We decided to split up our adventure in Acadia National Park into 3 posts, mostly because we wanted to share the many great pictures from our time in the park, and it did not seem prudent to showcase 73 images in one blog post! You may find Acadia part 1 here, and Acadia part 3 here.
Continuing from part one, part of what makes so unique is its history. Acadia was the first National Park created in the East. I am unsure of what the NPS designates as “East”, but it’s probably the national area East of the Mississippi. It was also the first park created solely from private land donations. In fact, before these land donations allowed the park to be created for the experience of the entire public, it was a private domain for the Who’s-Who of the eastern Seaboard.
It’s easy to understand why the park became a summer home for the rich and famous, given the fantastic scenic beauty of the island. It was made especially popular in the late 1800s by a photographic post card that revealed Acadia as a tropical oasis in the Northeast. While it may not actually be tropical, the picture did an accurate job of conveying the lush greenery overlooking a bay filled with equally lush islands… a scene equally at home in the Caribbean.
The rich and famous of the 1800s left many remnants of their splendor. Most of this is scene through the many “cottages” that dot the island. Cottages really are the term used to describe these summer homes, but it is a bit different than our perception of a quaint abode. Each one is a HUGE mansion with a view filled with equal splendor. Imagine 3-4 story brick and stone colonial palaces, with grand columns greeting entrants to these “humble” abodes.
Because Acadia was well developed before it became open to the general public, a visit to the park does appeal to only adventure seekers and hikers. It has multiple cute port towns, where you can enjoy the stereotypical fresh lobster roll, walk through scenic and historic streets, enjoy a ferry ride or whale watching, or just enjoy great food and drinks; yes, there are breweries and a winery on the island, too! There’s even a dine-in, drink-in movie theater, which is a favorite experience of ours that has roots in the many similar venues in Portland, Oregon.
A spectular view of the many islands below. You can absolutely see how [painted] pictures like this would have lured in 19th century aristocrats!This is a cool lighthouse on the island. We read this is one of the most photographed light houses in all of Maine, so of course we had to capture a picture of our own!Two delicious beers brewed on the island. I’m typing this almost 2 weeks after our trip to the park, and still enjoying the blueberry beer on the left; we purchased an assortment of beers while there. 🙂We loved this cool boardwalk. It’s different than boardwalks we’ve seen on the West Coast, in that the boards are lengthwise along the trail. It makes you feel like you’re “walking the plank”. It was actually a bit of a fight trying to walk with the dogs; they each liked to hog a board all to themselves, which meant you had to tight-rope the board on the other side of the dog.Leah and Loki walking along a beautiful section of the Jordon Pond trail; there’s water on the left, rocks on the right, and beautiful forest straight ahead!Andy and Dusty on the same bridge alonge the Jordon Pond trail… this time looking out at the water.Leah and Loki on a cool bridge along the Jordon Pond trail.We took the dogs _most_ of the way up the Bubble Rock side trail, but then encountered a short 4′ ledge, and didn’t want to bother with hoisting them up and then down. Instead we tied them up and scrambled to the top as fast as possible. They clearly did NOT appreciate being left behind!Leah taking her turn at trying to push the boulder over the edge.Andy taking his best stab at pushing Bubble Rock over the edge. It’s been year for over 10,000 years, so it wasn’t too surprising that he didn’t succeed ;-).Another view of Jordon pond, with Leah just reaching the top of the bluff.Jordon pond as viewed from Bubble Rock, a quick, albeit strenuous, hike to a cool rock and viewpoint.Andy and Dusty walking on a path on the Jordon Pond trail.A picture of a beautiful Jordon Pond. This contains drinking water for Mt. Desert Island that hosts Acadia National Park. There’s a very enjoyable leisurely hike you can walk with the dogs all around the water.Leah climbing down well placed steps along the trail. These trails are clearly very well thought out. It’s fun to think that many sections of the trail could be older than 100 years, too!
