Summer Vacation at Acadia National Park

Anna, Theresa & Joe atop Beach Cliff

Mountains or ocean?  Mountains or ocean?  Mountains or ocean?  Where should we go for vacation?  As it turns out, there is one place that has both:  Acadia National Park in Maine.

While we have visited Acadia before, it was 10 years ago....in September.....when Anna was 3 years old.  We were a bit limited in what we could do at that point (Anna was not a big hiker at that age...unless someone was carrying her).  Actually, our previous visit to Acadia was a one-day drive through of the park while occasionally letting Anna out of the car....but not too close to the cliffs.  We are happy to report that Anna's hiking skills have steadily progressed over the past 10 years and she was up for the challenge.  Of course the bigger challenge was whether Anna could manage a week with her parents in the wilds of Maine.

Anna climbing the iron ladders

Our home base for the week was Bass Harbor, located about 20 minutes from Acadia National Park.  Thanks to Air B&B, we found a small apartment behind an art gallery for the week.  One of the most important features of the apartment was the lobster pot, but we will get to that later.  An added bonus was the bocce court in the backyard.  Anna challenged Joe to several games as they both perfected their bocce skills over the course of the week.  Our vehicle for the week was a Subaru Cross trek, so we truly felt like one of the locals (the dominate cars on the road were Subarus and pick-up trucks).  Acadia in August is a bit different than Acadia in September - by a factor of several thousand people.  We quickly realized the importance of the free shuttle bus system around the area and throughout the park as parking was at a premium.  We spent the week hiking, rock scrambling, bicycling and enjoying the local cuisine - including sampling several different ice cream venues.



Hiking/Rock Scrambling
There were countless opportunities to hike throughout the park.  The first major hike was to beach cliff, which overlooked a lake.  This 3 mile-trail involved an 800 foot hike up a rocky trail that included going up the side of some cliffs via iron ladders (that's right...ladders up a cliff).  The view at the top was fantastic and we were quite proud of our accomplishment....until we saw a large, extended family with several small children already at the top of the mountain.  While they did not come up the cliff side, they still managed to hike up with babies on their back and toddlers in tow (it was quite impressive).    This hike was merely a warm-up for what was to come the next day:  a hike with Carol and Paul.

Paul, Carol, Joe & Theresa

Anna on top of Pemetic Mountain

Carol (Joe's cousin) and her husband Paul retired to Maine a few years ago and live near Acadia.  They are avid hikers and were gracious enough to meet up with us for a hike.  After some discussion between Joe and Carol on the phone, Carol mentioned that now that they are getting older, they do not hike as much and had already been out hiking earlier in the week.  We agreed to meet at Jordan Pond, for what Joe, Theresa and Anna thought was a hike around the pond.  The first clue that something bigger was in store was when we met them in the parking lot and they were equipped with professional hiking gear, including poles and lots of water (we had shorts, t-shirts, and backpack with some water).  We started down the trail around the pond and soon took a right...following a sign to Pemetic Mountain.  It quickly became apparent that we were headed up the mountain.  At the halfway point, Anna was nearing collapse from hunger.  Following a granola bar, she made it 3/4 of the way up before demanding lunch.  Carol and Paul were not even breaking a sweat, but were kind enough to stop to refuel Anna.  Carol convinced Anna to keep going until we reached the summit - at 1,248 feet.  The view was spectacular! This was definitely the "high" point of our trip and a hike would not have done on our own.  (Note to other Fagella family members....if you are ever invited to hike with Carol and Paul, do not be fooled by lines like "we are getting older."  Ask lots of questions before you take off with them.)  Upon descending the mountain, Joe and Theresa were both wondering what hike they would have went if Carol and Paul were "younger,"  and if they would have collapsed on the trail (Joe and Theresa that is).

We did make it to Jordan Pond on a subsequent day....and managed a mostly leisurely hike in between rain showers.  There were no mountains to ascend.

Bicycling & Boating

A unique feature of Acadia is the carriage roads.  Apparently the Rockefellers built over 40 miles of carriage roads in the park in the early 1900s so that the wealthy could enjoy rides along the beautiful landscape.  The carriage roads are now used as bike paths (although there is a stable that does some carriage rides).  Theresa was quite excited to rent bicycles one day to enjoy the paths.  Anna was not nearly as excited about the ride as soon as the uphill climb began. Then there was the part where she got off to walk her bike up the hill, only to be swarmed by mosquitoes (that is motivation to keep riding).  Again, we saw families with small children either on bikes or pulling a bike trailer with children inside (we are pretty sure this was the same family that we saw hiking the mountains with small children too....after all, how many families really get their young children to do this?).  The bike trip concluded by riding back to Bar Harbor, dropping off the bikes, and headed over to the ice cream store (Anna's daily motivation for whatever activity we were doing.

We were able to get out on the water one day on a boat tour form Bass Harbor.  The tour was on a converted lobster boat and we got a great tour of the harbor and surrounding islands along with the history of the Maine Coast.  It was a foggy morning, which made for an interesting boat ride.  We visited the island town of Frenchboro (population 59) and got to see eagles, seals, and other wildlife.  We also got a lesson on lobster fishing, including checking some traps.  We left the tour inspired for dinner.

The Food

Maine is known for their lobsters.  As the saying goes, when in Rome......  We were surprised to find few seafood markets.  It is all about the lobsters. We quickly realized that for the price of one lobster dinner at the lobster pound down the street, we could purchase 3 fresh lobsters.  Since we had a lobster pot, we decided it was time to learn how to cook our own lobsters.  Thanks to google, we found directions.  Thanks to a roadside sign, we found a lobster supplier.  There was some skepticism about dropping live lobsters into boiling water, but our primal instincts kicked in and we got over it quickly.  It was worth it - the lobsters were delicious!

In addition to lobsters, we tried some of the other local food.  One morning we had popovers for breakfast, courtesy of a local nonprofit organization.  They offer popovers and beverages every morning for a free will donation.  The money is used to provide meals to low income individuals during the winter months.  Theresa enjoyed Maine blueberry pie.  We tried whoopie pies.  Then there was the ice cream, which we sampled quite a bit of.  What we didn't get to do was any church dinners, which seem to occur every weekend.  We constantly passed signs along the road for a church lobster dinner or a pancake dinner.  Then there was the "books and blueberry sale" at one local library.  There is no shortage of food options to enjoy.

We'll be back

It was a great week full of beautiful sites, great hikes, and delicious food.  It is easy to see why so many people spend their summers there.  We'll be back!

Check out some of our trip photos here.