Acadia NP Trip Report and Pictures

“Finally I am getting around to my Acadia Trip.... I spent 8 days in Acadia NP (Maine) in July and had a blast.

I stayed in Blackwoods CG, which was suprisingly quiet even with all 200+ sites filled. It's just a short walk to the coast and very close to the Park Loop Rd. Also, Bar Harbor is just 3 miles away so all the activities I wanted to do were close-by.

There are many hiking trails in Acadia and I did at least one hike every day. The trails are not long, but steep and rocky. However, the views are fabulous and well worth the sweat. Some of the trails were built in the late 1800's and include steps carved into the stone. There are some with ladders and iron rungs to make the steep ascents, as you'll see from the pictures.

I was up at Cadillac Mt almost every night where the sunsets were amazing, and even dragged myself out at 4:30 a.m. a few times for sunrises.

I took a Whale and Nature Cruise and saw a few finback whales, but nothing dramatic. However, the harbor seals were a lot of fun and I got some good photos. The hilight of the trip was a bald eagle that 'buzzed' the boat. I was lucky to get a sequence of photos of this special treat.

Acadia has many miles of carriage roads that twist through the park. The surface is soft cindered and great for horses, running, or biking. I'm taking my mt bike when I go back in October.

One thing I must confess to.... I packed all kinds of food for dinners but with all the great seafood eateries in Bar Harbor, the stove never got unpacked.

I posted 3 photo albums at Webshots if anyone cares to take a peek. The photos include rocky coastlines, Acadia Mts, lighthouses, hiking trails, sunsets and sunrises, seals, a whale, a series of bald eagle shots, and probably a few others that I can't think of right now.

Great trip and I can't wait to go back in October!

Pennsy's Acadia NP Pics”

“Great pics as always Pennsy, it’s been way to long since I’ve been up there. Wish I was going on the Maine trip to BSP in October.”

“As always, fantastic pics Pennsy. Dude, can't wait for the Maine trip in October!”

“Great pics! Love the Pemaquid one. Sometime when we have a hurricane you should come photo the waves there.”

“Sunset and sunrises were gorgeous! But the close up of the bald eagle is breathtaking. Great shot!!”

“...love the Bass Harbor one as well - couple of my favorite lighthouses.”

“Great pictures! I really liked the eagle and sunsets.”

“I totally dig the Eagle & sunset pictures too!!!!!
Great stuff man!”

“loved the pics mate...!!!”

“Loved the view from Otter Cliffs,Pemaquid Lighthouse, the sunsets/sunrises and all the critters...but the series of shots of the Bald Eagle are breathtaking!

Not Bad For A Bald Guy !!! :)”

“damn”

“Fantastic eagle pictures!”

“Pennsy, Otter Cliffs under a blanket of fog is now my background. Great photos!!!!!!!”

“Great pics! They really took me back to when I was there last September (there weren't quite so many people on Sand Beach, <G>).”

“Tilt - lots of people on the beach but did you notice how few were in the water? 52 degrees!! I'll be there again in October. I think I'll have the beach to myself.

Thanks everybody for the nice compliments, especially for the eagle shots. That was a huge thrill for me.

Geezr - having someone use one of my photos as pc background is a great compliment. Thanks.

Oh, thanks to you Baldy. Geez, you don't forget anything. ;o)

Twigeater - I don't know about a hurricane, but a brief storm would be nice. The only disappointment was that the weather was too good. No rough surf at all, and "Thunder Hole" was Thunder Gurgle. Maybe in October.”

“THE BALD EAGLES ROCK!!!!!!!

8D”

“Pemaquid Lighthouse pic as my background all day, I dowloaded it and one of the Eagle soaring pics last night. I keep all the icons cleared off of the desktop and keep them on the start bar thingy so I can see the backgrounds clearly...now if my real desk stayed that clean ;)”

“I did make it out to Otter Point and a few other places, but I was pretty time-restricted with Family Duties (niece's wedding at Asticou Inn). I didn't get to climb the Behive or the Bubbles, but Now I know what the view looks like!

Too Cool! <G>”

“great pics, the shoreline is beautiful”

“Great pix.
I need to talk my boss into sending me on a business trip to Maine again. Take some leave and hike.
Also enjoyed the Black Forest pix.
I liked the pix of M_Silver eating the Subway sandwich. I do the same thing the first day of most of my hikes. Stop by Subway first thing and get a foot long sub. Eat it for lunch and dinner on the trail.”

