backpedal around the carriage road as this little Ruffed Grouse chased me.
I have never seen behavior like this before from a grouse and I began to think that it was defending a nest that was nearby so decided to leave it alone. It was very exciting though and it is definitely the closest I have ever been to this bird that I have seen so often in my adventures in the North Country. I was able to take a video of this birds strange behavior.
Soon the trail starts gaining elevation and the walls on either side of the ravine start getting steeper and steeper. Being the lowest point in the area a stream cascades over the boulders left by the rock slide and there many places where the slide stripped away soil down to bar bedrock which gave this an extra rugged look.
Typical scenery along the giant slide trail. Exposed bedrock, large boulders, a stream cascading down the watercourse. Very beautiful indeed!
One of the more interesting part of the Giant Slide trail is a section where you traverse a small cave, which the stream runs through, that is cut through massive boulders.
(stock photo courtesy of National Park Service)
Once to the pass between Gillmore and Parkman I make a quick ascent up Parkman and Bald Mtn then back down to the Col to climb Gilmore.
Looking at Bald from Parkman Mtn. The Ocean stretching out in the distance and some lakes in the foreground.
From Gilmore I took the Maple Spring Trail up to the south ridge and finally the summit of Sargent Mountain. Sargent was a beautiful bare mountain on the Summit Ridge and had spectacular views.
typical Acadia summit cairn
Sargent Summit ridge. Dominated by exposed bedrock, blueberry bushes and scattered small trees.
On the summit ridge there were almost constant views. This was looking south west towards the Ocean and the south ridge of Sargent Mountain.
Overall this was an excellent hike and despite the cloudy conditions I managed to stay dry and have fun.
In the evening we all shared our stories from the days adventures and shared a nice meal together. We had a lively and fun game night our second night which was a ton of fun and something I wish we had done more on the trip.
The following day I started off in typical fashion with an early morning run. I choose the following out and back route up Champlain Mountain.
map courtesy of mapmyrun.com
The run started like the previous routes I've described, from the house in Bar harbor, to the Great Meadow Loop, then the Jeshup Path to the Tarn. At the head of the Tarn I turned east up the Beechcroft Trail. This trail skirts up the cliffsides of Huguenot Head. The trail has beautiful stone staircases taking switchbacks up the cliffs. It was one of the more nicely designed trails I had the opportunity to run on. I then descended into the col between Huguenot Head and Champlain and began my final ascent up Champlain. The views at Champlain's summit were excellent. Surely the best views of Frenchman's Bay I saw all trip.
Panorama of the summit scene
Closeup of the Porcupine Islands in Frenchman Bay and the distant mountains of inland Maine.
This run, though short in mileage ended up taking much longer than I had planned as I spent a while on the summit soaking in the views.
Later in the day the whole family (even Sophie and Scooter our dogs) and I drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain to share the summit experience together. This was definitely a very different experience than the other mountains I have done so far on the trip. Driving up obviously makes getting to the top much less rewarding and greatly increases the crowds. With that being said I really enjoyed being able to share it with my whole family and I also loved the interpretive signs. Being able to drive up to the summit makes it doable for people of all fitness levels and ages so I am glad that Acadia has reserved Cadillac's summit for this purpose.
Panorama from just below Cadillac's summit. Looking at the rugged rocky terrain of the summit on the very near foreground. The Next mountain in the range is Dorr and in the background behind Dorr is Champlain. From left to right in the background is Frenchman's bay with the Porcupine Islands then extending into the actual expanse of the ocean to the south.
After spending some time checking out the summit with everyone, Erika, Amanda (and her little Chihuahua Scooter), Ashley, and I decided to hike back to our rental house in Bar Harbor from the summit of Cadillac. We took the Gorge path and back through routes I had been running like the Jeshub path and the Great Meadow Path.
Starting at the summit and ending in Bar Harbor. (map courtesy of mapmyrun.com)
The Gorge trail follows the steep ravine between Dorr and Cadillac Mountain. The descent to the col was steep. I was really amazed at how well Scooter was able to descend ledge after ledge on the way down. Amanda had never really brought him hiking but he seemed to like it and did great on the rocky terrain. Our view was dominated by the impressive west face of Dorr Mountain. This face is riddled with cliffs, boulders, and scrubby vegetation.
Dorr's west face looking from Cadillac into the col
Once at the bottom we started the long descent down to the lowlands the trail was very rocky and slippery. It followed a beautiful creek with pool after pool of crystal clear water.
