National Park Adventures
Ashley Eberhart, your host, takes you through her trips to various National Parks, gives recommendations on the best places to eat and stay, and provides a bit of history along the way!
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National Park Adventures
S2 E2: Discovering Acadia: Your Ultimate Guide to America's Enchanting National Park
Have you ever dreamt of exploring the enchanting trails of Acadia National Park? What if you could virtually traverse its majestic terrain, get introduced to hidden gems and learn about its rich history, all while sitting comfortably in your living room? Join me, Ashley, as I guide you through the breathtaking beauty of Acadia National Park, established in 1919 as the 14th National Park in the USA. Nestled among private lands on Mount Desert Island, this park offers a unique layout and unparalleled natural splendor. From introductions to the visitor center, entrances, and information centers, to an adventurous boat ride to the Schoodic Peninsula and the Isle au Haut, I share insider tips on when to visit and how to plan your trip to this remarkable treasure of nature.
But our journey doesn’t end there! Now that you're familiar with the park's layout and history, let's stroll along the iconic trails and dive into outdoor activities that make Acadia a dream destination for nature enthusiasts and thrill-seekers alike. Whether you prefer a peaceful walk around Jordan Pond or a challenging hike on Champlain Mountain Northridge Trail, I have you covered. Not a fan of hiking? No worries! I'll take you on a virtual bike ride through Schoodic Loop and Park Loop Road, and even introduce the car-free 45 miles of carriage roads. And for those who love water sports, get ready to canoe and kayak through Acadia's serene waters. This comprehensive guide is sure to equip you with everything you need to know for an unforgettable visit to Acadia National Park. So, are you ready to embark on this virtual adventure?
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Get ready to learn all about America's national parks with National Park Adventures, and I'm your host, ashley. So strap on your hiking boots and let's hit the trail. Hey everyone, welcome back to the National Park Adventures podcast. My name is Ashley and I am so excited for this episode. Today we are talking all about Acadia National Park.
Speaker 1:Now, this park I have not been to yet, but it is definitely one that's on the top of my list. It is kind of all by itself. So there's not like a you know national park road trip. You could do with this one just due to its location. But there's so much to offer in this park that I highly doubt you will be bored or wish that you had another park to go to. So let's go ahead and dive in to all of the fun park overview items. So Acadia is located near Bangor, maine, and this park is actually only 48,000 acres, so it's quite smaller compared to other national parks that we've talked about. But there is so much to do in this park that I really don't think you'll have a problem planning out your vacation and enjoying this park Now.
Speaker 1:Acadia was established on February 26, 1919, making it the 14th national park, and this park is kind of hard to describe in terms of its layout. There's a lot of area, it's just not all in one section, it doesn't necessarily all touch each other. There's some like private lands, so it's, you know, not like a basic square or triangle type shape. So I would recommend looking at a map if that will help you, kind of, where I'm describing some things. But the main, the main area of the park is the Mount Desert Island and for purposes of this episode just so that way you guys can try to follow along where things are For the purposes of this episode, bar Harbor to the northwest harbor is going to be considered the east side of the park and the southwest harbor to Bass Harbor is the west side of the park. So when I start saying east and west, that's kind of what I'm talking about. It's a little hard with this particular park since it's not super split out very well, just due to again, like the private lands and things like that. So there's also two other areas of this park the Shudik Peninsula and the Isle of Ho. Both of these are islands that are not necessarily close together nor necessarily close to that main area, the Mount Desert Island. Both of these are accessible by boat. You can also drive to the Shudik Peninsula. You just need to add some time to your travel plans If you do want to visit these. These are great places to get away from the crowds, since they aren't necessarily near the main area. Most people don't necessarily go to these, so really great option if you're looking to avoid some some crowds and some tourists.
Speaker 1:Now for the main part of the park. You got three entrances, two different information centers and one visitor center. So for your entrances, on the northeast side you're going to find Holes Cove and Cadillac entrance, and on the southeast side it is the Stanley Brook. For information centers, you have the Thompson Island Info Center. This is kind of in like the top corner of the west side. There's not a lot to do here, to be honest. There will be like a park ranger and stuff for questions or recommendations or things like that, but other than that there's not too terribly much here. And then there's also the Village Green Info Center.
