Acadia National Park Things to Do

Recommended: This was fun. When the tide is out, you can walk a long gravel bar to little Bar Island from downtown Bar Harbor for nice views of the village from across the water. The bar is solid underfoot but the rocks on either side of the shores are very slippery and kelp-covered so wear good shoes or boots if planning on exploring much. Also make sure you know when the tide is coming IN again so you don't get stranded. There are tidetables in some of the weekly publications, or ask at the Chamber of Commerce info office down by the town pier. You have about 90 minutes before and 90 minutes after (3 hours total) low tide to stay high and dry.

We didn't camp but here's a little info for tenters:

There are only two campgrounds in the Mt Desert Isle portion of the park - Blackwoods and Seawall. They have restrooms but no hookups or showers and are mostly for tents, although they can handle a few popups and smaller RVs. Campfires are allowed but no wood-gathering - bring your own or buy some from the commercial campgrounds along Rt. 3. The campgrounds are forested (not on the water), each campsite holds a maximum of 6 people, and mandatory quiet hours are from 10 PM - 6AM. Each has an amphitheater for summer ranger programs.

Blackwoods, the more popular of the two, has 300 campsites ($20 per site) and reservations are HIGHLY recommended during peak season (see below for phone and website reservations). Seawall ($20 per site) is first-come, first served. The Acadia section of Isle au Haut has a few primitive lean-tos for overnighters. See the park website for more complete info.

Those wanting a few more creature comforts should check out one of the other commerical campgrounds in the area, such as Mt Desert Campground (207-244-3710, www.mountdesertcampground.com) and White Birches (207-244-3797, www.mainecamper.com).

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Mt. Desert Island and neighboring areas are full of gorgeous little villages with art galleries, historic homes, great restaurants and lovely harbors. Take a drive to well-heeled Blue Hill (and hike the 2-mile Blue Hill Mountain Trail), Southwest Harbor, Stonington or Castine, just to name a few.

Castine is one of the oldest communities in North America with a long, colorful history and many well-preserved, historic homes, churches and other places of interest. You can obtain a map for a self-guided tour at most of the businesses in town. I wish we would have had more time here as it's a really pretty village (www.castine.me.us)! Oh, and be sure to have one of the many area microbrews offered at Dennett's Wharf in Castine (www.dennettswharf.com): GREAT deck overlooking the water and the food looked good too.

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Foggy days are to be enjoyed. Yes, they're a little chilly and damp but great for snapping pictures and exploring the park when less adventurous folks think it's too crummy to be out. It has its own very special charm so don't miss a nice long walk in the mist and don't forget your camera!

Recommended: This is another great hike - but heck, they're ALL great. I think I read somewhere that this is another difficult/strenuous and about a 4-miler. Most folks do Pemetic from the Bubble Pond approach but we took the east trail that starts near Jordan Pond House, up the southern slope, down the northwest side of the mountain, linked up with a section Carny Trail, down to the east side of Jordan Pond, and then followed the lake path back.

Coming down was tougher than going up, as I recall, but we didn't see another soul and had the summit to ourselves. As with most of the Acadia mountian hikes, take a good map and look carefully for trail markings.

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Recommended: This is another terrific (difficult/strenuous 5-6 mile) hike that combines two summits. The Penobscot trailhead is left of Jordon Pond House: look for the signs. Cross the stream and carriage road and start the steep climb about 1.4 miles to the top: there are some handholds in difficult spots. Once you've reached the summit, look for signs to Sargent. About 10-15 minutes down, you'll run into lovely little Sargent Pond: great break for a swim if it's hot! Then the trail (South Ridge) starts climbing again to the top of Sargent. You can either return the way you came, or take an east face trail down to Jordan Pond and then another 1.7 miles around the west side (or east side - either one will do) of the lake back to Jordan Pond House. We took the east face way down and it was probably the most tiring of any of the trails we did: very steep and a good share of it carefully picking over rocky landslides.

There are excellent views of Somes Sound - the only fjord on the eastern seaboard - Eagle Lake, Jordon Pond, and miles beyond from the tops of both Penobscot and Sargent. Several other trails (Brook, Spring, Ridge, Jordan Cliffs, etc.) can be alternatives for hiking up/down Sargent: see the park website and/or ask a ranger for recommendations.

Recommended: From 1913-1940 John D. Rockefeller had 45 miles of crushed-rock carriage roads constructed within the park so that he (and others) could enjoy horseback and carriage riding away from automobile traffic. These roads are a unique feature of Acadia and were carefully constructed to disrupt as little of the landscape around them as possible. Watch for the 17 bridges built of native stone and each with its own special design.

Biking: as heavy traffic/big buses on the paved roads (especially Park Loop Road) can be dangerous and darned unpleasant for bikers, these no-cars-allowed paths are perfect for two-wheeling. Bring your own or rent. Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop (www.barharborbike.com) has been outfitting visitors for 30 years and are supposed to be a great resource for best routes. There are a couple other local rental places as well: check the Bar Harbor website.

Bikes aren't allowed on a few of the privately-owned carriage roads (posted) or any of the hiking trails.

Carriage Rides: Carriages in the Park offers 1 - 2 hour open-carriage rides daily from mid-June to mid-fall. The stables are 1/2 mile south of Jordan Pond House on Park Loop Road (www.acadia.net/wildwood - 207-276-3622.) These are popular and fill up quickly so reservations are a good idea.

Hiking/Walking: Whether using them to access a trail or just out for a stroll, they are easy, fun, and very pretty.

Free maps of the Carriage Roads can be picked up at the Acadia Visitor Centers and include an in-depth history of the roads, rules and regs for bikers, pets, etc.

Recommended. Yes, you can have lobster at home but there's nothing like tearing into a fresh Maine bug while looking over the ocean it just came out of. I won't get into the raging debate on the best place to do this but recommend any lobster pound outside of Bar Harbor for the most authentic experience.

Lobster pounds are picnic-table/paper-plate venues that are usually located on or near docks where they bring the boats in. Prices are by the pound and you can either order sides ala carte or a "meal deal" with a couple of sides included. Some places have beer and wine and some are BYO. Order at the window, grab a table, and then go fetch your bug when your number's called.

If you've never eater a full lobster before, don't worry: it's not that hard. If anything, concentrate on meat inside the claws and the tail. Look for any weird green stuff (called tomalley-it's the liver) and scrape that off - although some people think it's a delicacy. Yuck. Don't wear anything nice 'cause you're going to get messy. Great fun. I'll cover our choice (Thurston's) under restaurant tips.