Erika, Amanda, and Ashley carefully making their way down the Gorge Path
The terrain, being as difficult as it was, caused everyone to come close to falling and Erika took an unfortunate slip which caused some bruising and a sore ankle. I did my best to act as guide down the tough terrain and we all made it back in good spirits. It was nice being able to share this hike with the girls as I had a hard time convincing people to join me on my adventures for most of the trip.
After the hike we spent the afternoon relaxing together with the whole family. Marlies arrived today and the whole group was present now. Dinner, as was trypical on the entire trip, was shared together and was delicious!
The following day the weather was looking a little dicey so most people wanted to relax and check out Bar Harbor. Not wanting to spend the day shopping or relaxing Erika and I decided to try some canoeing on Long Lake. We ended up completely circumnavigating the lake as seen in the route below.
map courtesy of mapmyrun.com
We picked a perfect day for canoeing. It was overcast most of the day so we didn't get as sunburned as we may have on a clear day. The scenery was gorgeous especially on the south end with Beech Mountain and Mansell Mountain hemming us in on either side.
Erika and I heading to the south end of Long Pond
The shoreline all around was very scenic. It was often conifer covered and at times very rocky on the Mountain slopes.
Erika, our canoe, and Beech Mountain in the Background
Above is a picture of our lunch spot where we hung out and enjoyed the beautiful day. Overall we had a great time and really had a blast on Long Pond. Erika and I love to canoe but don't have the opportunity to do it often as we don't own a canoe and don't have good canoeing lakes nearby to paddle on. We hope someday we will be able to make it one of more common outdoor activities together.
The following day Erika and I woke up very early, had a quick breakfast with the family, and were off for a side trip to Baxter State Park. When planning the Acadia trip I was thinking, "hmmm, Baxter State Park is only three hours away from Acadia why not try to summit Katahdin while we're out here as we may never be so close to it again." Katahdin intrigues me for a variety of reasons. It is the largest mountain in Maine and one of the most rugged in the Northeast. It is the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, a thru-hike I dream of doing someday. These facts plus the beauty of the wilderness surrounding Baxter State Pake made Katahdin an irresistible lure for me.
Erika and I planned on following the Appalachian Trail (also called the Hunt Trail) route out and back on this trip (shown below).
Map courtesy of mapmyrun.com
On our way out we caught some beautiful glimpses of Katahdin.
from the road
across a powerline cut. This was the best distant view we had of Katahdin despite the lines.
Once we parked we gathered our gear and made our way to the trail head. We saw a plaque nearby the trailhead which said the following
"Man is born to die,
His works are short-lived.
Buildings crumble,
Monuments decay,
Wealth vanishes.
But Katahdin in all its glory,
Forever shall remain
The Mountain Of
The People of Maine."
-Percival B. Baxter
We next looked at a kiosk describing our route.
good description of our route
trail head sign
As we began the ascent we passed through beautiful Boreal Forest. The trees started off tall but got smaller and smaller the higher we climbed
Spruce Forest on our ascent
One of the highlights of the climb through the woods is Katahdin Stream and Katahdin Stream Falls. The stream is omnipresent, if not visually, through sound. It races it's way down the mountain through many cascades. The water is beautifully clear and quite cold.
The falls were quite impressive and gave us a nice spot to rest on our way up and down.
As we continued climbing the rocks became more numerous and larger.
A rocky trail section through Birch/Spruce/Balsam forest in the lower elevation areas.
After a long climb through the rocky woods we finally poked above the trees for our first vistas of the surrounding mountains and the menacing views of the hike ahead.
Surrounding mountains from one of the first decent viewpoints
closeup of the nearest mountains at this elevation the Spruce and fir still grow but they are getting quite short
looking up towards the gateway from our first overlook
From here we continued on and soon we were getting near the treeline and had entered an area known as the Boulder field. This part of the hike takes some careful rock scrambling to traverse the huge boulders here.
traversing the boulder field
another rock scrambling section
Erika looking sheepish on the precipitous terrain
what i would call the crux of the boulder field. This part was tricky both up and down.
