Acadia Activities Brochure
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Acadia Mt Desert Island, Maine Samuel E. Lux June 2019 edition planyourvisit/conditions.htm or by searching http://www.mdislander.- Hiking com, the local newspaper, for “precipice trail”. Neither is reliably The hiking in Acadia is, to my mind, up-to-date. The Harbor Walk in Bar the best in America. The approxi- Harbor and the walk along Otter mately 135 miles of trails are beauti- Point (Ocean trail) are both very fully marked and maintained. Many beautiful and very easy. Another have granite steps, or iron ladders or short, easy hike is to Beech Cliffs railings to help negotiate difficult/ from the top of Beech mountain. dangerous spots. They range from road. Only 0.3 mile and great views. flat to straight up. And you get the Kids also love the short walk to the Fig. 1. View of Sand Beach from best views with the least work of any rocky coast and myriad tide pools on part way up Beehive trail trail system anywhere. Beehive to the Wonderland trail. Couch potatoes Gorham mountain and Cadillac can drive to the top of Cadillac Cliffs, then walk back along shore mountain, the highest point in the (Ocean trail), Precipice (appropriately park. Views are worth it. named), and the Jordan Cliffs trail Excellent Circle Hikes followed by a walk back down South Ridge of Penobscot mountain trail are Beehive-Gorham-Ocean Drive my favorites, but there are dozens of Park at Sand Beach on the Park Loop great ones, at least 50 overall. For Road. Do this hike early in the day kids over 6 to 7 years the Beehive trail before the crowds arrive. It is very is exciting (quite precipitous) with popular. The trail starts across the amazing views, but not too much road. The route is Beehive → The work. For older kids and adults who Bowl → Halfway mountain → are not afraid of heights, Precipice is Gorham mountain (Cadillac Cliffs the ultimate. Unfortunately, both side trail) → Ocean trail back to the Precipice and Jordan Cliffs are usually parking lot. Exciting climbing (up!) closed until early to mid-August due to on Beehive, beautiful views from nesting peregrine falcons. You can Beehive and Gorham, beautiful, easy Fig. 2. Iron ladders and handholds aid ascent check when these and other trails will walk back along classic Maine coast. on the Beehive and other steep trails open at https://www.nps.gov/acad/ This route is the most scenery for the 1! ACADIA ACTIVITIES, LODGING AND EATS to the top the short detour to The Bowl (a small glacial lake) is definite- ly worthwhile, and I am a big propo- nent of also hiking Gorham moun- tain, which isn’t hard and has great views (Fig. 4). The return trip along the Ocean Trail is also beautiful (Fig. Fig. 7. Open views and easy descent Fig. 3. Grate over small crevasse along Jordan Ridge Trail on Beehive trail Fig. 6. View of Frenchman’s Bay from Precipice trail 5). Precipice The Precipice trail is on the steep east Fig. 8. Bubble Rock on top of the Fig. 4. View from Gorham face of Champlain mountain. Park at South Bubble mountain mountain trail the Precipice lot on the Park Loop Road. The route is Precipice → Penobscot mountain (Jordan Ridge Champlain North Ridge Trail (pre- trail). About 5 miles. ciously called Bear Brook trail) → Or- ange & Black Path (previously called The Bubbles the East Face trail). Precipice is the Park at Bubbles parking on the Park most vertiginous and difficult trail Loop Road. The route is Jordan Carry (Fig. 6). It is like Beehive but more Trail south from the parking lot → than twice as high (1,100 ft). The front face of the South Bubble → top views are extraordinary. It is definite- of the Bubble and Bubble Rock → ly not for those afraid of heights, but come down the back. Very short hike. it is great fun. About 2-3 miles. Great view of Jordan Pond. Very Fig. 5. Classic Maine coast along the Ocean Trail Jordan Cliffs-Penobscot Mountain steep exciting first section. The timid and young children can go up the least work. About 4-5 miles. Beehive Park at the Jordan Pond restaurant off back of the Bubble, directly from the alone is only about 1 mile and is a the Park Loop Road. The route is Jor- parking lot. About 1 mile. The rock great short hike. The front of Beehive dan Cliffs → Penobscot mountain (Fig. 8) is a glacial remnant. is steep and not for those afraid of summit → Jordan Ridge trail. Diffi- Acadia Mountain heights (Fig. 1), though the point cult, exciting first half on the Jordan Cliffs trail, comparable to Beehive or shown