Speaker 1:This is in Bar Harbor, so the east side, and you can buy passes here and also get the shuttle bus information as well. For your visitor center, that's going to be the Holes Cove visitor center. This is towards the north, on the eastern side, this does close in the winter months, so just keep that in mind. This does have a large map of the park, a bookstore, and it will have all the schedules for the ranger programs and stuff like that. So a really great place to check out and kind of see what's going on in your you know time that you're there. So for your entrance fees, you can purchase these on recreationgov A vehicle pass. It will be $30 and that is valid for seven days and through late May and through October-ish you will need a timed entry pass as well for the Cadillac Mountain Road. This is on the east side and they are released 90 days in advance on recreationgov. Now, I would highly recommend Cadillac Mountain. We'll talk a little bit more about it later in the episode, but this is a must see. So I would definitely recommend planning ahead and getting that timed entry pass.
Speaker 1:So your best time to visit Acadia will be anytime between May and October. This is due to just having really good temperature. I'm main is north, obviously, in the United States and it does have, you know, more mild summers than say, utah National Park would have. So this is really the best time to go If you do want. You know, like kind of that fall kind of feel early October is the time to go. You'll get really really good fall colors. You can also go in September. If you don't have kids. That's a good time because you know people starting back in school and stuff and you can really beat some of the crowds that way.
Speaker 1:I would suggest Taking about a week to this park, especially if you want to go to the, you know, shudik peninsula and the isla hoe. Just just because you're gonna want that much time. There's also things to do on like a little outside the park that seemed really fun. So you got a lot of options. But you could definitely do a lot of this park in like three to four days if you don't have a week to spare.
Speaker 1:So, in terms of getting to Acadia, there's a couple airport options for you. The first one is the Bangor Airport. Now, this one is pretty small in nature so you know this may be a little bit harder. Not airline, not all airlines may fly to this one and just you know flight times may not be your best friend. However, it does have a very short drive to the park. It is only an hour, so you know if it works well for you and your schedule, then this is a great option because you won't have to drive super far to get to the Park. Now more practical option for you know, more airlines and more flight times would be Portland, maine, and this is only about a three hour drive from the park, so not really that bad a little farther, but nothing that's too substantial. And then the real, your other option would be Boston, massachusetts. This is about a five hour drive from the park, so Pretty substantial, but again a pretty big airport.
Speaker 1:So if you do want that option now for navigating within the park, you can do a few different options actually. So obviously you can drive with your car. Traffic is pretty normal here. We'll obviously get busy during the peak season and peak times of the day, but if you do want to do Cadillac Mountain which again I would recommend, you will need a car. They do have shuttles in this in this park, but the shuttle does not go to the summit of Cadillac Mountains, so you will need a car for that. So for your shuttle options, it's the island explorer and these run from late June to mid October. It has 10 routes within the park, so lots of options and it's free to use. I Would recommend looking at the National Park website for the specific shuttle routes as you're planning out your trip, but this looks like a really really good option and it is a really great way to you know, not to worry about where you're going to park during the day.
Speaker 1:So let's dive into some history of Acadia. So this area that is now the National Park has been occupied by humans for 12,000 plus years. The first explorers to this area came around September of 1604, with the explorer named Samuel Day Chamblin, and he was, you know, really like just the first one to come and visit this area and just kind of get to know what this area is like now. Fast forward a couple hundred years now. We're in the 1820s. This is when farming whether that be wheat, rye, corn or potatoes, lumbering and fishing brought a lot of settlers to this area. This is where we meet the Carroll family. They settled in this area for over three generations, so about 90 years, and this was a small-scale farm that was later used as a retreat for relatives when the main family moved into town. So, john Carroll, he left Ireland in May of 1814 to explore the New World and in 1820, he took a job on Mount Desert Island, which is now the heart of this national park, and he would cut wood for a living. However, he ended up hurting himself on the job by getting an axe stuck in his foot, and his co-worker, enoch Lurvey, helped him and basically let him stay in his family home to recover. This is where John met Rachel, which is Enoch's sister, and they were actually married on Christmas day in 1822. Now John used his skills and his income to build a house, now known as the Mountain House, for his new wife. They moved into the home in 1825 and they also had two daughters in between that time, and this is where they created a small little farm with pigs, cows, chickens. They planted crops and gardens, and in total, john and Rachel had about six kids.
