Acadia National Park, 6-27 to 6-28

[Artex]

Yam and I took an impromptu trip up to Acadia National Park these past two days. We climbed Acadia and Cadillac Mountains, and also tooled around the park to soak in the views.

Trip report and a bunch of pictures are up on my website. Click here for a direct link!

 

[king tut]

nice pics! i did both of those hikes earlier this spring, i really like the west face trail up cadillac. i hiked the first 1/2 of that w/ a coffee in one hand and used the other one to scramble up and around the ledges. made it a bit more challenging. if you haven't yet, i would recommend the climbs up the beehive and the precipice trail as well.

 

[Pennsy]

Great pics! I'm jealous. I love the trails in Acadia and now I want to go back. It figures that you would find something steep to hike. The West Face is a darn good buttkicker for that first mile. I did it in the rain so I put the coffee cup down.

 

[yam]

it was a great trip and the weather turned out to be wonderful (although a might-bit humid). i loved the hike up Cadillac, i was pleasantly surprised by it.
my first trip to acadia. will definately return.

working on the pics now.

 

[sapblatt]

Wow

Jamie and Yam -

Nice trip...I am very jealous that the two of you got to keep on hiking after the weekend...I had to work! Very nice pics...one of my favorite places. The picture of Yam coming up Acadia looks exactly as how I remember lots of Acadia looking...a great mix of scenery and a very special place.

 

[yam]

'k.
here's my photos:
Acadia photos

 

[HighHorse]

those are great photos. bar harbor & the whole area is beautiful.

 

[KenC]

Ahhh Acadia!!! I've been going there for the past 20+ years and never tire of the unique hiking opportunities there. There is just something special about the area, being able to be above the trees with great views for so long, the ponds and lakes, the great variety of trails, forests, and terrain. They certainly aren't the highest but are certainly one of may favorite places.

Nice photos from what sounds and looks like a great time!!

 

[Artex]

I have never been there and I would like to go sometime. However, I would like to avoid the crowds.

Can anyone suggest a good time of the year to go and why?

I would most likely go on a weekend, but I am toying with the idea of using a few vacation days.

Does inexpensive loding exist in the area?

I'm sure there are campgrounds, but I was thinking of a hostel or a basic room at a post-season price.

Acadia does theoretically get a ton of traffic, but most of the tourists stick to the easy stuff like Cadillac (there's an auto-road), the carriage roads, and the neighboring town of Bar Harbor. I've only been there three times, but never had problems finding solitude, even during a weekend at the height of tourist season. But if crowds are still a concern, September is a good time. If you can swing mid-week like Yam and I did, you'll also avoid people. We were both amazed at how minimal the tourists were.

There are several campgrounds on the island, both private and park run. Expect to pay ~$20-25 a night for the private ones, but be warned, many of them cram the campsites very close together. I won't speak for the park ones though, since I've never stayed at those. Goodl luck!

 

[sapblatt]

Acadia

Hi Cantdog-

I have always loved late August and September at Acadia...crowds are less and prices go down a bit after Labor Day. My wife and I stayed at these cottages...they are very reasonable:

Rose Eden Cottages

Also, the National Park Campgrounds are nice.

 

[king tut]

i always like to go in may and early june to avoid the crowds and september and october is nice too. there are plenty of campgrounds on the island, so you can normally get a site even in july and august. there are 2 nat'l park campgrounds, one at blackwoods(reservations) and one at seawall, which is 1st come 1st serve. Seawall is on the quiet western side of the island and it has a natural seawall of rocks that you can walk on and watch the tide come in. I wouldn't go in july and august and look for affordable housing/hotels, it will be busy and expensive then. if anyone is taking route 1 up to the island, i would also suggest a stop in camden, which is where i live. it is about an hour and a half from bar harbor, and we have about 5 different hikes w/ ocean views in the camden hills area, a lot like acadia. there is also the camden hills park off rte one to camp at, which is a nice campground.

 

[Abster]

Yam and Artex - looks like a great trip! I have heard a lot about the park, but have never been there. I was surprised by your pictures that it is as beautiful and unique as everyone says! How were the bugs? I am going to have to plan a trip there soon.....!

 

[KenC]

If your looking to "Camp" the best place on the island (IMHO) is the Mt Desert Campground at the tip/origin of Somes Sound. Great sites, tenting oriented. They allow no RV over 20' which is awfull small and there are only a handfull of sites they can use. Its right on the sound with many waterfront sites. You can launch a kayak or canoe and explore Somes Sound they rent also. The Craighead Family that has run the CG are great people and run a very clean campground. We've been going there for 20+ years.

http://www.mountdesertcampground.com/

 

[lumberzac]

You mean Acadia NP is near the ocean. I went there on a family vacation when I was about 10 years old and it was so foggy the 3 days we were in and around the park we never saw the water. Great pictures.

 

[MrAmeche]

Beautiful pictures, Artex. My fiance and I are going to Acadia for the second half of our honeymoon, during the second week of October (Moosehead Lake will be the first half). Can anyone recommend any affordable but nice lodging near the park? (She's not the outdoor camping type, but loves to hike.) Thanks!

 

[Silverback]

Thinking about going up that way this summer. Been a long time since I was there last. Did a little biking, but no hiking. How long a hike is Cadillac Mtn?

 

[DougPaul]

How long a hike is Cadillac Mtn?

It has been a while, but pretty short. Under 2mi? The summit is 1528 ft, so vertical isn't too bad either.

Acadia has lots of small mountains close together. To make a full day of it we used to start at Blackwoods camground, head up toward Cadillac, turn east down Canon Brk (tr name?, nice slot canyon), up Dorr, up Cadillac, head S, pop over to Pemetic, and back to Blackwoods.

Up Precipice Tr to Champlain, S to the Behive and down is a classic (subject to spring peregrine falcon closings). Flying Mtn, overlooking Somes Sound is small, but spectacular. And lots more.

Most fog in the early summer (warm land, cool seas) and less in late summer and early fall (warmer seas).

Doug

 

[Artex]

Thinking about going up that way this summer. Been a long time since I was there last. Did a little biking, but no hiking. How long a hike is Cadillac Mtn?

Via the West Ridge trail, it was around 2 miles, one-way, but is one of the steepest up. There are several other routes of varying difficulty and lengths. Some, but not all of them, are listed on their website. Click here for a link. You can get a free map at the ranger station that lists the other routes. Perhaps they exist somewhere online, but I couldn't find them.

 

[Papa Bear]

Yam and I took an impromptu trip up to Acadia National Park these past two days. We climbed Acadia and Cadillac Mountains, and also tooled around the park to soak in the views.

Did you get a view of Katahdin from the Top of Cadillac? It's cool when you can see it.

 

[Artex]

Did you get a view of Katahdin from the Top of Cadillac? It's cool when you can see it.

Unfortunately, no. Too hazy. Though I plan on going back again at least once this summer, I'll also be there again in mid-October to run the Mt. Desert Island marathon. Less chance of haze then, especially if a cold front rolls through prior to the race!