Acadia, Day 1

Yesterday's post looked at the two days we spent driving up to Acadia. At last we could enjoy a day using our feet to explore Acadia National Park.

Our hotel had a nice view (above); what a way to start. After breakfast, our day began at the Hull Cove Visitor Center (top middle of the above map). We got there just as they opened at 8:30am, and it was already filling up. We bought a pass ($30, good for one week) to use the park loop road: a key loop on the right half of the island that enables access to great views and hikes. We started our drive soon thereafter; the road forces you to go clockwise.

The park loop road has several pull-offs at sites of interest, trailheads, or scenic views. Sometimes it is just that: a pull-off with only a few openings for vehicles. Other times they have small parking lots. Either way, be aware: this park fills up fast. I was shocked at how busy it got. The two-lane road is often one lane to enable parking in the other. But even then, it's not always enough.

Anyway, we did the first few pull-offs and got nice views (one coastal, one inland):

But the real payoff was to come. I highly recommend parking between Sand Beach and Thunder Hole (see second point on the map), then walking between each (along the path near the road or by scrambling over the rocks). We walked northeast to the beach first, then retraced our steps southwest to Thunder Hole (named for the sound the water makes when it crashes into the rock). Such views!

After this, it was on to Gorham Mountain trail, a pretty easy (if rocky) hike to a mild summit. That enabled us to see the coast from some height. The trail continued on and included the Beehive trail, which (we were told) has some ladders on it . . . not for us. We hiked back down the way we came.

We left the park loop road (which is sort of public, in places, enabling one to pick it up at various points) to catch a late lunch in Bar Harbor. After, it was on to Cadillac Mountain, which requires reservations (due to limited parking). We were able to snag a time slot, drive up, and enjoy the commanding views from this, the highest summit on-island.

At this point, it was around 4pm and we were gassed. We drove a bit more of the park loop road, seeing Seal Cove (but no seals) and doing short hikes.

Finally, it was back to Bar Harbor for dinner and ice cream.

A satisfying, if long, day.