Acadia NP, Maine

The view from Beech Mt

We spent a week on Mt Desert Island enjoying the trails, carriage roads and scenic drives that wind along the shore and in and out of Acadia NP, which is the heart of the island.  We chose to stay in a campground on the ‘quiet side’ of the island – Southwest Harbor, away from the crowds of Bar Harbor, especially since we were there during the Labor Day long week-end.   To our delight most of the crowds left after the week-end and we enjoyed the beauty of the area without having to fight for a place to park.    

Northeast Harbor across Somes Sound from atop Flying Mt.

At the recommendation of a fellow traveler we arrived at the very popular Jordan Pond House and immediately put our name on the reservation list for dining.  The wait time is usually 2-3 hours for walk-ups and after we had our name on the list we headed off on the 3.4 mile walk around the lake.  It was a beautiful walk, a bit tricky in some places with huge boulders to scramble across and a 3/4 mile of planks to traverse.  We had Laia the wonder dog with us and our reward at the end of our hike was a beautiful lunch on the lawn of the Jordan Pond House, which lets dogs stay on the lawn with their owners.    Laia was so exhausted she laid down and slept and ignored all the other dogs around (we finally learned the trick although it’s hard to wear her out!)

Jordan Pond

3/4 mile of wooden planks on 3.4 mile long Jordan Pond trail

Bernard, Maine – Bass Harbor

Bass Harbor

Thurston’s Lobster Pound, Bernard, Maine

A fabulous view and lobster supper on the deck at Thurston’s

Forty-five miles of rustic carriage roads, the gift of philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr and family weave around the mountains and valleys of Acadia NP.  Rockefeller, a skilled horseman, wanted to travel on motor-free byways via horse and carriage into the heart of Mount Desert Island.  His construction efforts from 1913-1940 resulted in roads with sweeping vistas and close-up views of the landscape.

The carriage roads are beautiful to walk, bike or ride.

Carriage road circa 1932

The Jordan Pond Gate Lodge-one of two that ornament the carriage road system.  They’re now occupied by NPS employees but one young ranger who lives there told us they’re ‘nicer on the outside than the inside’.

Part of the Jordan Pond Gate Lodge

We saw lots of beaver lodges along the carriage roads but here we encountered a massive beaver dam that was at least 8 – 10 ft high.  We were able to stand behind it and look up at the pond.  Amazing! 

The fog was just lifting as we began the Shore Walk from Otter Point back to Sand Beach

The beautiful scenery along the Shore walk

The rocks are enormous, the people tiny and the view stupendous.  That’s Acadia NP.

The last time we visited Acadia NP was 25 years ago and we didn’t get a chance to fully explore it, so this time we were determined that we would have the time to see it all and we still didn’t.  We met people who return every year and now we know why,  it is a beautiful place and would be spectacular during the fall colors.  Hmmm, sounds like another trip to plan!