Acadia - Part 1

July 25 - 30, 2017

Acadia!  What a wonderful national park!  We planned a 1-week stay, then reluctantly left after 17 nights.  The park lies on Mount Desert Island and is surrounded by the town of Bar Harbor and numerous "villages" incorporated as the Town of Mount Desert Island.  We stayed on a mooring in the city marina of the village of Northeast Harbor.  The small town is a short walk from the harbor and has several blocks of nice shops and restaurants.

Northeast Harbor, ME

This small Maritime Museum was worth a visit.  The current exhibit features sketches by several local artists from the early 1900s, providing a very personal view of life on the island in times past.

The Great Harbor Maritime Museum, Northeast Harbor ME

Northeast Harbor is less touristy than the other villages with more private homes than rentals.  Many residents appear to come for the short summer season, but a few hardy souls stay year round.  The locals like to joke that they had a glorious summer; this year it fell on Wednesday.

Northeast Harbor, ME

Indeed, we have been bundled up mornings and evenings in fleece jackets and long pants.  Some days are beautiful with highs in the 70s, but many days never get above the low 60s.  Cruising days have been especially brisk, requiring layers of warm clothes and wind breakers to stay comfortable on deck.

Northeast Harbor, ME

Acadia is all about hiking to see the beautiful woods and rocky shoreline, so we sampled a variety of trails.  A nice feature of Acadia is the park is very accessible with numerous short trails intersecting roads, allowing shorter or longer hikes and varying levels of difficulty.  Our first hike began with a well-traveled path.

Jordan Pond Trail, Acadia

Soon we were on rocky paths with lots of tree roots, requiring careful placement of each step.

Triad Trail, Acadia

Steeper stretches were mostly improved with stone steps.

Triad Trail, Acadia

Rock piles, called cairns, point the way over exposed rocky areas where the path is not obvious.

Triad Trail, Acadia

After a steady uphill climb, we descend to a lovely trail along Hunter's Brook.  We expected a smooth path along the brook but that was not to be.  Instead we made numerous crossings of the brook, stepping from boulder to boulder.

Hunters Brook Trail, Acadia

Today we saw few other hikers and enjoyed cool, shady trails and beautiful scenery.

Hunters Brook Trail, Acadia

Back on board in Northeast Harbor, we enjoy a lovely sunset.

Northeast Harbor, ME

We spent a rainy, cold day going to Bar Harbor to do some shopping.  Bar Harbor is closest to the main park entrance with the most places to stay.  It is busy and touristy but also offers a nice grocery store and pharmacy, among other basic services.  The Village Green is the hub of the main tourist district and is unusually quiet on this dreary day.
 

Village Green, Bar Harbor ME

Acadia National Park operates a shuttle bus system serving all the towns and villages surrounding the park.  Funded by grants and retailer L. L. Bean (headquartered in Freeport, Maine), the shuttle is free and extremely convenient for getting to town and to many trail heads throughout the park.

Village Green, Explorer Bus

Here's the main drag on a nicer day.  Lots of shops and some very good restaurants are found here.

Bar Harbor ME

Agamont park fronts on Frenchman Bay and the main harbor.  Cruise ships dock here often, another good reason to stay in Northeast Harbor.

Agamont Park, Bar Harbor ME

Today we used our marina's launch service for transportation from Sauvy B to a dock in our harbor leading to Thuya Garden.  A short hike up the hill overlooking Northeast Harbor offered lovely views.  The garden lies at the top of this hillside.

Northeast Harbor, ME

This little guy posed for a photo on the way up the trail.

Squirrel

Thuya Garden is part of a summer home completed in 1916.  The garden was conceived in 1933 but not installed until 1956.  It first opened for public viewing in 1962.  The home is also open for tours and includes an extensive library featuring many botanical references, in addition to general topics.

Thuya Garden entrance gate

Designed as an English-style garden and funded by a trust established by an early benefactor, today the garden features formal lawns, sculpture, and large beds of perennials and annuals.

Thuya Garden, Mount Desert ME

The beds are beautifully maintained with lots of seasonal color.

Thuya Garden - Dahlias

Thuya Garden - Hydrangeas

Thuya Garden, Mount Desert ME

Parts of the garden have an Asian feel.

Thuya Garden, Mount Desert ME

Thuya Garden, Mount Desert ME

Thuya Garden - Penstemon

The dogwood are blooming now (late July) - gives an indication of the climate here.  (Dogwood blooms in early spring in the south.)

Thuya Garden - Dogwood

The garden includes some lovely shaded areas filled with a variety of greenery.

Thuya Garden - Ferns

Thuya Garden - Lilies

Thuya Garden - Delphinium

Trails lead from the garden across wooded areas owned by the Garden's trust, connecting to Acadia Park trails.

Eliot Mountain Trail, Land & Garden Preserve

We head toward a nearby "peak" (not very high by Colorado standards) toward Acadia, stopping for lunch near the summit.

Eliot Mountain Trail, Land & Garden Preserve

Soon the trail intersects Acadia park trails and the trail conditions improve.

Jordan Pond Path, Acadia

Jordan Pond Path, Acadia

Our trail ends at Jordan Pond House, a lovely setting for tea (wine / beer) and popovers, their specialty.

Jordan Pond House, Acadia

We catch our shuttle bus in front of Jordan Pond House and are soon back at Northeast Harbor and a ride on the launch to our boat.

Northeast Harbor, ME