“Loved the photos.

Now who is going to organize the big TT trip to North East Coast for next summer? I have been lurking on the thread for the upcoming trip and wish I could go. Anyone know of a good 4 night trip up in that area?”

“StoveStopmper - finally someone picked up on M_Silver and his Subway routine! He does that all the time (at least the 2 times I hiked with him) and I'm jealous.

Pepperdog - I think Twigeater stepped out for a few days (if she cleaned her room) and she would be more help on Maine info. I can only speak for Acadia. No backpacking but plenty of great trails for 4 days of day hiking.”

“Just adding to the conversation here. Iffin' you're planning a trip to Acadia, bring your bike!!! There are plenty of carriage trails, all hard packed stone dust, awesome riding and views, good maps, NO CARS....

There are tons of campgrounds there, many with pools, great for a dip after a day of biking and hiking. As long as you don't gop on a major holidy, you can get a site. Blackwoods campground is open year round. Sorry, no back country camping allowed, doesn't mean it's never been done....

There is plenty of day hiking available, once I combined a hike over 5 "mountians" there. Great scenery!! It may be a busy place, but solitude is never far away. Many "hike" in their cars and never venture far from them. If you go a half mile in, you weed out alot of car hikers, fast. The place is immaculate there, The Friends of Acadia maintain the place and keep it clean.

As mentioned before, the dining is incredible. We always go to jordan's Blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Homestyle quick and reasonably priced.

Anyways, if a TT Acadia trip is in the works, you can just about count us in. As far as an itenerary, I can assist, based on what folks want to do. I dare say I have hiked 80% or so of the trails there, and about 70% of the bike (carriage) trails there. Only done 10% of the restaraunts though....

Uh... yeah, this is one of my favorite playgrounds.”

“I'll add in my 2 cents worth about coastal Maine soon, as I just got back last night from a cruise through the islands of Penobscot Bay on a 100-foot schooner. We passed just north of Acadia one day, anchoring near Stonington. A fantastic trip, a fantastic coast line.

However, trip report must wait as a new semester looms (in-service all day Friday and classes Monday) and I have a minor mountain of prep work to climb.”

“Pekka, we don't want a stale, uninspired 2 week old trip report!!! We want a fresh one..... and WE WANT IT RIGHT NOW!!!!!!”

“Uphill, you must really be jonesing for trip reports. Okay, okay...I'll start a separate thread -- Camping on the High Seas.”

“LOL! I like that one... Jonesing for trip reports!
But holy cow.... if a 2 week trip report is "stale and uninspiring," I wonder what my report is, since it is FIVE weeks old. ;o)

UK - I'll be in your playground after the Baxter trip, Oct 15th-20th. I am bringing my mt bike to hit the carriage roads, and my hiking boots to hit the trails that were closed in July, the Precipice and Jordan Cliffs.

I agree about the solitude and the crowds. Very busy along the road, but on some of the hikes, I felt like I had the park to myself.”

“I'm up for an off season, "quietside" trip. :)
No really, I'd go whenever, wherever the trip was planned - if TT'ers are somewhere in Maine, I'm there. Just make sure I cut my nails and get a mouth piece. Better yet, I'll be a passenger in someone else's car with great tunes and a full bar. ;)
UK would be best asked about Acadia since I generally avoid the place, and NOW I remember WHY!!! Grrrr!

Baxter and the Public Lands have got me spoiled.”

“I apologize for the negativity, I did have a fine time the first coupla days on Mt Dessert. The second coupla days - to quote a fellow TT'er, "imagine if hell were a beautiful place" Maine is beautiful all over, but fachrissake not at that price!

A tip to the tourists though, if you're willin' ta drive an extra hour or so, go WAYYYY down east to Cobscook, Cutler, someplace way down there by Lubec or Eastport. Camp at Rocky Lake (gorgeous!) for FREE! Way less people and traffic, same prizes, waayyy less nasties. Sooo worth it! It's changin' FAST, but still has a long way to go to be the zoo Acadia is. Soooo much good stuff to see, the tides are unreal, and Canada is right there...”