Skip to main content

New England Road Trip Day 3 - Acadia National Park

The ultimate destination of the New England Road Trip was Acadia National Park.  We arrived at Acadia at about 1 pm along with our travel companion for the trip - known as fog.  Though the fog stayed with us for most of our time on Mount Desert Island - the time spend there was awesome.  And it is somewhere I certainly hope to visit again and spend more time.



664

As you can see the fog was with us for most of our time at Acadia.

We weren't able to do the entire loop road or get to Cadillac Mountain.  However, what we did see was some of the signature rugged coastline that Acadia and the Maine Coast is famous for.  The flickr set for the Acadia Loop Road is here.

One of the first stops on the Park Loop road is an overlook of Frenchman Bay.  The Porcupine Islands and the town of Bar Harbor are two of the main features of Frenchman Bay.

Heading into the abyss

Just prior to the park's main entrance station - there is a small offshoot road that leads to a scenic view of Egg Rock and allows you a chance to explore the rocky coastline.

574

576

Sea Gull Profile

You also can share your time with a feather friend or two.

Sand Beach on warm sunny afternoon's is a very popular spot.  It's not as much on a chilly foggy day'; however, the character of this little cove really comes through.

605

608

615

654

From Sand Beach to Otter Point - the opportunities to stop and take photos and explore the coastline are endless.

628

The rocky cliffs of Acadia National Park

Otter Cliff - at 110 feet above the Atlantic Ocean - is one of the most impressive - or frightening - spots in all of Acadia National Park.

660
658

As you can see it's a long way down!

663

668

After Otter Point, the loop road continues to run along the coastline at a more gentle slope.

684

Just beyond the Wildwood Stables, we headed off the loop road and back on to Maine 3 to head Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse which is one of the most popular spots on Mount Desert Island.  Once we got on ME 3, we came across this rather interesting highway shield.

689

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse is the only lighthouse that is physically located on Mount Desert Island.  It has been in operation since 1858 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The lightkeeper's home is the residence of the commander of the local US Coast Guard Unit.

My set of photos from Bass Harbor is located here.


Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

The best vantage point of the light, cliffs and waters around it is to take any of the trails to the left or the right of the lighthouse.  Be very careful on the cliffs though.  There are not any railing or other pathways on the cliffs.

700

704

711

Fortunately, the fog started to lift as we were there.

719

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse is also the key feature in a modern version of the classic WPA style posters that Rand Doug Enterprises has made for Acadia National Park.  Now, that I have visited the park I will certainly be buying one to add to my collection.  (I need to blog about that some day).

Acadia and Mount Desert Island was a great visit.  I only wish we had more time to explore more of the park and Bar Harbor.  Cadillac Mountain and biking the numerous carriage roads within the park are still on the to do list.  Hopefully, I will get to do that next time.  But even if it is only for a half day to explore and drive around the park, it is certainly worth it.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

2018 Mojave Road Trip Part 2; The deadly desert highway (California State Route 127 and Nevada State Route 373)

After leaving Barstow via Old Highway 58 my next destination was in Death Valley.  To access Death Valley from rural San Bernardino County required a trek on north on Interstate 15 to California State Route 127 which becomes Nevada State Route 373 at the state line. Along I-15 I encountered the road sign oddity that is Zzyzx Road about eight miles south of Baker.   Zzyzx Road is a four mile road that used to go to the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa.   The spa was founded in the 1940s and the owner made up the name "Zzyzx" to claim it was the last word in the English Language.  The spa has been shut down since the 1970s and is now part of a Desert Studies Center for California State University. The southern terminus of CA 127 in Baker is located at I-15 exit 246.  CA 127 is a 91 mile north/south highway which runs to the Nevada State Line in Inyo County.  CA 127 is called Death Valley Road from I-15 northward.  South of CA 127 ...

Finding the Pre-Emption Road of New York State

  The Pre-Emption Road (or rather a series of roads named Pre-Emption Road) follows a survey line called the Pre-Emption Line, drawn in the early days of the United States. The story begins with Massachusetts and New York having competing land claims to modern day Western New York State that have their roots in colonial charters granted by the British. After the Revolutionary War ended, this land became the frontier of the nation and its settlement became a priority for the new American government. During this era, there were a lot of competing land claims that needed to be settled. It was no different with the land claims between New York State and Massachusetts. On November 30, 1786, Massachusetts and New York sent representatives to Hartford, Connecticut to resolve their competing land claims. In less than three weeks, the representatives had reached a compromise. Massachusetts would receive pre-emption rights, meaning the right to sell the land after the Indian title ...

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

  Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...