Acadia National Park is an incredible destination for so many different reasons…the rocky beaches and lighthouses, great biking in the summer and cross country skiing in the winter, beautiful mountain vistas, fresh seafood, and unique wildlife. Our time there was even more special because it was our last park on the ocean, a place we’d grown attached to over the past 8 weeks. We made sure to take advantage of our stay on the water. Take a look at our summary video for some highlights.

For more photos of Acadia, check out our Flickr page.

We struck up a conversation with Richard while we were checking out the tide pools at the end of the Wonderland Trail.  It was great to get some perspective on the history of Acadia National Park from him, as well as tips on how to cook a lobster over a campfire.  Check out what Richard had to say:



The Island Explorer at Seawall

For our second day in Acadia, we wanted to see the more distant end of the park, near Seawall. Rangers had recommended we camp there, but there where no vacancies while we were in the park. After our first day driving through the park, we really wanted to make sure take full advantage of the Island Explorer bus line. We parked near the Village Green park in the center of Bar Harbor, loaded our bikes onto a bus and headed for Seawall. An advantage to taking the bus is that you get to pay more attention to what’s around you and do a little more people watching. With as many miles as we have put on the road this summer, any excuse to get out of the car is welcomed.

Ben explores the rocky coast

Seawall is a beautiful, quieter side of the park. We walked rocky beaches, looking into the tidepools off the Wonderland Trail and explored the campground where it seemed a great number of campers were carless in the park as well.

After lunch, we caught the bus back over to Sand Beach and biked Park Loop Road past Thunder Hole to the Gorham Mtn Trail. Sand beach was a beautiful…sand beach, a major destination in Acadia. Families braved the 55 degree water, built sand castles, flew kites and sun bathed.

Tidepool life at Wonderland

Thunder Hole was not too thunderous when we arrived. If you want to see the waves crashing into this tight spot, creating a clap of thunder and a big explosion of water, you’ll need to get there during high tide. It is still a pretty sight to see, even without the thunder and splashes.

Sunset from Cadillac Mountain

Gorham Trail provided us with great views of the sea and sea coast, but we were short on time for getting a sunset on Cadillac Mountain. We continued riding and snapping shots of the rocky coastline until we got to Jordan Pond, where we caught the bus back to Bar Harbor for a quick bite before driving up to Cadillac Mountain for sunset. Cadillac Mountain sunsets are a must see in Acadia and the parking lot and summit were busy with people enjoying the sights.

Ali, ready for a meal at Jordan Pond House

After establishing our base camp in at Bar Harbor campground, we set out to explore the park.  We were particularly excited to get onto the ocean, see whales and puffins, bike the carriage roads and have a popover or two at the Jordan Pond House.  And, by golly, that’s just what we did!

Lighthouse and cabin on Petit Manan

We rose early for our first morning in the park and headed down to the docks to catch a whale watching tour.  Catching a boat is always a sticky wicket for two people who are both worriers and consistently fashionably late.  We haven’t been left at a dock yet, and this was no exception.  We were impressed by our tour providers, it was a big boat, professionally run with a staff that can identify whales by skin color patterns and knows all of their names.  You could see almost everything from any seat on the boat. The tour provider offers several different whale watching tours including a sunset tour and our puffins and whales tour.

It was great to see the puffins, although we forgot our binoculars, so mostly caught quick glances of speeding fly-bys and distant groups of them swimming in the ocean. Petite Manan, our destination for puffin watching, was a worthy sight in it of itself. The lighthouse and cabins are photogenic and our tour guides provided us with a wealth of knowledge about the importance of the island as bird habitat and for bird research.

And whales! Yes, whales. We saw whales! Rolling, diving, tail flipping blowhole spouting, flipper flappin’ whales. We saw humpback and finbacks

A whale going deep

and porpoises, oh my! We were both amazed at the amount of whale activity we were able to witness.  Thanks to the our tour operators, as well as the whales for providing us with such sights.

We made it back to shore in time for some lunch in the Village Green park, near the center of downtown Bar Harbor and then drove into the park for a bike ride along the carriage road system to the Jordan Pond House for dinner. The Bubble Pond parking lot is relatively small and was pretty well packed. We lucked out and were able to slide into a space as a family was sliding out. We’d recommend taking advantage of the Island Explorer bus system instead of driving into the park, which can take you and your bike to this and many other adventure starting points, for free.

The carriage road system provides a great opportunity to get outside to feel and see Acadia National Park. The roads are beautifully built, with well crafted stone bridges. These gravel paths are graded for horses and

The view from Jordan Pond House

carriages, making for less huffing and puffing on the uphills and gentle gliding on the down. We enjoyed riding for about an hour and a half, arriving at the Jordan Pond House in time for an early dinner. We couldn’t help but feel like aristocrats, dining on lobster, quiche and popovers and sipping delicious tea on their beautiful lawn overlooking Jordan Pond. After dinner, we enjoyed a leisurely sunset ride back to the car, completing a perfect day in Acadia National Park.

We headed north from D.C., making a brief stop in NYC to visit friends and their new baby. New York was a blast, we biked along the Hudson, enjoying a few drinks in the evening at funky little bars near the river trail. The food was fantastic and the sights and sounds of the city were quite enjoyable for these two woodsy souls.

Beautiful Bar Harbor

We did our best to avoid NYC traffic the next morning, and found it really easy to get out of the city and on our way to Acadia National Park. We stopped for the night in Portland, ME and had a delicious meal before finding a campsite. We both agreed that Portland is the kind of town we could live in – great food, mellow atmosphere, and set in a beautiful location.

True to our nomadic style, we hadn’t made reservations for a campsite in Acadia before arriving. But this time, we weren’t able to snag a spot at the last minute at either of the two campsites on Mount Desert Island (the main section of the park). Instead we opted for a private campground just outside of Bar Harbor, the touristy yet quaint town situated at the entrance of the park.

It may have been that Bar Harbor and Acadia were more crowded than usual, given the Obamas had visited only two weeks prior (many establishments bore signs welcoming the First Family or boasting that the “Obamas ate here!”.) Or it could be that Maine is so gosh darned pretty who wouldn’t flock here for the sunshine and cool ocean breeze?

First thing we did after securing our campground was to visit Hulls Cove Visitor Center, where we had a great conversation with one of the rangers about sights to see during our visit. Beyond the great hiking available, there are also four ranger-led boat expeditions that all sounded amazing. You can read about them here. We also watched the park movie, one of our favorite things to do when we arrive at the main visitor center. The movies are usually 15 minutes long and give a nice intro to the wildlife, sights, and history of the park. We learned that many of America’s wealthiest families, the Rockefellers, Fords, Pulitzers, and Vanderbilts included, had summered in Bar Harbor and subsequently helped to establish Acadia National Park.

As Midwesterners, we grew up reading about the places presidents and other prominent folks would “summer” with their families. We would spend our weekends at the Lake of the Ozarks, so places like Bar Harbor, Cape Cod, and Martha’s Vineyard seemed out of reach. But here we were in Acadia National Park, staying at the Bar Harbor Campground, and soon to be exploring the same gorgeous sights that presidents and captains of industry alike have enjoyed.

Team East hasn’t explored this park yet. Until they do, here’s a little story to tide you over:

Before a monumental fire, Acadia’s Mount Desert Island boasted elegant estates belonging to America’s wealthiest families, including the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Astors, Fords, Morgans…