Acadia National Park - Part III

One part of Acadia that we didn't visit was Schoodic Point.  While it is supposed to be a beautiful area it is also located a long drive from the rest of the park on Mount Desert Island.  We decided to just stay within the main portion of the park during our visit--but on a future trip we definitely want to drive down the Schoodic Peninsula to see more of Acadia.  Nevertheless as we continued to drive around the island we did get a glimpse of Schoodic Point across the water.

A six-mile (10 km), one-way loop road offers views of lighthouses, seabirds, and forested islands. Vehicle turnouts that provide opportunities to stop and enjoy the scenery....  Arey Cove Road leads to Schoodic Point, a windswept, rocky point providing spectacular views of Mount Desert Island.
--from Acadia National Park website

Our next actual stop was the parking area for Thunder Hole.

In the gift shop I found one of the pint glasses that we ended up buying from the park.

From the gift shop we headed across the road towards the coast.

Since so many people visit there were plenty of fences to help keep people from getting too close to the water.

 We had tried to time our visit with the tides in hopes of hearing the sounds Thunder Hole is famous for, but it didn't work out.  We saw plenty of other people waiting.

 This is the area that produces the famous sounds.  A cave under a ledge traps air when waves come in and when it suddenly fills with water it can create a massive burst of sound and spray that sounds like thunder.

More beautiful flowers.

While we were visiting before the official start of the season we did see at least one bus, the Island Explorer (sponsored by LL Bean) making the rounds.  I can see how it would be very nice to ride the bus around in the summer when the roads are packed and not have to worry about trying to find a parking space at each place you want to visit.

 A bit further down the coast we were able to walk towards the shore and take in this beautiful vista.

We even spotted some seagulls during our wandering.

More gorgeous Maine coastline.  I wish that I could have sat down to enjoy the view for a few hours.

 As you can see here most of the Maine coast is rocky with no sand in site.  There is actually one sandy beach in the park, but we didn't visit that until the next day as it was so busy the first time we drove by.

 For part of this time we were walking along the ocean path, a trail that stays within site of the ocean and connects many spots along the coast.

I normally prefer mountain vistas, but these coastal views really started to grow on me during our time in the park.  This was the Otter Cliff overlook area if I remember correctly.

 Wild berry canes show that there would be quite a harvest later in the year.

After leaving the Otter Cliff area we continued driving until we came to Little Hunters Beach.

When the she stairs turned the corner I was able to look up and see a breathtaking cobble beach.

Many people had piled up stacks of cobble stones into small towers.  I assume that when the tide comes in these piles are knocked over each day.

This is actually the picture of the coast I've used as my computer background for months.

It was very peaceful to sit on the beach and enjoy the waves hitting the shore.

While sitting on the beach I took a video of those waves and uploaded it to YouTube.  The video was actually taken and uploaded in 4K, so if you have a good internet connection you can increase the quality until you feel like you're actually there on the beach.


After this stop we headed towards Jordan Pond, but that is another post coming tomorrow.

~Matt

Acadia National Park - Part II - The Wild Gardens of Acadia

One of the places that we got to visit while driving around Acadia National Park was the Wild Gardens of Acadia, located in the Sieur de Monts area of the park.  This area dates back to 1961 when the park superintendent asked the local Bar Harbor Garden Club to cultivate the area.  The decision was made to include only plants native to the island, so many popular and prevalent species weren't included, but they had no shortage of plants to cultivate.

Guided by Edgar T. Wherry’s Wild Flowers of Mt. Desert Island, published in 1928 under the aegis of the Garden Club of Mount Desert, volunteers established more than 400 indigenous plant species. These efforts have been recognized by awards from the Garden Club of America, the New England Wild Flower Society, the Garden Club Federation of Maine, the National Council of State Garden Clubs, and the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.
--from Friends of Acadia website

Because of the focus on native plants the area doesn't look like many botanical gardens, it definitely looked planned, but also much more natural than other gardens that I've seen.

The gardens consist of a number of different areas including different woods, heath, a bog, and more.

I thought this bark looked especially beautiful.

