Andrew
Active member
Last weekend Lindsay and I were at Acadia and parked on the Shore Rd. south of Bar Harbor and crossed over to the (closed) park loop road on Murphey's Lane. North up the loop road brought us to the Black & Orange Tr. This trail was formerly known as the East Face Trail, note that many trail names are being changed back to the original trail names, mostly prior to the formation of the national park. Climbed up to the junction with the connector trail (name?)that brings you up to the Champlain North Face Trail (formerly Bear Brook Tr.), in order to view and enjoy the fine stonework of the amphitheater bench and steps up through the boulder cleft. Up the connector trail and up to the summit of Champlain on the North Face Tr.
Decided to continue down the ridge on the Champlain South Ridge Tr. to The Bowl, a beautiful mountain beaver pond surrounded by smooth sloped ledges. We continued carfeully down the Bowl Tr. through knee deep troughs of piles of dry Beech leaves, to soon be surprised by the sound of croaking Wood Frogs as we approached and skirted Kief Pond. Down to the loop road and north to the connector road to the Shore Rd. A short distance back towards the car brought us to a newly reimproved (officially reopened) section of the Shore Path that paralells the west side of the Shore Road all the way back to Bar Harbor. We enjoyed this alternative to get back to the car instead of having to walk on the pavement.
The only sections of ice & snow were found on the North Face Tr. in very short patches.
The next day my nephew wanted to show us the sea caves below Cadillac Cliffs on Gorham Mountain. This appears to be a local favorite as an early melt off with easy access and pleasant terrain, as apparent by the crowds that all seemed to know my brother and nephew's well.
We followed the extremely scenic limited open section of the park loop road between the Shore Rd. and the Otter Cliffs Rd, to the Gorham Mt. trailhead parking area. After following the Gorham Mt Trail .02 mi, we diverted under Cadillac Cliffs and checked out the unique sea caves. We were able to fit 2 adults and 2 kids in the low cave at once while barely keeping up on hands and knees. A short steep climb up cut steps returned us to the main trail, which followed along the ledges with open views out to the ocean all the way to the 'summit'. On the return trip we stayed atop Cadillac Cliffs and enjoyed the stroll along the Granite 'sidewalks' & finely crafted stone steps that continue to keep Acadia as one of my favorite destinations.
We encountered no snow or packed out ice anywhere on Gorham Mountain. I had planned these hikes to be generally seaside or south oriented in order to find snow/ice free conditions, although much of the park does has lingering ice and snow that was visible on shady slopes and interior sections. You also have to account for extensive road closures for accessing many locations, so check with the park and much will soon be reopening.
Decided to continue down the ridge on the Champlain South Ridge Tr. to The Bowl, a beautiful mountain beaver pond surrounded by smooth sloped ledges. We continued carfeully down the Bowl Tr. through knee deep troughs of piles of dry Beech leaves, to soon be surprised by the sound of croaking Wood Frogs as we approached and skirted Kief Pond. Down to the loop road and north to the connector road to the Shore Rd. A short distance back towards the car brought us to a newly reimproved (officially reopened) section of the Shore Path that paralells the west side of the Shore Road all the way back to Bar Harbor. We enjoyed this alternative to get back to the car instead of having to walk on the pavement.
The only sections of ice & snow were found on the North Face Tr. in very short patches.
The next day my nephew wanted to show us the sea caves below Cadillac Cliffs on Gorham Mountain. This appears to be a local favorite as an early melt off with easy access and pleasant terrain, as apparent by the crowds that all seemed to know my brother and nephew's well.
We followed the extremely scenic limited open section of the park loop road between the Shore Rd. and the Otter Cliffs Rd, to the Gorham Mt. trailhead parking area. After following the Gorham Mt Trail .02 mi, we diverted under Cadillac Cliffs and checked out the unique sea caves. We were able to fit 2 adults and 2 kids in the low cave at once while barely keeping up on hands and knees. A short steep climb up cut steps returned us to the main trail, which followed along the ledges with open views out to the ocean all the way to the 'summit'. On the return trip we stayed atop Cadillac Cliffs and enjoyed the stroll along the Granite 'sidewalks' & finely crafted stone steps that continue to keep Acadia as one of my favorite destinations.
We encountered no snow or packed out ice anywhere on Gorham Mountain. I had planned these hikes to be generally seaside or south oriented in order to find snow/ice free conditions, although much of the park does has lingering ice and snow that was visible on shady slopes and interior sections. You also have to account for extensive road closures for accessing many locations, so check with the park and much will soon be reopening.