Speaker 1:Now Jacob Carroll is the only son of Rachel and John, and he inherited the property in 1867 after the passing of his father. Jacob had the same explorer spirit as his father. He became a sailor at 14 and ended up crossing the Atlantic five times and sailing around the world once he returned to Mount Desert Island and married Rebecca Lurvey in December of 1870. Now Jacob was a part of the coasting trade. He owned shares in several ships and was actually very, very successful. So he actually added a lot of value and inheritance to the Carroll family and between Jacob and Rebecca they had 10 kids in total, now John Carroll.
Speaker 1:He was the eldest son of Rebecca and John. John died in 1899. So, oh, I'm sorry, john was the eldest son of Rebecca and Jacob. Jacob died in 1899. And so John took over the homestead. John married Viola in 1896. They had six kids in total and at this time the island was going over a lot of construction projects. They just were doing this really big remodel, basically, of the island and John was constantly off the farm on these construction projects and so they started for the first time hiring help to upkeep this family farm and actually in 1917, he decided to move his family into town and then that's when the mountain house, the Carroll house that they have had for all these years, then became a retreat for the family and you can visit this homestead today and it's only 30 minutes from the Visitor Center and Rangers have tours here and stuff like that. So a really cool little interesting story that I found really fun to see and kind of follow this family throughout their their little course of living in this area.
Speaker 1:Now, in the 1880s, wealthy families began to spend their summers here, so tourism in this area really increased Local residents started creating associations to manage the area and protect it. So there's two different associations that were created. The first one is Hancock county trustees, and this was for public reservations, and the second one was the Village Improvement Association, and they basically built a trail system throughout the entire island and wealthy members purchased land that they would later donate to the government to establish the National Park. So John D Rockefeller purchased around 5,000 acres and that became part of the National Monument. And then George Doerr also purchased 5,000 acres and it also became a National Monument.
Speaker 1:Now, in 1919, this is when President Wilson signed into law the creation of Acadia National Park, but it was actually firstly named Lafayette National Park. But in 1929, the National Park Service got a donation of land now known as the Shudick Peninsula. That's when they changed the name to Acadia and this is a little fun fact for you. This park was actually the first park to be created through gifts and donations of private land, and this is why I think there's a little bit when I was talking about how the land isn't like a square, unlike other lands. I think it's just because it was donated. There's a lot of donations and that's how the weird little line ended up working out that way.
Speaker 1:So now let's talk about some fun things for you guys to do on your trip here. So some sites to see is the Abe Museum. This is on the Bar Harbor area, so the east side. This has a lot of artifacts from indigenous people, including tools, crafts, et cetera. Lots of options here. It's only $10 for adults and $5 for kids. And right next door to this museum there's the Wild Gardens of Acadia, and this has over 300 plant species that are native to this area. So a really great learning experience and beautiful as well.
Speaker 1:Now the next item is the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. This is going to be the really far south end, on the west side of the park. This was built in 1858. It is 26 feet tall and it is privately owned, so there's not any tours you could take, but you can get really pretty views of the lighthouse down here and it's one of the iconic pictures that you can get from Acadia. And it's been known. This lighthouse in particular was known for its red glow that it's had since 1974.
Speaker 1:Now let's talk about Cadillac Mountain. So this is a really great place for watching sunrise and you can drive up to the summit and it's only about a three mile drive, so not really that far, but you cannot take RVs or trailers on the road. So just know that your reservations you will need. Like we mentioned previously, it is only $6, so not really that bad. But here's what's really cool is, if you get a sunrise reservation, it's actually good for seven days, so you can kind of plan several days of having some options. Let's say that you get there and the weather's just not that good the day that you were planning on going, but your reservation's good for six other days. You got a lot of options, so you can really plan it around when the weather looks like it's gonna be the best. However, if you do a daytime reservation, that is only good for one day through sunset. So just keep that in mind when you're kind of planning those out. Now in late September there is the Acadia Night Sky Festival and it's an event that you can view the stars through telescopes. So this is a really cool event if you're going to be in the National Park around this time.
Speaker 1:Okay, so let's get into some hiking trails. So for the Jordan Pond path, this is going to be on the east side of the park, towards the South-ish end. It's around a three and a half mile hike. It takes about an hour and a half, just kind of depending on how fast you are, and it's a relatively easy hike. This is going to lead through the woods and down to the pond and then it loops back up.
