Acadia Mt Desert Island, Maine Samuel E. Lux ailclosures.htm . The Harbor Walk in road. The route is Beehive → The Bar Harbor and the walk along Otter Bowl → Halfway mountain → Gor- Hiking Point (Ocean trail) are both very ham mountain (Cadillac Cliffs side beautiful and very easy. Another trail) → Ocean trail back to the park- The hiking in Acadia is, to my mind, short, easy hike is to Beech Cliffs from ing lot. Exciting climbing (up!) on the best in America. The approxi- the top of Beech mountain. road. Only Beehive, beautiful views from Bee- mately 125 miles of trails are beauti- 0.3 mile and great views. Kids also hive and Gorham, beautiful, easy fully marked and maintained. Many love the short walk to the rocky coast walk back along classic Maine coast. have granite steps, or iron ladders or and myriad tide pools on the Won- This route is the most scenery for the railings to help negotiate difficult/ derland trail. Couch potatoes can least work. About 4-5 miles. Beehive dangerous spots. They range from flat drive to the top of Cadillac mountain, alone is only about 1 mile and is a to straight up. And you get the best the highest point in the park. Views great short hike. The front of Beehive views with the least work of any trail are worth it. is steep and not for those afraid of system anywhere. Beehive to Gorham heights (Fig. 1), though the point mountain and Cadillac Cliffs, then Excellent Circle Hikes walk back along shore (Ocean trail), Beehive-Gorham-Ocean Drive Precipice (appropriately named), and Park at Sand Beach on the Park Loop the Jordan Cliffs trail followed by a Road. Do this hike early in the day walk back down South Ridge of Pe- before the crowds arrive. It is very nobscot mountain trail are my favor- popular. The trail starts across the ites, but there are dozens of great ones, at least 50 overall. For kids over 6 to 7 years the Beehive trail is excit- ing (quite precipitous) with amazing views, but not too much work. For older kids and adults who are not afraid of heights, Precipice is the ul- timate. Unfortunately, both Precipice and Jordan Cliffs are usually closed until early to mid-August due to nesting pere- grine falcons. You can check when Fig. 1. View of Sand Beach from Fig. 2. Iron ladders and handholds aid ascent these and other trails will open at on the Beehive and other steep trails www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/tr part way up Beehive trail 1 ACADIA ACTIVITIES, LODGING AND EATS (Fig. 4). The return trip along the Ocean Trail is also beautiful (Fig. 5). Precipice The Precipice trail is on the steep east face of Champlain mountain. Park at the Precipice lot on the Park Loop Road. The route is Precipice → Bear 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 top of Precipice trail Brook trail → East Face trail. Preci- pice is the most vertiginous and diffi- cult trail. It is like Beehive but more Fig. 8. Bubble Rock on top of the Fig. 4. View from Gorham South Bubble mountain mountain trail than twice as high (1,100 ft). The views are extraordinary (Fig. 6). It is definitely not for those afraid of of the Bubble and Bubble Rock → heights, but it is great fun. About 2-3 come down the back. Very short hike. miles. Great view of Jordan Pond. Very steep exciting first section. The timid and Jordan Cliffs-Penobscot Mountain young children can go up the back of the Bubble, directly from the parking Park at the Jordan Pond restaurant off lot. About 1 mile. The rock (Fig. 8) is a the Park Loop Road. The route is Jor- glacial remnant. dan Cliffs → Penobscot mountain summit → Jordan Ridge trail. Diffi- Acadia Mountain cult, exciting first half on the Jordan This is a very popular hike on the Fig. 5. Classic Maine coast Cliffs trail, comparable to Beehive or western side of the island that has along the Ocean Trail Precipice, with narrow ridges, log great views of Somes Sound, the only bridges over crevasses and iron rung shown is the most vertiginous point fiord in the Americas. The route com- ladders and handholds. Easy descent on the trail. The whole trail isn’t like bines a moderate hike up Acadia with super 270 degree views (Fig. 7) this and is perfectly safe. Iron ladders mountain with a steep descent to Man along the rocky, open south ridge of and handholds are built into the rocks O’War Brook Valley, where 18th cen- Penobscot mountain (Jordan Ridge where needed to