When we reached the top of the largest boulders in the boulder field the rocky spine of the Gateway expanded out ahead of us. At first glance we thought this was the actual summit. After talking to a few people heading back down we realized the summit was still over a mile off and completely out of site.
our route up the gateway following the spine of the mountain
The hike up the gateway was not the steepest or hardest section of the hike but it required very careful foot placement as nearly every step was on irregularly shaped rock of all different sizes.
rocky rugged section near the top of the Gateway. Note the white blazes snaking up the rock marking the suggested way
Once at the top of the Gateway the tablelands of Katahdin spread out before us. (scroll to see full extent of panorama)
view across the tablelands looking towards the summit
The tablelands were incredible to behold. They are above the treeline so the only thing growing is small, low to the ground herbaceous plants and shrubs. The entire scenery is rock interlaced with tiny plants and more rock. A truly rugged landscape that to me was surprising as this mountain isn't that high in elevation at just over 5200 feet. The northerly latitude and the continental climate create this rugged landscape which in other places wouldn't exist until higher elevations.
The views from the tableland were excellent giving views in most directions.
looking out at the low lying wilderness dotted with lakes, rivers, and covered in forest
Peaks around Katahdin form the tablelands
From the tablelands we made our final push up to the summit of Katahdin. This was one of more beautiful and easy parts of the hike. I wish we had more time to enjoy it but we had to keep a decent pace as the length of the hike was pushing us towards hiking after dark.
getting closer
Finally after a long trek we made the summit. Erika and I celebrated, took some pictures, then took a much deserved lunch break.
Summit Sign
looking at a far arm of Katahdin
Summit cairn looking towards the Knifes Edge trail,
Another of the Knifes Edge
Further along the Knifes Edge. If I was ever to do Katahdin again I would definitely attempt this route as it looks crazy.
Erika and I happy to summit Katahdin!
After our lunch on the summit we made our descent. For any of you who have hiked mountains before you know that the descent is often just as hard, if not harder, then the ascent. This was definitely true on Katahdin, especially on the steep rocky sections. The views on the way down were excellent and a little different than the way up.
looking down at our route ahead of us from the top of the Gateway
The way down gives you a much better sense of how high you are and can be quite unnerving when there are steep drop offs.
moving further down the rocky spur
great panoramic picture looking back up at the Gateway
The rest of the descent was uneventful. It was very tiring but totally worth it. When we got back to the parking lot we got one last glimpse of Katahdin with the evening lighting.
Katahdin form the parking lot.
I am really glad Erika and I decided to take this side trip. Katahdin was an inspiring peak, one of the most beautiful and challenging I ever have had the chance to climb. All the hard work and long hours driving were totally worth it to spend the time, with Erika, in this pristine piece of nature. I cannot overstate how lucky we were to have clear weather and mild winds (for the mountains). Many people who visit Katahdin never get the views that we were lucky enough to be granted on this trip. Thoreau in fact never actually made the summit and only was granted fleeting views through the clouds.
I will end my account of my Katahdin trip with a few passages by Thoreau of the mountain from his book "The Maine Woods". Feel free to skip if you don't wish to read his account:
.... But soon my companions were lost to my sight behind the mountain ridge in my rear, which still seemed ever retreating before me, and I climbed alone over huge rocks, loosely poised, a mile or more, still edging toward the clouds; for though the day was clear elsewhere, the summit was concealed by mist. The mountain seemed a vast aggregation of loose rocks, as if some time it had rained rocks, and they lay as they fell on the mountain sides, nowhere fairly at rest, but leaning on each other, all rocking-stones, with cavities between, but scarcely any soil or smoother shelf. They were the raw materials of a planet dropped from an unseen quarry, which the vast chemistry of nature would anon work up, or work down, into the smiling and verdant plains and valleys of earth. This was an undone extremity of the globe; as in lignite, we see coal in the process of formation.
At length I entered within the skirts of the cloud which seemed forever drifting over the summit, and yet would never be gone, but was generated out of that pure air as fast as it flowed away; and when, a quarter of a mile farther, I reached the summit of the ridge, which those who have seen in clearer weather say is about five miles long, and contains a thousand acres of table-land, I was deep within the hostile ranks of clouds, and all objects were obscured by them. Now the wind would blow me out a yard of clear sunlight, wherein I stood; then a gray, dawning light was all it could accomplish, the cloud-line ever rising and falling with the wind's intensity. Sometimes it seemed as if the summit would be cleared in a few moments, and smile in sunshine: but what was gained on one side was lost on another. It was like sitting in a chimney and waiting for the smoke to blow away. It was, in fact, a cloud-factory, — these were the cloud-works, and the wind turned them off done from the cool, bare rocks. Occasionally, when the windy columns broke in to me, I caught sight of a dark, damp crag to the right or left; the mist driving ceaselessly between it and me.