Speaker 1:Now for the Champlain Mountain. This is going to be on the very east side and you're going to take the Champlain Northridge Trail. This one is only about two miles. However, it does take two to three hours and that is due to it being a very strenuous hike. This is because you're going to basically go to the summit of this mountain, but you do get really cool views of the ocean when you're at the top. And also on the same mountain you can go to Precipice Trail. This is a three and a little over three mile hike, take you probably about three hours and is also a strenuous hike. It does have a 1,000 foot summit and there's a lot of switchbacks and ladders and ledges, but again, a very, very cool trail to take if that is your thing.
Speaker 1:For the Beechcroft Trail. This one is about two miles and two to three hours, moderate to strenuous. It does have an elevation change of a little over 1,000 feet and it's also known for its 1,500 steps. But again, a really really cool option as well. Now, this is going to be the next two we're going to talk about is in the Sand Beach area, so think the south of the east side of the park, so the southeastern part.
Speaker 1:Now there's two trails that I want to talk about. First one is the Great Head Trail. This is about two miles an hour ish hike and is moderate and you get really really cool views of the ocean and tide pools on this hike. So we'll definitely recommend this one. Now, this next one is the Beehive Loop, and this is probably the most famous hike in this park. It is around three and a half miles, about an hour to two hours and only like a 500 foot elevation change. It does say moderate to strenuous, but I don't think I mean I haven't done it so I can't really say but I would say that this one's probably more moderate, just due to the you know how famous it is in the park. You can make this trail a loop by taking the bull trail back. But if you don't do that then it's only like a mile and a half, so it's an option to make it a loop. It just kind of depends on what you want to do. On this trail there is some steep staircases and exposed cliffs, a little bit of climbing, but when I say that, it's not like climbing with ropes, it's just over some boulders, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. But don't attempt this in bad weather because rocks are slippery and I know this firsthand as I've fallen on wet rocks before. So yeah, just don't do that.
Speaker 1:Now for your Bass Harbor area. This is where that lighthouse is that I mentioned earlier. So the two trail options here is the Ship Harbor Trail. Now this is a 1.8 mile trail, 45 minutes, really easy. And this goes through a foresty area, very much ocean vibes and tide pools. Really good, easy hike, especially for like kids and if you need just an easier hike for your day to give your legs a little bit of a break. And the second one is the Wonderland Trail. This is 1.5 miles, again 45 minutes, rated, easy. And this one goes through like a mossy, forest trees and you get to a small cobble beach. So a really cool area that you could maybe have like a little picnic lunch or something like that.
Speaker 1:Now, if you are looking for some other fun options to do in this park, I got you covered as well. The first one we're gonna talk about is bicycling. You can go on the Shudick Loop, and this is a six mile road and it's also paved, which is really nice. You can also go on the Park Loop Road, and this one's 27 miles, but it's also paved. You will need to go early or late to avoid traffic. If you want to bike in a car-free option, there is 45 miles of carriage roads. Now these are for multi-use, so there's hikers, bikers, horses, stuff like that, so there's some of that, but there's not any vehicles. So a really good option if you're trying to avoid the cars, and you can also do. They have this Bicycle Express and this is basically a bike shuttle from late June to September and it goes between the Bar Harbor Village and Eagle Lake, so this is a really great option if you're just wanting to get dropped off and picked back up.
Speaker 1:Now. Your other option is canoeing and kayaking, and the best place to do this is Long Pond, and the reason for that is that it's the biggest lake. You can launch at the Ponds Inn and there is a place that you can rent canoes and kayaks and you're going to want to make these in advance. They're open from May to October, so you got a lot of time, but if you're going between July and August, you're gonna want to definitely get reservations just to make sure that you have a kayak when you're there. It's just busy during that time. Now the other place is the Jordan Pond House. This is really cool because it sits on the water and in its prime it was a 19th century tea house and they still serve afternoon tea on the lawn until 5 pm and they have tea, popovers, strawberry jam. It just seems like a really fun little area to just take a breather, enjoy the scenery and something I really want to go see there's also horse-drawn carriages.
Speaker 1:Now. These tours are offered through carriages of Acadia and they're anywhere from one to two-hour tours and they run multiple times a day. So you got a lot of options for this and they run through June through October, and I would also recommend making reservations for these, just so you can get the right time and you can really plan around that Now if you're looking for some other fun tours to do. The Allis Trolley is a really cool option. It runs from April to October and the bus tours range anywhere from one to four hours and they go to a lot of different locations. They do Cadillac Mountain, downtown Bar Harbor, the Jordan Pond House, etc. They have a lot of options and seem like a really, really good option, especially if you're not wanting to drive through the park. This one is a really cool option. And there's also the Bar Harbor Whale watching company.
