Heading Downeast - Acadia National Park Maine

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We’ve been wanting to go to Acadia National Park for some time. We were on our way there four years ago when a family emergency cut that trip short. We had booked our spot at Narrows Too Campground over 5 months ago to make sure we had a spot for a whole month. The bulk of Acadia is on Mount Desert Island (MDI for short) and our campground is just across the bridge from the island in Trenton Maine putting us about 7 miles from the visitors center. We had seen good reviews of the campground and even though it is a bit more expensive than we are used to, by going with the monthly rate our daily cost is under $52 compared to the $78 daily rate. They have about five different “levels” of sites. We had picked a shaded spot near the water, but not on the water. It turned out the place wasn’t completely full but it was definitely good that we had reserved otherwise we likely would have been stuck in a site with no trees or privacy from adjacent sites.

Our first full day was going to be a damp one, so we used it as an opportunity to try out the free shuttle system provided. We have been in national parks that have a shuttle within the park, but the Island Explorer runs all over MDI and even up into Trenton with a stop at our campground. There are a total of 10 routes and most of them have a stop at the Village Green in Bar Harbor so you can switch buses to get where you need. They have an app that does a great job of showing the bus schedule and how long the wait will be including any actual delays. We wander up to the bus stop and wait with a few others heading to Bar Harbor. 

We walked around the downtown area of Bar Harbor before the rain started but the clouds and fog had already taken over the place making it nearly impossible to see anything more than a few hundred feet around us. The marina area had a eerie feel to it with some of the larger sailing ships just being in view through the fog. We decide to head back to Village Green and hop on the #2 bus - Eden Street. This bus is a shorter route but takes us to the visitor center in Acadia. This allows us to pick up all sorts of information about the park and watch the 15 minute video about Acadia. There are several of the shuttle routes with stops at the visitor center, so we hop on #4 - Loop Road. This route does a big loop on the popular (crowded) side of the park. We don’t bother to get off along the way. Our goal was to get a lay of the land and just see the park without needing to pay attention to traffic. In about 75 minutes, we are back to the visitor center and pick the next bus back to Village Green to find a place for lunch. We pick out a place just a block or two from the bus stop and end up getting the obligatory lobster roll - a staple in Maine. We luck out and finish lunch just in time to catch the next bus back to the campground a few minutes before it heads out. We stayed mostly dry and got to see a lot of the park.

Bar Harbor in the Fog

Foggy Fountain

The next day is nicer and we head into the park to do some walks and sightseeing. We weren’t the only ones with that idea. We had driven instead of using the bus and we found parking near Sand Beach, where we wanted to start, to be challenging. There is a walkway along the ocean from Sand Beach south to Otter Point appropriately named Ocean Path. All along the path are entry points out onto the rocks along the coast. We seemed to head out each of them just to see the remarkable views of the waves crashing onto the rocky shoreline. The path itself was crowded but once you went out onto the rocks, there was enough room to not feel overwhelmed by the large crowds. 

Overlooking Sand Beach

By the time we got to Otter point, there were dramatically fewer people. Of course it was about 2.5 miles to get down there and we still needed to retrace our path. In hindsight, it may have been wise to park at Sand Beach and hop the shuttle bus down to Otter Point so that we only had half the walking. Being such a nice morning, the total 5 miles didn’t seem too bad especially since the terrain isn’t too hilly. Back at the car we grabbed our picnic lunch and headed to the beach which was now very crowded. There were no shady spots, so we found a quiet place just off the parking lot.

After lunch, we headed to do a true “hike” compared to the “walk” we did in the morning. The Great Head Trail starts near the exit to Sand Beach parking and heads north to a small peninsula that juts out into the ocean. We would have been wise to have brought along our hiking poles since the trail is steep and rocky in parts. We get some excellent views from high up on the trail. It eventually heads back towards Sand Beach with a good overhead view of the hundreds of people out enjoying the water or just relaxing. The complete loop was 2.5 miles in length and about 400 feet of elevation. Combined with our morning hike, we were tired from being out in all the fresh air. 