"...The tops of mountains are among the unfinished parts of the globe, whither it is a slight insult to the gods to climb and pry into their secrets, and try their effect on our humanity. Only daring and insolent men, perchance, go there. Simple races, as savages, do not climb mountains, — their tops are sacred and mysterious tracts never visited by them. Pomola is always angry with those who climb to the summit of Ktaadn."
The following day Marlies, Amanda, Ashley and I decided to hike the Beech Mountain area. We followed this general route. None of the actual trails are listed on this particular map so this is one of the more inaccurate ones I've shown (the rest are darn close to exact).
Courtesy of mapmyrun.com
We started this hike from the Echo Lake trail head. From here Erika went to hang out by the lake and study for exams she has later in the summer. The rest of us began up the Beech Cliffs trail. This was steep and challenging but very short climb up the cliff side to some spectacular views above Echo Lake.
A large ledge we were hiking alongside
The trail took us right up some of the ledges using ladders and rungs to gain the height of the ledge
once at the top of the cliff great views to the east, south and north were visible. This is looking roughly north towards more cliffs along this rugged hill.
The girls enjoyed the unique climb
Nice view of Echo lake and surrounding Acadia National Park countryside
After gaining the height of land on the cliffs we took a quick jaunt around the cliffs loop to check out views in other directions. This is a nice easy level hike after the more strenuous climb up the cliffs. We next descended down the hill to a parking lot and made our way up the main arm of Beech Mountain. The summit has a nice fire tower on top.
Beech Mountain Fire Tower
The tower is accessible until just before the top deck, kind of a bummer considering that is where the best views are. Despite that though I got a nice shot looking towards the Atlantic Ocean.
Looking south from the fire tower.
We headed down the south ridge of the mountain for our winding loop back to the parking lot. Beech Mountain was different from the rest of the Mountains I did this trip in that it was not impacted by the 1947 fire. This fire burned roughly the entire eastern half of the island (east of Sommes Sound I believe). This fire is what gives many of the eastern peaks their bare tops covered with scrubby blueberry and pitch pine (both fire dependent species). In contrast this summit was covered with decent sized Spruce. The views from this mountain would be limited without the tower but the spruce forest was beautiful.
tall Spruce forest which was common on our descent.
We slowly made our way back to the parking lot sharing stories, listening to the sounds of nature, and enjoying the beauty around us. Once back to the parking lot I met back up with Erika and we shared a nice lunch along the lakeshore. I even found a nice spot to swim away from the crowds at the beach.
The rock I was jumping in from.
Since there was still some time left in the day before dinner I decided to take a run up and around Cadillac Mountain. I took roughly this route (maybe a little different going off of Dorr but this is more or less the route).
Map Courtesy of mapmyrun.com
The initial part of the run was familiar territory. The roads out of Bar Harbor, the Great Meadow Loop. Then I turned onto a connector trail that took me all the way to the south ridge trail, a pleasant surprise as my maps listed no such connection. The South Ridge up to Cadillac was a steady steep ascent, most of which I was over to run, over lots and lots of rock. Most of the rock was stable slabs though which made for a decent paced ascent. As I climbed up the mountain there were views very regularly.
A large ship in Frenchman's bay
Looking up at the summit as I climb
Once at the top I moved quickly past the folks who had driven up and continued along the South Ridge trail. Hiking Cadillac is fun because outside the summit you see very few people. The south ridge, in my opinion, is much more beautiful than the "summit walk" area you can drive to.
looking down upon the south ridge from the true summit
Descending the south ridge I made it down to a small pond between Cadillac and a little knob to the south.
Heading steeply downhill and quickly losing all the elevation I had gained on Cadillac I was running towards my next target, Dorr mountain.
The trail here goes down a steep drainage which in many spots I had to run slow or walk in fear of a fall. The beautiful scenery made the slower pace worth it though.
a nice cascade and crystal clear pool on my way over to Dorr.
another stream lined with White Cedars
Once reaching the bottom of the descent I had to climb through the Gorge between Cadillac and Dorr, regaining all the elevation I just lost. This at times was extremely rocky and I had to walk/scramble over some of the terrain.
a particularly rocky section I had to walk
I continued climbing until I reached the col between Dorr and Cadillac. Instead of going down the Gorge like I had with my sisters and Erika, I climbed the steep ascent up to Dorr. This was a real huff and puff ordeal and I definitely had to walk a few times to get my throat out of my chest. Once at the top though strong winds quickly cooled me off and the views were spectacular as always in this park.
