Acadia National Park In Review

This August I went on one of my absolute favorite trips to date- a hiking and camping adventure in Acadia National Park! Let me just start by saying this is one of the most incredibly beautiful places. It’s amazing to see crystal clear ponds, lush evergreen trees, pink granite cliffsides, grand ocean views, and breathtaking peaks all in one place. If you have never been, I would push this Maine gem to the top of your list. Below is my in-depth review of the park, which hopefully will help you in planning your future trip to Acadia or just make for an interesting travel read!

Acadia National Park is 47,000 acres of land on Mount Desert Island, Isle au Haut and the Schoodic Peninsula. I only explored Mount Desert Island on my trip, but I think to understand the whole area it’s good to look at the big picture. We went at the end of July/beginning of August and had a week of beautiful, sunny and 75 degree days.

Full map can be found here.

We began our adventure camping on the quieter side of Mt. Desert Island, at Seawall Campground. I can’t speak highly enough about this site! I will admit, while I’ve done my fair share of hiking, I am still very new to the camping scene. Ian is an eagle scout and has done much more extensive camping, and he agreed with me so I know it really was great! Our site was beautiful and it was as if we didn’t have anyone around us. The campground provided firewood and had bathrooms on site. They did not have showers, but they were very helpful in pointing out the options close by.

We set up our site and then made our way to one of the small 1.3-mile walking trails nearby, the Ship Harbor Trail. It was lovely and only had me jumping for joy at the thought that this was only the beginning. We rounded out the night with smores by the fire!

On our first full day, we took on a number of trails by creating a big loop running down Somes Sound. We started from the Acadia Mountain Parking Area with the Acadia Mountain Trail, took that to the Valley Peak Trail, took that down to Flying Mountain Summit, and came back up the Valley Peak Trail to the St. Sauveur Trail. Most of these hikes displayed breathtaking views of the Sound, which divides the two sides of the island. If you have less time on this side or are wondering what the best trail is, I would recommend the Acadia Mountain Trail, and the Flying Mountain trail depending on the length you’re looking for. Even the view coming down from the summit of Acadia Mountain was absolutely incredible. I couldn’t get over the fact that so many of the trails in this park are just as beautiful throughout as they were at the summits!

After an ambitious first day (my favorite kind, of course) we made dinner at our site and then made our way to the Bass Harbor Head Light Trail to see the lighthouse at sunset. While I’m glad we did it, this walking path was way too crowded to really be able to enjoy the sunset like I would’ve wanted. This trail definitely made me forget we were on the “quiet side” for a moment!

We kicked off day 2 off with some kayaking on Long Pond. We rented our tandem kayak from Acadia National Park Canoe and Kayak Rentals, and had an easy and enjoyable experience! It was a very nice perspective to take in the scenery and a great change of pace from the trails.

We then made our way to the Beech Cliff Ladder Trail for a little hiking. This was a moderate, low-traffic trail that overlooks Echo Lake. We then added in a quick stroll on the Wonderland Trail to relax for a bit by the waves.

On day 3, we packed up our campsite and headed to the east side of Mt. Desert Island for the remainder of our trip! We decided to focus on the Champlain Mountain area and started the day at the Champlain North Ridge Trail and did this hike as an up and back to the summit. This was an awesome challenge to start the day, maneuvering a whole lot of slanted rock face to the top. One of my favorite kind of hikes with very rewarding views!

We had planned to drive over to the Beehive next, but the parking scene was absolutely horrendous by this point (probably close to 11:30 am), so we juggled our plans a bit. We ended up parking at very different part of Park Loop Road than our original plan permitted. So, we took the Ocean Path down to the Gorham Mountain trailhead. We hiked to the top of Gorham Mountain, taking the small detour on the Cadillac Cliffs Trail, until Gorham intersected with The Bowl Trail. We made a right onto The Bowl Trail and then picked up the Beehive from there. The Beehive was one of the most nerve-wracking and awesome trails I’ve done. You literally are climbing up the cliffs using iron rung ladders at points. If you have a fear of heights, I’d avoid this one. If not, definitely add this to your list!