Looking Out From Great Head

Looking Back to Sand Beach

Good Crowd at Beach

The following day we switched up the activities by going for a bike ride. Acadia has over 45 miles of carriage roads running all through the park. Built by John D Rockefeller Jr in the 1920’s and 1930’s, the roads are open to pedestrians, bicyclists, and horse drawn carriages but not to motor vehicles. Even electric bikes are banned. We drove to the parking area at Brown Mountain Gate and arrived early enough in the morning to get a parking spot without a problem. I wasn’t sure what to expect but discovered the gravel roads are in excellent condition. Wide and smooth with fine crushed gravel that at no point was too deep to cause control issues. Admittedly, the roads are far from flat but with them winding through a park with mountains and gullies, it shouldn’t be too surprising. Many of the others out for a bike ride were having trouble with the frequent hills, but with wide roads I seldom had trouble finding room to pass them.

Heading Down Carriage Road

As nice as the roads are, the real masterpieces along the way are the bridges. I hadn’t appreciated what we were in store for when Chris first mentioned she wanted to see the bridges along the carriage roads in the park. I just assumed that where bridges were required to cross a creek or gully, a simple, utilitarian bridge would have been built. Given that most of MDI is formed from granite, I suppose it isn’t surprising that the bridges were built from the local stone. What astounded us was these bridges were more like works of art that just happened to function as a bridge. The first one along the route was the Amphitheater Bridge built in 1931. At 245 feet, it is one of the longest in the park. From the road, the bridge’s railing is nice, but take one of the paths  down to the Little Harbor Brook that it crosses to see the full beauty. 

Amphitheater Bridge from Below

Amphitheater Bridge

The Cliffside Bridge is more difficult to explore. It wasn’t clear there were any safe paths to see the side of the bridge. Given this bridge is built into the side of a cliff, I opted to play it safe. Next bridge on the route was the West Branch Bridge. A simpler bridge with a tall, narrow arch. A short stop at the southern end of Jordan Pond before heading to Wildwood Stables. This is the location people go to take horse drawn carriage rides through the park. We used one of the open campsites to have our lunch before heading back towards the car. We picked a slightly different route back that would lead us to a few more of the bridges.  Little Harbor Brook Bridge was the next stop. It’s one of the smaller bridges but still is pretty. 

Cliffside Bridge

West Branch Bridge

Closeup of West Branch Bridge

Under West Branch Bridge

Jordan Pond

Little Harbor Brook Bridge

Little Harbor Brook Bridge

We were nearly back to the parking lot but Chris had a few more bridges she really wanted to see. The road to the Waterfall Bridge was uphill. Not too steep, but it was a long (1.25 miles) continuous uphill climb. The bridge and the setting were worth the effort. This bridge is situated over Hadlock Brook just below the 40 foot falls. The water flow was nearly nonexistent, a little surprising given the rain a couple days earlier. This bridge was being repaired. Much of the mortar between the stones has been removed and being replaced. This actually looked like a job I could tackle and would be sort of fun to work on. 

Waterfall Bridge

Hemlock Bridge is just a tenth mile from the Waterfall Bridge. This is a very pretty one with a single arch flanked by two false arches on either side. The last bridge on what turned out to be a 16 mile ride was the Hadlock Brook Bridge. This smaller bridge has fancy but fake drainage openings on either side of the arch. This was a fun ride that showed us the elegance of 9 of the bridges along the carriage roads.

Hemlock Bridge

Hadlock Brook Bridge

Since we will be in the area for an extended time, we don’t feel the need to see all of Acadia right away. With the potential increase in crowds over the weekend, we pick another area for a hike northwest of us. Branch Lake Public Forest is not far from Ellsworth, the biggest nearby city to our campground. The drive shouldn’t have been bad but a major accident along the way brought traffic to a stop for quite some time. We eventually made it to the dirt side road and got to an empty parking lot. We had a beautiful day for a nice walk in the woods. A series of geocaches worked as our tour guide to the multiple trails in the woods. Along the way, we discovered that these woods away from the crowds of Acadia are quite peaceful and full of interesting mushrooms and fungi. On our several mile hike, I found myself compelled to stop and check them out. We even made it to Branch Lake before heading back to the car.