On the descent down I caught some nice views of Mount Champlain, which I had ran earlier in the week.
Champlain from the east faces of Dorr
The way down from Dorr was a really fun run. The trail was excellently constructed, as is the standard in Acadia, it had some really cool stone staircase sections.
\
Stone staircase down the east face of Dorr
The sections that weren't manicured per say were nice grippy slabs of rock which were very easy to run on making the descent a breeze in comparison to the rest of the run. I headed back to our rental house via the usual routes back to Bar Harbor. This was definitely my most challenging run of the trip but very rewarding as I experienced Cadillac Mountain as few visitors do.
On our second to last day we said our farewells to Amanda and Ashley who had to leave early to get Amanda to her flight out to Mexico. After catching up on a little more sleep Erika and I decided to hike on the south end of the island doing the Beehive and the Ocean Path, two of the more popular hikes in the park. The beehive is a very interesting route. We took the most direct and probably most standard route as follows:
courtesy of mapmyrun.com
a view of the Beehive from below
Though not a terribly long hike the Beehive is known for it's precipitous routing on and up ledges. To gain some of the ledges they place ladder like rungs to climb. They also place the rungs in strategic places where a fall is possible.
Erika traversing the cliff edge
Erika climbing the rungs.
The very interesting routing and the views on this hike make the challenge worth it.
looking down on Sand Beach and the Atlantic Ocean from the beehive
From the top we took the most direct descent down on a steep but easy hike back to the parking lot. After returning we headed out on the second leg of our adventure on the Ocean Path.
The Ocean Path is a must do for all people who visit Acadia. The beauty of the Ocean Path is that anyone can find different ways to enjoy it. Don't feel like walking much? Drive to one of the many pull offs on the loop road and check out different spots. Want an easy hike? Follow the actual trail which is routed very nearby to the loop road for the most part. Want something adventurous? Then you should head off trail and traverse the rocky shoreline close to the water. Erika and I choose the latter. This gave us a very intimate experience with the ocean as we were always right next to it.
High above the Ocean on rocky ledges looking back towards Sand Beach
This picture illustrates the clarity of the water
Erika traversing the rocky shoreline
Erika providing excellent scale of the rock ledges above this cobbled beach
interesting rock formations a little further down from the last shot
Waves rolling in over the rocks
As this was our second to last day in Acadia this was an excellent way to spend our time! The ocean and the rugged shoreline is one of the centerpieces of the park and being able to experience it on this patch of undeveloped shoreline was really a wonderful experience.
Our final day in Acadia we woke up extremely early. At this point it was just Mom, Chris, Erika and I. We woke up with the intent of seeing the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain. Some say that Cadillac is the first place to see the sunrise in the east coast. Whether or not that is true the view with the morning light is magnificient.
Sunrise from Cadillac Mountain looking down at Frenchman's bay.
What a way to say goodbye to Acadia! We all sat together, took pictures, and enjoyed the beautiful views before saying goodbye to Acadia. The drive home was long but uneventful. It was truly a excellent trip. Though a lot of the activities listed didn't include all of my family I made time every day to spend time with the whole family. We ate dinner together every night and shared the evenings together most nights. Lobster dinners were a highlight as Maine lobster is better than any other I've had so far. I'm glad that I was able to share the experience and beauty with my family, Marlies, and Erika as the trip wouldn't have been the same without them.
Hope you all enjoy hearing about my experiences in Acadia. Feel free to call, email, or leave comments directly on this page if you have any questions or comments. I'm hoping to post a trip report of my Superior Hiking Trail trip soon and overall I want to update this page more so stay tuned!
The falls were quite impressive and gave us a nice spot to rest on our way up and down.
The Ocean Path is a must do for all people who visit Acadia. The beauty of the Ocean Path is that anyone can find different ways to enjoy it. Don't feel like walking much? Drive to one of the many pull offs on the loop road and check out different spots. Want an easy hike? Follow the actual trail which is routed very nearby to the loop road for the most part. Want something adventurous? Then you should head off trail and traverse the rocky shoreline close to the water. Erika and I choose the latter. This gave us a very intimate experience with the ocean as we were always right next to it.
