Acadia National Park

"In Wildness is the preservation of the earth."
Henry David Thoreau

Acadia National Park in the Fall

 

In late September 2012, my husband and I visited Acadia National Park.  We were on a cruise and one of the stops was Bar Harbor, Maine.   Because we were on a cruise, we only had a few hours to see the park, and really you need more time than what we had, to see any of our national parks.  But even though it was a quick visit, it gave us an idea of the beauty of the place.  Especially since it was fall, and we got to see some of the fall foliage.
 

Me at Acadia NP

Acadia was the first national park east of the Mississippi.  People have been drawn to the rugged coast of Maine throughout history. Awed by its beauty and diversity, early 20th-century visionaries donated the land that became Acadia National Park. The park is home to many plants and animals, and the tallest mountain on the U.S. Atlantic coast, Cadillac Mountain. Today visitors come to Acadia to hike granite peaks, bike historic carriage roads, or relax and enjoy the scenery. 

While Acadia National Park is open all year, the best time to visit is from April 15 through October.  Many of the parks roads, picnic areas and campgrounds are closed during the winter months, including Cadillac Mountain, due to weather conditions. 

There are many things to do and to see while in the park.  There are numerous hiking trails.  You can rent bikes and bike the main roads through the park.  You can swim, fish or kayak.  You can go horseback riding or birdwatching.  There are carriage rides available.  And there is a park ranger program called "Knowing the Night" which is a ranger led night exploration for ages 8 and up.  And from April 15 through October, the Island Explorer bus is free and it will take you to many of the main tourist sights – however it does not go to Cadillac Mountain.

Acadia National Park covers much of Mount Desert Island   The town of Bar Harbor is also part of Mount Desert Island.

The main tourist sights are:
 

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

Hulls Cove Visitor Center is a good place to start your visit.  It opens at 8am during the summer.  A 15-minute show will acquaint you with the park's history and its mountains-meet-the-sea character.  You can also pick up a free map and other park literature here.

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse is the only lighthouse on Mount Desert Island. Currently a private residence for the commander of the local Coast Guard unit, the lighthouse has short trails on either side that provide spectacular views. The lighthouse is located along Route 102A in Bass Harbor, on the west side of Mount Desert Island.

View from the top of Cadillac Mountain

At 1,530 feet, Cadillac Mountain is not only the tallest mountain in the park, but also the tallest mountain along the eastern coast of the United States. Rising high above the town of Bar Harbor, Cadillac Mountain offers magnificent views of the Porcupine Islands and Frenchman Bay. Explore the summit of this granite mountain along a .3-mile trail, which includes wayside exhibits about natural and human history. Cadillac Mountain is accessible via a winding, narrow, 3.5-mile road. The road is closed from December 1 through April 14 and whenever weather conditions (e.g., dense fog or ice) require.



Isle au Haut coast area

Isle au Haut or "High Island" which is the English translation is the name given by the French navigator Samuel Champlain during his explorations of the Maine coast in 1604. About one-half of Isle au Haut is federal park land, the other half is privately owned, with summer residents and a year-round fishing community.

Islesford Historical Museum - Visit the maritime past at the Islesford Historical Museum on Little Cranberry Island. Exhibits tell the story of the Town of Cranberry Isles and its people through ship models, dolls and toys, photographs, and tools.

Park Loop Road - The 27-mile Park Loop Road system offers outstanding views of the park's ocean shoreline, coastal forests, and mountain silhouettes. This historic road system is open from April 15 through November 30, weather permitting (small portions remain open all year).

Sieur de Monts Spring Area

Sieur de Monts Spring Area is the heart of the park. Facilities include the Nature Center, the Abbe Museum, and Wild Gardens of Acadia. Set out on one of many historic hiking trails that begin in the area.

No lodging is located within Acadia National Park, except for two campgrounds on Mount Desert Island and a small, primitive campground (reservations required) on Isle au Haut. There are many other types of accommodations in the nearby town of Bar Harbor

The outside dining area of
Jordan Pond House

The Jordan Pond House Restaurant, the only dining facility in the park, serves lunch, tea, and dinner from mid-May through late October. The restaurant is operated by the Acadia Corporation, a Maine-owned company working with the National Park Service to provide food service and merchandising facilities in the park.  Jordan Pond House is famous for its popovers, which are “must haves” while in the park.  We had lunch here and I can also recommend the lobster stew which had huge chunks of lobster in it and comes with 2 of the popovers.  I can’t say enough good things about the popovers, they were “melt in your mouth” good.

Jordan Pond House Popovers
and Lobster Stew

Entrance Pass - $20 June 23-early October; $10 May 1-June 22 and early October-October 31.  Good for entrance into Acadia National Park for one vehicle for seven days, including the date of purchase.

Individual Entrance Pass - $5  Good for entrance into Acadia National Park for one individual (pedestrian, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.) for seven days, including date of purchase.

We have a senior pass which you can get when you turn 62.  The cost is $10 but it is good forever, and it gets you into all the national parks, and most national monuments and memorials.

Pets are allowed in the park but must be kept on leashes no longer than 6 feet.  They are allowed in most of the park areas including trails.  They can even ride the Island Explorer bus, as long as they sit in the back of the bus.

 



The schooner Margaret Todd

The town of Bar Harbor is just outside the park and is a great place to explore also.  It has some wonderful shops, great restaurants and if you are staying in a hotel then you will probably be staying in Bar Harbor, since there are none in the park.  It has a pretty harbor area.  You can catch a whale watching cruise, go deep-sea fishing or lobster fishing from Bar Harbor.  There is also the four-masted schooner The Margaret Todd which as 2 hour sails daily with a park ranger onboard.  The ranger will discuss local history and goegraphic points.  You may see bald eagles, seals or porpoises.