The Shore of Branch Lake

On the following day, we explored the western half of MDI. There is a lighthouse at Bass Harbor and we’re suckers for lighthouses. This one doesn’t allow access inside, but is still open to the public and worth the drive to its out of the way location. The parking area allows for quite a few visitors. The obvious paved path down to the lighthouse is one approach but we found the dirt path to the east of the parking lot allows access to the rocks along the shore permitting a view from below. How far out you’re willing to go will depend on your balancing abilities and how rough the waves are. We were fortunate in both regards. We made a few other stops along the drive to check out the scenery. It was a pleasant day of sightseeing. 

Southwest Harbor

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse from Below

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

Bass Harbor at Low Tide

Crazy Rock Patterns - Ellsworth Schist

With the weekend over, we head out early Monday morning to do a hike. We wanted to hike up to Saint Sauveur Mountain and possibly do a loop that includes Acadia Mountain. By getting to the trailhead parking lot early we found a spot and headed up the stairs to the trail. We parked at the Acadia Mountain parking area which has access to both mountains. The trail up to St Sauveur is a pretty one with much of it being over exposed granite. Painted blue dashes every so often on the rock helps to lead the way. St Sauveur is a deceptive peak since it is fairly broad in nature. Other than the sign signifying we were there, I’m not sure we would have actually recognized it as a peak. We continue south a bit to do do a loop that gives a great view of Somes Sound and Valley Cove below. 

Near St Sauveur

Looking Over Somes Sound

The trail eventually heads back down and becomes steep in spots, but we eventually make it to Man of War Brook. This is the decision point. Head west back to the car and save Acadia Mountain for another day, or continue north and tackle both in the same trip. It was early and we still had energy so we pushed on. The next half mile was some serious climbing. There were several good stopping points along the way to catch our breath and soak in the views. At one point, we come around a curve and there is a 6 or 7 foot tall rock face in front of us. I first assumed we had missed a turn but the blue dash painted on the wall was indication we were on the right path. Several more such obstacles made this an interesting climb.

A Bit of a Climb

View While Heading Up Acadia Mountain

There were more people on top of this mountain than the last although this one was much more effort even if it is a mere 2 feet higher in elevation! The views from here are pretty incredible. I suppose if you only wanted to hike one or the other, I might suggest Acadia Mountain. While sitting up there enjoying the rest, I noticed one young woman wearing slip on Birkenstocks! It wasn’t clear how somebody could do this hike in such footwear. As we head out for the parking lot, we find the return trip is a long a more gradual trail that even has stone steps in places. Our hike came in at 5 miles and 1400 feet of elevation gained. As an alternative, the hike from parking to the peak of Acadia Mountain would probably come in at closer to 2 miles and be much less strenuous.

Great View on Acadia Mountain

We Made It

Our Track for Hike

Life in the motorhome isn’t always a vacation day, occasionally some work needs to be done. Our steps into the rig were showing some signs of rust. Given they are in a location seen every time you come or go, I figured it was time to take care of them. While removing them to make sanding and painting much easier, I discovered that some of the bushings in the pivot points were in pretty bad shape. I found a supplier for the parts and put in an order. The spray painting carried on to the following day but we had a couple things to use as steps while the work continued. 

The following day we drove into Bar Harbor and parked a half a mile from Village Green to avoid the parking hassles in town. Then we hopped on a shuttle but to take us to Sieur de Monts. The Wild Gardens of Acadia are there as well as a nature center. The nature center was so-so but the gardens were quite nice. It’s clear a lot of effort goes into keeping them looking so good. Plants are well labeled so we know what we are looking at. Chris stopped and chatted with one of the volunteer gardeners while I just sat and watched people looking at plants. 

A quick bus ride back to Bar Harbor and we found a nice little place to eat lunch. After some tasty fish and chips, we headed to the harbor area. What a difference it makes by having a nice sunny day rather than clouds and fog. The views are much nicer. We found ourselves a boat that would probably work if we were to switch gears from RV’ing to boating! There was a group of people that were heading out for a kayak ride in tandem kayaks. I’m not positive how much better Chris and I would be at it, but the ones we saw were definitely having trouble figuring out how to navigate. One couple was paddling in opposite directions with less than optimal results. There is a walkway along the water past a few businesses and very nice homes. We enjoy a leisurely walk before heading back to the car and then back home. 

Ships Without Fog

Nice Little Boat

Walkway Along Ocean

One of the Nicer Homes