We came down The Beehive and headed to The Bowl itself, looping back around The Bowl Trail until we reached Park Loop Road and took the Ocean Path back to our car. While we had intended for this day to consist of multiple smaller hikes, the nice thing about Acadia is you can take a bunch of smaller trails and create a loop. Another great feature of the park is the Island Explorer Shuttle. This allows you to start your hike at one place, hike to another place, and then take the bus back to your car. You can even take the shuttle into the park from Bar Harbor and avoid driving in all together if you want. Make sure you have a map on hand with shuttle times and know where the bus stops are located if you plan to use it!

On day 4, we headed out for an adventure through the more central part of the island. We drove down to Jordan Pond House, where we planned to end our hike, and took the Island Explorer Shuttle to Eagle Lake. We took the Eagle Lake Trail up to Conners Nubble, down the Bubble Trail to North Bubble, and then on to South Bubble. I think one of my favorite things about these trails was the view of Jordan Pond as we descended from South Bubble. Out of these few trails, I actually think Conners Nubble was my favorite. It offered just as exciting views as the Bubbles without the crowds.

We finished out this hike by coming down the Jordan Pond Path and back to the Jordan Pond House for popovers, iced blueberry tea, and lunch! The food was great- a little pricey for what it was, but worth it for the experience. Jordan Pond itself also offered some of the most spectacular views. The water in all of the lakes and ponds throughout Acadia is so clear and just makes everything feel so natural, clean, and beautiful. I’m still in awe.

 

On our last full day in Acadia, we decided to mix it up and switch from the trails to the carriage roads! One of the unique things about Acadia is it has carriage roads that run for miles throughout the park and make for a great biking opportunity! We rented bikes from Acadia Bike & Coastal Kayaking Tours, located right in Bar Harbor. We had a great experience and were easily able to grab our bikes and jump on the shuttle to Eagle Lake. We biked around Eagle Lake, Bubble Pond, and up to the top of Day Mountain (the only carriage road that leads up to a summit). I have to say, the bike ride to the top of Day Mountain was definitely the most difficult part of the trip for me, but so rewarding once we made it there. I learned I’m much more comfortable in my boots than with bike pedals, but it felt good to get out of my comfort zone and try something new.

Acadia National Park was incredible. I can’t say it enough that if you haven’t been, it is absolutely worth the trip. Below are a few more thoughts and tips that I didn’t manage to squeeze in above.

• Wild blueberries. If you go during peak season like we did, the trails will be COVERED with them. They are so delicious, they’ll make you resent regular blueberries forever.
• Bar Harbor. I focused mostly on the trails here, but Bar Harbor is such a cute little area to explore. We went a few nights for dinner and to explore the waterfront and some shops. Also, they had wild blueberry soft serve. I’m telling you, life-changing stuff.
• Other activities. We wanted to spend as much time in the park as possible, but there are all kinds of other things to do in this part of Maine like whale watching, nature tours, ocean kayaking, dinner cruises, etc.
• Other trails. This was my first trip to Acadia, so you know I’ll definitely be back. Some of the trails that were on my list that we just couldn’t fit in were Cadillac North Ridge Trail, Otter Cove Trail, Dorr Mountain Loop, Gorge Path, and Jordan Cliffs Trail. I also really wanted to make it out on a sunrise hike, but it just didn’t end up working out in our schedule.
• Lodging alternatives to camping. There are so many places to stay in and around Bar Harbor if camping isn’t your thing or if you want to break up your trip. The hotels in Bar Harbor are pricey, but there are B&Bs all over the place which offer varied rates. If you look early, you can also find some cheap motels. That’s what we did, and it worked out great! How much time do you really spend in your room on vacation anyway? My biggest tip here is make sure you’re actually on the island- as long as you are, it’ll be super easy to access everything!
• Resources. One of my favorite resources for hiking trips are the Falcon Guides books. I’ve bought them for a number of the national parks I’ve been to. They’re great to help plan your trip, make a note of the trails you end up doing, and are a good size to throw in your pack to supplement a regular map.

Have you been to Acadia and want to share thoughts on trails, experiences, etc.? I’d love to hear about them! If you’re planning a trip and have other questions about anything regarding my trip, feel free to ask below!