aid ascent (Fig. 2) tury ships moored to obtain fresh wa- trail). About 5 miles. and, where needed, grates cover cre- ter from the stream that cascades into vasses (Fig. 3). Once you get to the The Bubbles the ocean there, followed by a gentle top the short detour to The Bowl (a return walk. Park at the Acadia Park at Bubbles parking on the Park small glacial lake) is definitely mountain lot on Rte 102. The route is Loop Road. The route is Jordan Carry worthwhile, and I am a big proponent the Acadia mountain trail → return Trail south from the parking lot → of also hiking Gorham mountain, on fire road (Man O’War Brook Val- front face of the South Bubble → top which isn’t hard and has great views ley) or, for a longer hike, East Face 2 ACADIA ACTIVITIES, LODGING AND EATS Trail of St Sauveur mountain → St Books Sauveur Cliffs (go all the way to Val- These and many other hikes are fully ley Peak) → retrace steps to St described in a book called A Walk in Sauveur Peak → Trail back to Acadia the Park: Acadia’s Hiking Guide by parking lot. The shorter route is about Thomas A. St Germain that is avail- 2 miles. able at the National Park headquar- ters off Route 3 on the way from the top of the island to Bar Harbor. Other Fig 10. Cadillac Mtn summit books to consider (many also avail- able at Park Headquarters or from Cadillac Mountain Amazon) include: Acadia: The Com- Cadillac Mtn (1532 ft) is the highest in plete Guide: Mt. Desert Island & Acadia Acadia National Park and the highest National Park by James Kaiser (Desti- mountain on the coast north of Rio de nation Press); Hiking Acadia National Janeiro. The summit is flat and easy Park by Dolores Kong and Dan Ring for even 2 to 3 year old children to (Falcon Press); and Discover Acadia Fig 9. Rock tunnel on Giant Slide trail negotiate, and there is a road to the National Park, 2nd ed: AMC Guide to top and adequate parking. The view the Best Hiking, Biking, and Paddling Giant Slide-Sargent Mountain (Fig. 10) is fantastic. (AMC Discover Series) by Jerry This is a strenuous but wonderfully Beech Mountain Monkman and Marcy Monkman varied hike up the west side of Sar- (Appalachian Mountain Club Books) Beech Mtn, like Cadillac, has a road gent Mtn, the second largest in the that leads most of the way to the park. Park along Rte 198 near the be- Maps summit, so that it is accessible for ginning of Sargent Drive and follow a Hiking, Biking, and Paddling Map to younger children. Drive to the end of private dirt road for 0.4 mi to the be- Acadia National Park (printed on tough Beech Hill Rd (off Pretty Marsh Rd ginng of the trail. The first part of the Tyvec, not paper) from the Appala- (Rte 102) just south of Somesville on hike follows a brook with beautiful chian Mountain Club Books is a good the western side of the island). Park little falls and water tumbling over map of the park. Many others are and hike a short distance to the east to and around giant boulders. The trail available at Park Headquarters reach the Beech Mtn cliffs and great goes through caves (Fig 9) and over views. log bridges and is great fun. The hike then follows the Grandgent trail, Biking which rises steeply up the side of Sar- gent Mts, with beautiful views to the The biking in Acadia National Park is west. From the top the views continue fabulous. There are more than 50 as you return along the open north miles of fine gravel biking trails (Fig. ridge of Sargent on the Northwest 12) that wind among the lakes and Trail (previously North Ridge Trail), mountains, with fabulous views which connects to Giant Slide trail. (Fig.13) and some exciting ups and Fig. 11. Wonderland Trail end downs. These were originally carriage Hikes for Children trails built at great expense by John D. Wonderland Trail Rockefeller. These trails are com- Relatively young children can pletely separate from the auto roads scramble up the back side of the This flat (1.4 mi roundtrip) trail be- and have their own rock bridges South Bubble, as noted above, but gins off Rte 102A at the very southern (Fig.14). You can bring bikes or rent in there are three other relatively short end of the western side of the island. Bar Harbor (closest to trails: Bar Har- out-and-back hikes that our young The wooded trail ends at a beautiful bor Bike Shop, 141 Cottage St, 288- grandchildren enjoy. ocean cove with wonderful rocks and tide pools for kids to explore (Fig.