Acadia National Park - Campgrounds around SW Harbor?

[Artex]

I'm running the Mt. Desert Island marathon on October 16th (Columbus Day weekend), and was wondering if anyone could recommend a good campground near Southwest Harbor?

I'll also be doing some hiking during the weekend, and once I iron out more details I'll post them under the trip page if anyone else wants to come along.

 

[bubba]

On the way to SW Harbor, a decent place is Somes Sound View Campground. They have a quarry and camp sites right on the water of the sound. Nice facilities, and very acceptable selection of sites.

Look here - the ride is great over to the sound.. always see plenty of wildlife on the way.

 

[Rivet]

I am tent camping at Quietside campgrounds next month. Never been there, but looks ok from pictures.

Are there any good places to eat in that area (SW Harbor) or are you better off going to Bar Harbor?

 

[Waumbek]

Somes Sound

I've stayed in a rental house next to the quarry at Somes Sound not the campground but I second the location. It is beautiful there. Somes Sound, by the way, is the only fjord in America (or so I read). A fjord is determined by water depth and height of surrounding cliffs.

 

[Artex]

I've stayed in a rental house next to the quarry at Somes Sound not the campground but I second the location. It is beautiful there. Somes Sound, by the way, is the only fjord in America (or so I read). A fjord is determined by water depth and height of surrounding cliffs.

More specifically, Somes Sound is the only fjord on the east coast. It's beautiful. Everytime I drive by it, I curse myself for not bringing my kayak along.

Rivet - there are places to eat in the area, but not as many Bar Harbor.

Bubba - thanks, I'll check them out!

 

[king tut]

somes sound cg is nice. There is also one near echo lake, i think that is called smuggler's den, from what i remember. It is pretty nice as well, but it doesn't have the views or the quarry that somes sound has. Seawall is only 5 or 10 minutes from sw harbor, that is the state park cg, it is nice, and there is also the natural seawall across the road. the only drawback is they don't have showers there. There are a couple eateries in sw harbor. I normally eat at a pizza place that also has subs, which is in the middle of the town just off the main road. There is also a pier in sw harbor that does seafood. If you're looking for a restaurant, there is a nice place in bass harbor called seafood ketch. One other option is you can buy lobster right next door to the restaurant and boil it at the cg.

 

[BorealChickadee]

Seawall Campground my number one choice as I stay there every year-drive up sites or walk in sites. We prefer the walk in sites just for the privacy and quieter for a two week stay. Cheaper also. Easy biking distance to Southwest Harbor

Bass Harbor Campground at the entrance to Bass Harbor Light Road about three miles down the road from Seawall-tents are set up on the ground-showers and laundry on the premises

Quietside Campground-a few more miles away -most sites have tent platforms-showers and laundry on the premises

Eating- My all time favorite for quick cheap food is Mainely Delights a little place in Bass Harbor-just follow the blue state signs for the ferry as it's right across the road-good seafood, burgers etc but the specials are always the better homemade items.

While in Southwest Harbor ask to see the photos in the market. A Stephen King movie was filmed in SW Harbor and it's pretty neat to see the photos of fake blizzards etc.

XYZ Restaurant(I'm not kidding) is on Shore Road between Seawall and the Southwest Harbor town proper and is supposed to have fabulous genuine Mexican food, not the Americanized version. Pricier but got top reviews from NYTimes and Boston Globe. Just hasn't fit in my budget yet.

 

[Artex]

Someone mentioned a marathon in my *Trips & Events* thread for the following weekend. Do you know of multiple event weekends? I am trying to plan a trip with dates that won't result in overcrowding. Can you comment on the crowd volume your event will draw?

Does King Tut have a date that Somes Sound campground closes? I did not see one in the link.

Close to 500 people have registered for the marathon so far, and the maximum number of applicants is 1000. I'd guess it'll reach close to that number. In addition, given that it's also Colombus Day Weekend, I suspect more tourists than normal will be visiting the island.

I'm going to contact Somes Sound campground in the next few days to see when they close, and will be happy to relay the information. I'd like to get reservations taken care of soon, for the reasons I've stated.

 

[king tut]

check that out http://www.acadiainfo.com/ssview.htm

that's for somes sound view cg. It is a nice cg, but i don't believe it has been maintained all that great lately, the property has been on the market for a while.

For value and upkeep, i would recommend smuggler's den or seawall first.

if everything else is closed, blackwoods is always open.

 

[Artex]

It looks like Seawall and Bass Harbor are closed Columbus Day weekend. I just e-mailed Quietside to see if they'll be open.

Thanks for the continuing suggestions.

 

[bubba]

Columbus Day is also CDN Thanksgiving -- I'm surprised that some of the places are closed, as I would assume that crowds would be coming in for a last harrah! My group considers Columbus Day the end of summer!!

I was going to suggest a lobster pot supper at several roadside stands, a treat that we enjoy, but I'm guessing that the lateness of the season may be against you in this regard also. Boreal seems to have a gtrip on the action.

So what's the guess on water temperature that time of year... I don't think it gets above 55degrees in high temp... well maybe in this summer from hell it really has.

 

[king tut]

A couple of days ago the maine water got above 60! I spent a good amount of time in the ocean today, and it was good, but not quite warm. It has warmed up quite a bit in the last week. The maine ponds feel like bathwater right now, so the ocean is a good option to cool down.

just did a quick internet search, check this out http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/natl.html

 

[BorealChickadee]

Food: How could I forget Rosalie's for the best darn pizza on the east coast.(cut me some slack on this one guys, I just know it is REALLY good)

Roaslie's is in Bar Harbor on Cottage Street maybe a block from the main street "downtown"

 

[bubba]

Wait a minute -- pizza on MDI is like a sub/hoagy anywhere else... last time I was there I went out with locals and they order the darnest pizza - bunch of luncheon meat and lettuce, tomatoes.. a wierd experience...

'round here it's cheese and pepperoni on a fairly chewy, thick crust (well, maybe Bflo wing pizza, too...)

 

[Artex]

Thanks again for all the suggestions. I've made reservations at Quietside. They normally officially close just prior to Columbus Day Weekend, but said they'd let me stay there anyway. Obviously, very nice people. I'm looking forward to it.