is the most vertiginous point This is a very popular hike on the on the trail. The whole trail isn’t like Precipice, with narrow ridges, log western side of the island that has this and is perfectly safe. Iron ladders bridges over crevasses and iron rung great views of Somes Sound, the only and handholds are built into the ladders and handholds. Easy descent fiord in the Americas. The route com- rocks where needed to aid ascent with super 270 degree views (Fig. 7) bines a moderate hike up Acadia (Fig. 2) and, where needed, grates along the rocky, open south ridge of mountain with a steep descent to cover crevasses (Fig. 3). Once you get Man O’War Brook Valley, where 18th 2! ACADIA ACTIVITIES, LODGING AND EATS century ships moored to obtain fresh Hikes for Children water from the stream that cascades into the ocean there, followed by a Relatively young children can gentle return walk. Park at the Aca- scramble up the back side of the dia mountain lot on Rte 102. The South Bubble, as noted above, but route is the Acadia mountain trail → there are three other relatively short return on fire road (Man O’War Brook out-and-back hikes that our young Valley) or, for a longer hike, East Face grandchildren enjoy. Trail of St Sauveur mountain → St Fig. 11. Wonderland Trail end Sauveur Cliffs (go all the way to Val- ley Peak) → retrace steps to St the Park: Acadia’s Hiking Guide by Sauveur Peak → Trail back to Acadia Thomas A. St Germain that is avail- parking lot. The shorter route is able at the National Park headquar- about 2 miles. ters off Route 3 on the way from the top of the island to Bar Harbor. Other books to consider (many also avail- Fig 10. Cadillac Mtn summit able at Park Headquarters or from Amazon) include: Acadia: The Com- Cadillac Mountain plete Guide: Mt. Desert Island & Acadia Cadillac Mtn (1532 ft) is the highest National Park by James Kaiser (Desti- in Acadia National Park and the nation Press); Hiking Acadia National highest mountain on the coast north Park by Dolores Kong and Dan Ring of Rio de Janeiro. The summit is flat (Falcon Press); and Discover Acadia and easy for even 2 to 3 year old National Park, 2nd ed: AMC Guide to Fig 9. Rock tunnel on Giant Slide trail children to negotiate, and there is a the Best Hiking, Biking, and Paddling Giant Slide-Sargent Mountain road to the top and adequate parking. (AMC Discover Series) by Jerry The view (Fig. 10) is fantastic. Monkman and Marcy Monkman This is a strenuous but wonderfully (Appalachian Mountain Club Books) varied hike up the west side of Sar- Beech Mountain gent Mtn, the second largest in the Beech Mtn, like Cadillac, has a road Maps park. Park along Rte 198 near the be- that leads most of the way to the Hiking, Biking, and Paddling Map to ginning of Sargent Drive and follow a summit, so that it is accessible for Acadia National Park (printed on private dirt road for 0.4 mi to the be- younger children. Drive to the end of tough Tyvec, not paper) from the ginng of the trail. The first part of the Beech Hill Rd (off Pretty Marsh Rd Appalachian Mountain Club Books is hike follows a brook with beautiful (Rte 102) just south of Somesville on a good map of the park. Many others little falls and water tumbling over the western side of the island). Park are available at Park Headquarters and around giant boulders. The trail and hike a short distance to the east goes through caves (Fig 9) and over to reach the Beech Mtn cliffs and log bridges and is great fun. The hike great views. Biking then follows the Grandgent trail, Wonderland Trail which rises steeply up the side of The biking in Acadia National Park is This flat (1.4 mi roundtrip) trail be- Sargent Mts, with beautiful views to fabulous. There are more than 50 gins off Rte 102A at the very southern the west. From the top the views con- miles of fine gravel biking trails (Fig. end of the western side of the island. tinue as you return along the open 12) that wind among the lakes and The wooded trail ends at a beautiful north ridge of Sargent on the North- mountains, with fabulous views (Fig. ocean cove with wonderful rocks and west Trail (previously North Ridge 13) and some exciting ups and tide pools for kids to explore (Fig. 11). Trail), which connects to Giant Slide downs. These were originally car- trail. Books riage trails built at great expense by These and many other hikes are fully John D. Rockefeller. These trails are described in a book called A Walk in completely separate from the auto 3! ACADIA ACTIVITIES, LODGING AND EATS trail.