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Location: Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park, Maine, USA.
Date and Time: Around 4pm on September 16, 2012.
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Jordan Pond
Tag: Acadia National Park Travel Guide and Tips
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Acadia National Park, Maine
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Acadia National park is located in the north-easternmost U.S. state Maine, basically on Maine’s Mount Desert Island. The park maintains parts of Mount Desert Island, coastal Schoodic Peninsula, and many adjacent smaller islands. The Park offers different landscapes through woodlands, rocky beaches, rugged cliffs, and granite peaks such as Cadillac Mountain. Bar Harbor town is on the bay side and is a popular tourist spot with restaurants and shops. With the breathtaking views of jagged coastlines, colorful cliffs, and natural lakes, Acadia has more activities like hiking, biking, and camping.Click on the links below to explore more.
Quick Facts and Tips
- Best time to Visit: Fall
- Summer is good, but be ready to beat the crowd
- Spring is not bad, but be prepared for foggy, rainy, and chilly days
- Fly Into
- Closest: Hancock County–Bar Harbor Airport (BHB) and Bangor International Airport (BGR)
- Good Deals: Portland International Jetport and Boston Logan International Airport. It is almost a 3 hour drive to Acadia National park from Portland International Airport. Also consider Boston Logan International Airport, then catch a direct flight to Hancock County–Bar Harbor Airport (BHB) or drive 4 and half hours to Acadia National Park
- Clothing
- Summer: Casual t-shirts, shorts, tank tops, capris, light jackets or long sleeves for the cool morning and evenings
- Fall: Long sleeves, fleece and warm jackets, vests, scarf, hat and gloves
- What to expect
- Beautiful Ocean views, Colorful cliffs, Woodlands, Rocky beaches, Granite peaks such as Cadillac Mountain, Thunder hole, Jordon Pond, Bubble Pond, Bass Harbor Lighthouse, Harbors, Schoodic peninsula, Wildflowers, and Wildlife
- How many days: 2 to 3 days
- Entrance Fee: $30 per vehicle, $15/$25 per person/motorcycle, good for seven days
- Be sure to check the Park Website for current updates on roads closures and trails conditions before you heading out
- Starting early is the best way not only to beat the traffic, but also for the best lighting and more elbow room
- It will be freezing during sunrise even in the summer at the Summit of Cadillac mountain, dress accordingly
- There are plenty of overlooks along The Park Loop Road and Schoodic Peninsula Road. Keep some extra time for stopping for photos, wildlife, sights and for unplanned delays
- Take food and water so you can spend the day touring
- Always walk in the middle of the trails and keep away from tall vegetation to avoid ticks. Mostly during late spring to early fall, ticks are prevalent and active in Acadia
- Weak/no cell phone signals, highly recommend to have maps downloaded or printed
- There is a lot to capture, so keep your camera ready. Make sure that camera is fully charged and also keep backup battery and memory cards
- Best things to do
- Drive the scenic Park Loop Road. The Park Loop road is open April 15 through November. It is like a hop on hop off road, so allow yourself at least four to five hours to enjoy the number of gorgeous overlooks along the drive through the Park Loop Road
- Enjoy a wonderful relaxing walk, or a bike ride or horse-drawn carriage ride along the 45 miles of carriage road in Acadia Carriage Road. This features the beautiful valleys of Acadia into the heart of Mount Desert Island. Private vehicles are prohibited on Carriage Road
- Drive the Cadillac Mountain Road and see the spectacular sunrise at the Summit. More details here
- Experience the thunderous boom and high flying foam during the high tides at the power of the Park, the Thunder hole
- See the iconic Bass Harbor Lighthouse at Mount Desert Island. For more details, visit this post
- Drive alongside the beautiful ocean on Schoodic Peninsula loop road
- Have fun at the Sand Beach/Seal Harbor Beach
- Spend a joyful evening at Bar harbor town
- Enjoy hiking some of the popular and easy trails
- Relax and relish the beauty of the ocean at Schoodic Point
- Take a Boat Tour of Acadia. There are many companies like Acadian Boat Tours and Bass Harbor Cruises offerings tours of the islands and costliness of Acadia National Park
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Popular and easy trails in Acadia National Park
- Cadillac Summit Loop Trail: This 0.3 mile short walk from the parking lot offers gorgeous views of a glaciated coastal and island landscape. Seeing the sunrise at the summit itself is a magical experience. Cadillac Mountain is the East Coast’s highest mountain at 1,530 feet and the loop trail at the summit offers picturesque 360 degree views. It gets cold in the morning and evening so make sure to dress accordingly. No matter what time of the year you go, you will definitely hit the crowd.
- Ocean Path: This is a flat 2.2 mile trail from Sand Beach to Otter Point (or vice versa). This path along the ocean is the best option for viewing sunrises and awesome cliffs and ocean views. There are plenty overlooks along the path where you can sit, have your own time, relax, and embrace the beauty of the nature on full display.
- Jordan Pond Path: 3.3 loop trail, starts at Jordan Pond parking lot, presents a spectacular view of the Bubble Mountains and the clear Jordan lake and is good for all skill levels.
- Thunder Hole: Visit Thunder Hole to experience huge splashes with thunderous booming sounds against the natural rocks on the shore. Try to visit during high tides for optimal thunder splashes as the big waves crash to the hole. The parking lot is across the road and there are ramps that leads to the partially down to the Thunder hole.
- Ship Harbor Trail: 1.3 mile loop trail near Southwest Harbor that offers beautiful wild flowers, colored rocky shorelines, open blue bay, and is good for all skill levels. The trailhead is located just a few minutes from Bass Harbor Lighthouse in Southwest Harbor. The trail winds through the beautiful woods and a lake before hitting the ocean and tide pools.
- The Anvil Trail: This 2 mile out and back trail located near Winter Harbor on Scoodiac loop road is rated as moderate. The trail begins at the Blueberry Hill parking area off the Schoodic Loop Road and quickly climbs through the pine forest to the Anvil. The blue painted patches are either on the rocks or on the trees lead to the summit of Schoodic Head. The hike is sometimes steep and rocky with heavy roots of pine trees. The hike opens up to the beautiful forest and offers panoramic views of the Mount Desert island and beautiful coastline.