Speaker 1:Now this is open from June to September. It is a five hour tour and this visits Baker Island. Now, baker Island has a lot of history and this tour includes access to the island's farmstead and lighthouse and it also takes you to see Thunder Hole, sand Beach and Great Head. So a really, really cool option that you kind of get to see this little island that you know I'm pretty sure you only have. I think you have to take this tour to see it. I'm not positive on that, but I feel like I remember reading that when I was doing my research for for this episode.
Speaker 1:Now let's talk about the two islands of this park. So the Shudick Peninsula this is a two hour drive from the main area. The biggest appeal for this is the lack of tourists, even during the peak summer months. And again, I honestly think it's just because it's not close to the main park, or else I think it get a lot more, a lot more action, because it's definitely something that, if you have the time, it would be really cool to visit. So the one of the big things to do on this is the Shudick Peninsula Loop, which is a scenic drive. It is a six mile one-way drive. It has tons of scenic overlooks and lighthouses, and one of the biggest or most famous, I guess, parts of this drive is the Shudick Point. This is on the southern end of the island and this is where you're going to get really, really cool views of waves crashing into the granite on the cliff, so a really pretty picture for sure. The second option for things to do on this island is the Rockefeller Hall, and this is actually home to the campus of the Shudick Institute and it was actually an old navy base and so just a lot of history there. So some of the exhibits you could expect to see is the ecology, history, navy base artifacts and research programs. So a really fun little history tidbit, and the last option here is the Shudick Head. This is a 440 foot ledge and this is about a two and a half mile hike and takes about an hour, but it's moderate and you'll get some really really pretty views as well. So some, some, some really fun options that you guys can have.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's talk about the Isle of Ho Now. This place only gets 5000 to 7000 visitors annually, and this is mostly due to the remoteness of the island, and they also have a daily cap of 128 visitors, so that's also part of it as well. Now, the best trail on this is the Duck Harbor Trail. It is 7.6 miles, about four hours and a moderate hike. Now, to get to the island, you need to take the Isle of Ho boat company and they have a ferry, but it only runs twice a day. So again, both of these like. The reason why this one just isn't viewed very much is it's not very close and there's not a lot of options to get there, but it is a really cool, fun, you know, remote place to see. If that is what you're trying to achieve.
Speaker 1:Now for places to stay in this park, you can stay inside the park, but there's not any lodges or anything like that, so you'll need to do some camping. So Blackwood's campground is very, very popular. This is due to its location, which is on the east side, which is where a majority of things are on this on this national park. It is $30 a night and there are no RV hookups. The other option is the Seawall Campground. This is down by Bass Harbor, so west south side, and it's around $22 to $30 a night and also does not have any RV hookups.
Speaker 1:Now for staying outside of the park, I looked up a few fun places to stay on the east side. So the first one is the Inn on Mount Desert. Now, this is one mile from the National Park, so very close. It's a historic Inn. It was renovated in 2018. They have a complimentary breakfast and it's a 10 minute walk to the waterfront and also a 10 minute walk to the shuttle to the National Park, so a really, really good option. The next one is the Bar Harbor Inn in Spa. It is right on the water. It has an on-site spa, a continental breakfast and they also have oceanfront rooms. Very, very beautiful option. And lastly, I looked into the Primrose. This is like a bed and breakfast style. It is a historic building. It was built in 1878 and it was renovated in 2020. There it's only like a mile from the National Park, so really really good option as well, and there's 15 rooms and all of the rooms have different themes, so a really cool and unique place to stay for sure. So this is all I have for you guys on Acadia National Park.
Speaker 1:I hope that you learned a lot and were able to get inspired to go see this National Park, and if you enjoyed this episode, please leave a liking or review. That would be amazing. I really want to make these informational and best for you guys, and the best way I know that I am doing a good job is through that. So thank you so much and I will see you guys next time. Thank you so much for listening. I hope you learned something new about America's National Parks. If you enjoyed my show, please consider leaving a review. I would really appreciate it. I hope you have a great rest of your day and I'll catch you next time.