For those of you keeping up, you know that the top 2 parks I was most excited to visit on this trip were Glacier and Acadia. Glacier ended up being amazing. Which of course just added to my personal hopes (as well as those of the family) to have a great time in Acadia. During the planning of our trip, I lost count of how many people told me Acadia was by far and away their favorite park. And the gauntlet of activities on the “must do” list was crazy; sunrise on Cadillac Mountain, bike the carriage trails, hike the lakes, have popovers at the Jordan Pond Inn. The list was imposing. To add to this, from the time we started the drive through upstate New York, across Vermont and New Hampshire into Maine, the fall colors were in full force. Truly beyond description. So as we rolled on to Mt Desert Island and into our campground, the pressure on this little park in the northeast to live up to expectations was pretty extreme.
Acadia did not disappoint.
The season was coming to a close so the crowds were down in Acadia but the fall color was definitely up! As Ava and Hazel would say, it was “en feugo” (which means “on fire” in Spanish and is the full extent of any Spanish you will get from me in a blog!). We spent three full days hiking, biking, walking, eating and at times just sitting and admiring the scenery – which I highly, highly recommend. The hiking trails range from easy and flat, to so steep that climbing the trail requires the aid of metal ladder rungs sunk into the rock. The carriage trails are wide and groomed. John D Rockefeller Jr and his architects created a system of roads and trails that is literally part of the landscape. They don’t cut through the rock so much and move and flow with it. It makes the overall experience feel as though you are immersed in the landscape as opposed to just walking along in it. So much so that even Carolyn who is not really much of a biker was rapidly outpacing all of us just to get to more of it.
In our quest to get as much of the “Maine” experience as possible, Carolyn and I convinced the girls that we had to do a lobster boil. Now, I am not the biggest seafood fan – actually don’t care for it at all – but when in Maine… Turns out that right across from our campground was a very highly rated lobster shack. Off we go to grab a couple of the little crustaceans. We let the girls pick the two “lucky winners” of our dinner lottery and as you can see by the picture below, they are super excited about the prospects. That excitement was short lived as once the cook took the lobsters back and headed for the pots, the reality of what was happening sunk in. The looks on the girls faces was so tragic that I could not possibly recount it. Over dinner that night we had some in-depth conversations about food chains, circle of life and choices that they could make about the food they eat. And then the next day was entirely vegetarian.
On the happier dining front, we did take full advantage of the local popovers. If you don’t know what a popover is, think about a large yeast roll made in a muffin pan where the dough rises as you cook it, “popping over” the sides and leaving most of the inside hollow. Hence, it becomes an amazing carrier for butter and jam. Served warm, they are quite the treat.
From our visit with the Park Rangers, we learned that the original popover purveyors that made the Jordan Pond Inn famous for them had lost the park service contract and a new restaurateur was in place. But not to worry, the previous group had taken on a new contract running an Inn on the harbor in a nearby village – just a short bike ride down the carriage path. Well, to an adventurous family like us, this can only mean one course of action – TASTE TEST!! First, a nice bike ride to the Asticou Inn to sample the originals. Next, a long hike that by plan ends at the Jordan Pond Inn so we can sample the new comer. The winner – US! Simply not possible to lose with food that good.
The highlight of the trip was arguably watching the sunrise up on Cadillac Mountain. The weather was cold and crystal clear with amazing visibility. At times though it was actually hard to decide which way to look. Off to the east one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen (and with 14 years in the AF, I have seen a few). Off to the west, somewhere close to 500 people standing absolutely quiet and still, lined up and fascinated by the sunrise. Not sure I have ever before heard a sunrise receive a standing ovation from a crowd. “That was cool,” was said more than once. Nothing like being the first people in the US to see the sun come up that day!
We could have easily spent another week in the park if for no other reason than just to do everything again. We managed to knock out our full list. It was amazing.
Nice !!!!
You all hit the jackpot!! Acadia with the fall colors.
Fabulous pictures and great descriptions Dan.
Having just spent a week in Northeast Harbor, next to Acadia National Park, mades me homesick for Maine.
Thanks, Don, for this terrific account of your time in Acadia National Park. We’ve only been to the coast of Maine and think of it as still on our bucket list, though we do age! You’ve inspired us to get that on the calendar and it sure sounds, and looks, as if late fall is an excellent time to go. Great pix, too! Love and safe travels to you all, and thanks for letting us follow along.
The Columbus Day weekend seems to be a pretty great time to visit. The colors are great and there are folks traveling for the long holiday weekend, but no where near what the summer is like. Plus, the Island Express Bus service is still running (it shuts down just after Columbus Day). So if you go for a hike or walk and get tired (like we did), you can just hop on the bus and get back to where you started – for free.
Looks amazing!! Sounds like Acadia did not disappoint!
Dan, I loved your blog post on Acadia, every bit of it, including Hazel and Ava wrestling with the reality of the lobster meal. It’s a beautiful spot, and you have made me want to make a fall trip to round out my lucky summer visits. Hazel and Ava ‘s lives will be so rich because of your and Carolyn’s gift to them of this trip.
Traveling vicariously with you is such a joy. Am a fan of Acadia and Glacier as well. So glad we have these great parks and what fun to visit them through your posts! Keep them coming and safe travels.
Dan your post momentarily took me away from work emails and back into my memories of Acadia. Sounds like you had an incredible time!