If I recall correctly this was the coniferous woods which according to the Friends of Acadia website are stereotypical Maine.
Lichen-clad red spruce, white spruce, and balsam fir cling to coastal rocks that are only thinly covered with soil. Often these trees are pruned by the wind. Away from the fog and salt spray, these conifers are joined by larger cone-bearing trees such as white pine, red pine, and eastern hemlock, as well as some hardwood trees, to become part of the vast northern spruce-fir forest.

I think trees look especially beautiful from underneath when you can see the branches radiating out.

The bog contains pitcher plants and other plants adapted to the acidic conditions usually found within bog environments.

Walking along the fern path was especially nice.  I'm not sure what it is about them, but I've always liked the look of ferns.

The path through the meadow area was lined with quite a few wildflowers.

If you're in the area take some time to drop by the Wild Gardens.  It is reportedly best between May and October when the signs identifying plants are in place, but it is open other times of year as well.  You can see the pictures above and a few more in this album.  Tomorrow's post will take us back on Acadia's loop road headed south.

~Matt

Acadia National Park - Part I

After leaving Fort Knox we drove towards the coast and Mount Desert Island.  Our next destination was Acadia National Park where we planned to camp for three nights while enjoying what we hoped would be beautiful scenery.  We were certainly not disappointed!

Our first stop in the park was at the Blackwoods Campground where we'd made our reservations a while before to make sure that we would be able to find space.  We knew that Acadia could get quite busy and while we were visiting before the start of the summer season we didn't want to take a chance.

The drive across the island felt long and we were going in and out of the park areas.  The park covers a patchwork of land on the island.  The campground is on the southern end of the island, but not connected to the loop road, so we saved that drive for the next day.

The campground is beautiful and fairly heavily wooded.  We also had no cell signal there, so it was nice to not have to worry about being able to check in on things online.

Our campsite was a great place to spend several days.  I wish we could have spent a whole week there.  Instead we ended up using it as a base camp as we explored the rest of the park.  Though at one point I was there for several hours while Amy drove to a laundromat in Bar Harbor.

The next morning we headed to the Hulls Cove Visitor Center at the northeast section of the park so that we could start our drive around the loop road.

From the parking lot we walked up a short path towards the visitor center.

We saw an example of a Bates cairn along the path.  This one was built as an example to show people what they look like and to help caution people to not disturb them and to not make new ones.

We looked over some of our route on the visitor center maps.

Normally I wouldn't use displays like this, but when you're in a place with little cell phone coverage you have a new appreciation for the supply of information like this that you can't just look up for yourself.

 We started driving along the loop road and stopped at a pullout where we had a good view of Frenchman Bay where this sign showed what the various spots are named.

 Most of the islands are named after different porcupines including Sheep Porcupine Island, Burnt Porcupine Island, Long Porcupine Island, and Bald Porcupine Island.

The stonework throughout the park is beautiful.

Our next stop was a spot where we could see Cadillac Mountain, the highest point along much of the Atlantic seaboard.  Later we'd drive to the top.

I really appreciated this sign that not only labeled the mountains but showed what the landscape looks like in each season.

While Acadia is especially known for the beauty of its shorelines there are many gorgeous interior views as well.

When I saw a large patch of lupine flowers I simply had to stop.

Thankfully some of my closeup shots turned out, despite the flowers moving in pretty much any breeze that wafted by.

 Okay, I can't resist one more lupine picture.

We next entered the Sieur de Monts area and stopped by the Nature Center.  You can read about our walk through the Wild Gardens of Acadia in a separate post going up tomorrow.

The nature center has a few exhibits inside.

This display about seabirds and their eggs was fascinating.

This area served as the core of the land that was donated to the government to form what would one day become Acadia National Park.  It was first named Sieur de Monts National Monument in 1916 (named after a French explorer who visited the area in the 1600s) and then became Lafayette National Park in 1919.  Finally it was renamed Acadia in 1929.  This canopy over the Sieur de Monts spring was built by George Dorr, the individual often considered the father of Acadia National Park.

We decided to walk along the Jessup Path for a while.

The walk was especially beautiful with lush green grasses and so many trees.

We walked along a boardwalk and every so often were signs to explain the surrounding area and things that you might see.

 There were also plenty of open meadow areas.

 We eventually had to turn back (I think it might have been for a bathroom break for a kid) before we got to the end of the trail.

The next post will cover the Wild Gardens of Acadia, located right next to the nature center.

~Matt