I love visiting our National Parks. As Ken Burns puts it, it was truly one of our best ideas. One of my favorite parks to visit is Acadia (often mispronounced ARcadia) on the eastern coast of Maine. I've been there a twice over the past 5 years including the week in 2013 when the federal budget shutdown closed the gates to all National Parks. Recently we visited in early October 2016 and enjoyed the park without the throngs of crowds that usually fill the parking lots. There were still lots of visitors and if you waited until late morning to visit the Beehive or Jordan Pond House, you'd have problems parking. Acadia is well know for being an adventure lovers paradise. The great hikes, carriage roads for biking, and spectacular lakes for kayaking have something for everyone. Here's a link to a great map with dynamic links to some of the hotposts. We stayed at a waterfront cottage on Somes Sound in Southwest Harbor which is a quaint little seaport village that services the fishing community. SW Harbor also has a lobster pound (don't they all) but not just any. Beal's Lobster pound serves some of the freshest lobster rolls. Order a side of Clams and some corn on the cob and you have a seafood lovers dream dinner, or lunch! Not overly formal, Beal's includes indoor and outdoor picnic tables for you to enjoy your lobster bonanza in comfort. Also not be missed are Thurston's Lobster Pound in Tremont and if you're in the mood for Mexican, XYZ is also highly recommended.
Getting there- The drive up from central New Jersey is about 9 hours so we decided to start up a day early and stop off at the mid-way point for dinner and to spend the night. In the past we've stopped off in Portsmouth, NH and Newport, RI, but this trip we stopped off in Portland, ME which is a great college town with some great restaurants and bars lining the streets up the water front. We stayed in South Portland at the Howard Johnson ($125/night) about 15 minutes from Portland proper because there are few places reasonably priced right in town. We spent the night walking around down by the waterfront and stopping for drinks and appetizers along the way. Portland was lot's of fun and is highly recommended. Don't forget to stop at The Holy Donut in the morning on the way out of town for their famous potato donuts! I recommend you get there early as they sell out very quickly, you've been warned!
Activities- hiking, biking, kayaking, whale watching, sailing, picturesque views for photos, great restaurants, you name it....Acadia has something for everyone. I usually try to spread things around and try do a little bit of everything while I'm there. The hikes are moderately strenuous and some are not for those who have a fear of heights. TIP: The Beehive and The Precipice should be avoided if you fear heights. Most of the trails lead up the sides of the granite walls to some spectacular views out over the Atlantic Ocean and back over to Bar Harbor and Jordan Pond. You can often see the cruise ships on their way into or out of the port. The hike up to Cadillac Mountain is about 7 miles round trip and is a must do. The summit is the highest peak on Mt Desert Island (and can also be reached by car if you just don't feel like hiking it). Be prepared for a 10 degree drop in temp with some wind when you reach the top. If you're into taking photos, the sunrise/sunsets on Acadia are spectacular. Often referred to as the first place the sun touches the U.S. each morning, the sunrises are best viewed from the eastern side of the island and are awesome. Sunsets are equally fantastic and best viewed from the west side of the island. I suggest heading down to the Bass Harbor Lighthouse an hour before sunset to give yourself ample time to park as it will be crowded. TIP: DON'T head straight down end the road to the wooden platform right next to the guard station where most others go. Instead make a left in the parking lot and follow the walking path down to the rocks along the shoreline for a much better view point. Bring your bike, or rent one in town. The carriage roads are easy to get to via the free Island Explorer Shuttle (which also has a bike friendly shuttle with a large rack). I highly recommend planning at least 1 or 2 days to explore the island's carriage roads. Maps are readily available and read them closely. Some of the roads are steeper than others and will require some serious pedal power. For a fun and easy day I highly recommend taking a lobster boat tour with Lulu's Lobster Boat. The tour is $35 for adults and takes you out on a functioning lobster boat, hauls in an actual lobster pot or 2 and provides a wonderful and humorous background and history to the very strong and thriving lobster industry in Maine.
