If you are tired of the daily hustle and rush , if your minds jaded and if you feel that your creativity and emotions are lost somewhere in the humdrum of daily life ... this is THE place to recharge those batteries ... sounds like a ADVERT.? .... cant help it .. it is what it is ...:0) ...
This national park is located on the eastern coast of Maine. Visits to this area can be planned depending upon the preferred activities. If you , like us are crazy after ’fall colors’ then the best time would be September-October. However, if you do visit during that time be prepared with lots of warm clothing because it can get pretty chilly.
The air is crisp and clean and people are very friendly and whats more , you would hardly see many people ( a change from the busy cities where we live) and its very quiet.
The park itself is pretty big and if you are interested in stats- then here goes -
Acadia comprises over 47, 000 acres:
30, 300 acres on Mount Desert Island.
2, 728 acres on Isle au Haut.
2, 266 acres on Schoodic Peninsula
10, 452 acres in conservation easements
1, 110 other acres
There are many ways to reach Acadia - we took the air route via Boston to Bangor, Maine and then an hours drive to Bar Harbor, Maine via Ellsworth( Acadia Park - Mt.Desert Island entrance is about a mile from where we stayed). Bar Harbor itself is a lovely little town with shop lied streets and a lovely seafront where you can sit and watch the boats and occasionally cruise-liners.There are multiple resorts and hotels as well as camping grounds and RV parking areas.
The park itself has a number of scenic spots and if you want to see all of them , sit with the map ( you can get them at the park office or print them online at the park website) and plan the trip .
The 27-mile scenic Park Loop Road begins at the Hulls Cove Visitor and covers Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Otter Cliffs, Jordan Pond, Bubble pond and Cadillac Mountain. You can plan a days picnic trip to Bass Harbor and see the lighthouse there, as well as the natural Seawall on the way. On the way you can also see the Somes sound , Southwest Harbor ( a sleepy little port) , Eagle lake and Echo Lake.If you dont like to drive ( we prefered driving because in that case you can control the time that you want to spend at each spot and not worry about missing the shuttle), you can take the island shuttles that travel around the park loop road and other destinations . They leave from Bar Harbor downtown and operates from late June to Columbus Day.
The view from the Cadillac mountain is amazing. You can see the islands and the peninsulas and the blue sea . There is also a Hawk watching station there for those who love birds and bird watching.Cadillac mountain is the highest point on the Atlantic coast till Brazil.
Another half a days trip should be reserved for the Schoodic Peninsula which is further north and you have to drive back to Ellsworth and go northeastwards - it is about an hours drive one way and worth the effort. The scenery is fascinating and the water is the bluest I have ever seen.
You can spend another day by travelling to Nova Scotia by the Cats Ferry that leaves everyday at 8.30ish and return by 6.30ish. The cars are welcome to travel with you but have to pay their way ( Oh! yes :) pretty funky huh? ) - it was fascinating to watch these cars move into the ferry’s belly ( we could see it from our hotel balcony) . The charges as far as I remember were 40$ per adult - there is a CATS office in Bar harbor downtown on the Maine Street where you can get all the details and book your tickets.For non-citizens you would need a Canadian Visa I guess.
There are whale and seal watching tours available . There are other activities like fishing and swimming ( brrrr..it was cold) ... and climbing.
There are hiking and biking trails . The bikers can use the carriage roads that criss cross the park and use the park loop road as well. There are also museums but some of them are closed for the winter. We visited the ’’Robert Abbe Museum’ at Sieur de Monts Spring which has exhibits about the native american culture in that area. Beside the museum is the ’Wild gardens of Acadia’ which is a botanical garden.
The place was beautiful and peaceful - the fall colors were awesome . There are a lot of seagulls. Once you are there be sure to taste the lobster and blueberry jam/ jelly/ pie etc which are speciality of the area and the state.
I am sorry for only one reason - I did not get to see even a single living Moose.
Site : https://nps.gov/acad/ - for more information.