Town of Bar Harbor

You catch the free buses into the park at the town green.  Bus #5 will take you to the Jordon Pond House.  From there you can take the loop bus which will take you completely around the park on the loop road.  The loop bus will not bring you into town, so you would have to change buses to get back into Bar Harbor, which is what we did.  None of the buses will take you to Cadillac Mountain and it is worth going up to, unless it is an overcast day.  The views from there are spectacular.  We took an hour tour trolley from the harbor for $15.  It took us to the top of Cadillac and gave us about 20 minutes up there to walk around.  If you have a car then you can drive the loop road and up to Cadillac Mountain on your own

Whatever you decide to do while visiting this area, you will certainly enjoy the charm of Bar Harbor and the scenic beauty of Acadia National Park.


 

The Harbor at Bar Harbor

Destination - Fall Foliage trip to New England

"Travelling is like flirting with life. It's like saying, 'I would stay and love you, but I have to go; this is my station."

Lisa St. Aubin de Teran

There are many areas of the United States that has beautiful fall foliage.  I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and in the fall the trees all turn yellow and orange, and it is quite pretty.  But whenever one thinks about taking a trip to see the fall foliage, they think of the New England states.  And I have to say that they really do have quite spectacular fall colors.  We took a trip there in the early fall of 2005, and plan on going back to that area this year to see more of the area in the fall season.

Old Mill in Vermont

The main area people travel to for the fall colors, are Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.  There is much to see in these 3 states, even without the fall colors.  But if you go late September or early October, you will see a spectacular fall color show.  However, remember that this is a popular tourist season and make sure you have booked hotels in advance.  The place is full of tourists and tour buses, and hotels sell out.

You can always book a tour, or a cruise.  Most tour companies have Fall Foliage Tours.  Many of the cruise lines do cruises that go from the Boston area and up the coast, then down the St. Lawrence River to Quebec or Montreal, with stops to see the fall colors in those areas.  Or you can plan the trip out on your own, flying to one of the cities near where you want to be, and renting a car.  As long as you have your hotels booked in advance, you should be fine, and you will be able to see things without a constant group around you, and you can get off the beaten path.  That is what we did in 2005, with our friends who had come from Scotland to see the area with us.

Leaving Burlington on our
Lake Champlain cruise

On our trip we flew to Boston, where we spent a few days seeing the sights.  Then we drove to Vermont where we had booked a resort in a place called Smuggler’s Notch, which is near Stowe.  We spent a week there doing day trips to see the area.  We were close to Burlington and Montreal, and spent a day each exploring those places, including a boat trip on Lake Champlain.  

The Trapp Family owned lodge
 near Stowe

We loved the town of Stowe, Vermont.  The Trapp family, who came to the US during the war, settled in the Stowe area because it reminded them of their home in Switzerland.  They were made famous in the movie “The Sound of Music.”  They still have a lodge there and you will see information about them around town.  Also, Ben & Jerry ice cream has their plant there, which you can take a tour of, and get free samples.  It really is a fun tour to take.  Cabot Cheese is also made in the Stowe area, and you can take a tour and visit their outlet store.  I loved their horseradish cheddar cheese.  The Stowe area also has lots of covered bridges, water falls, rivers and nature paths to hike.  And the road that goes from Stowe to Smugglers Notch had some of the prettiest fall foliage colors anywhere, with the trees across the road it was almost like driving through a tunnel of color.

Train at the Sheburn Museum

We also spent a day at the Shelburn Museum which is many acres of land covered with architecture that represents the past.  It has log cabins, a lighthouse, a side-wheeler ship, a carousel, circus and doll museums, an old print shop, a jail, weaving and blacksmith shops, a covered bridge, a steam train, and an old schoolhouse.  All of those things are real items that have been placed there, and you can go into them, and look around.

Squam Lake
 On Golden Pond house & dock

After our week in Vermont we headed for New Hampshire.  We had rented a condo in Lake Winnipesaukee for another week.  That was also a lovely area.  We did day trips from there, and visited the city of Portsmouth and did a day trip up the coast of Maine, where we had a lobster dinner.  We also visited the White Mountain area, which is not to be missed.  Especially pretty was an area known as the Flume, which we hiked through.  It was an easy hike, with good paths, lots of water falls and rapids to see, and well worth the stop.  We also took a tram ride to the top of Canon Mountain one day, and a boat ride on Squam Lake, which is also known as the lake in the movie “On Golden Pond.”  And yes, we saw loons while on the boat trip, as well as the house on the lake that was used in the movie. 

Mount Washington Hotel

Another day we headed to Conway and Mount Washington.  Mount Washington has a beautiful old hotel which we had to go into and explore, and from there you can also take the Cog Train up to the top of the mountain, which is the highest mountain on the east coast.  The day we were there it was so overcast, we opted to not go on the train

The Flume, White Mountains, NH

Our last day in New Hampshire we headed up to an old house called “The Castle in the Clouds” which was across the lake from our condo.  It is a beautiful 1914 arts and crafts style home on the top of the mountain, with spectacular views of Lake Winnipesaukee.  It is open to the public, and was well worth going to.  Even the drive up is beautiful, especially in the fall.

We enjoyed the whole area, and I especially loved eating the lobster in Maine.  The fall foliage was quite nice, and the White Mountain area has spectacular scenery all year long.  No matter how you decide to explore the area - on your own or on a tour, it is an area well worth exploring any time of the year.

Cape Nedick Lighthouse in Maine

Castle in the Clouds