Our first full day on Mt. Desert Island was wonderful. We started at the Acadia NP Hulls Cove Visitor Center and then hit Cadillac Mountain Summit with a timed entry pass. If you’re going to Acadia and want to drive Cadillac Mountain, make sure you go to Recreation.gov to get a timed entry for the drive. It’s like Glacier and the Going to the Sun road, you can get into the park without a timed entry but you can’t get on the road unless you have a pass. We got one for the daytime and then another for the next day so we could do sunrise. This time of year, as you can imagine, is brilliant. The leaves are vibrant and the mountains are covered with color and it’s really breathtaking. There’s a short hike around the summit and the views are amazing. There are so many small islands and a 360 view and it’s a must-see! From the summit, we drove back through the park a bit and then ventured over to the south west side of the island to explore Northeast Harbor, Southwest Harbor, Bass Harbor Light Station and some of the ponds/lakes that are less crowded. Northwest Harbor was incredibly charming….small town, a few choice amazing shops (The Kimball Store)and a darling harbor with ferries that take you to the Cranberry Islands. Southwest Harbor is also a cute little town and I highly recommend venturing around the island itself and not spending all your time in Bar Harbor.
Sunset at Oceanside KOA, Bar Harbor
The next day we had a sunrise Cadillac Mountain pass which allowed us to hit the summit at 6:00am to watch the sunrise. Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on the eastern seaboard so if you’re on top, you are the first to see the sun on that day! We got there in the dark (with a full moon to the west) and watched the east to see the sun make its way up! It was cold (34 ish…) but heavenly…really. What a way to start the day….
After the sunrise, we hit Jordans Restaurant in Bar Harbor for breakfast (thanks for the recommendation Annie) and then went back to ZsaZsa for a nap! Then we wandered back into the park to try to hike either Jordans Pond or the Beehive hike which we had read about but were kind of nervous to do. It was only 1.5 miles but the first part was pretty much straight up (450 feet) on rock with rungs and ladders to hold onto and ledges to maneuver. We scored a parking place at Sand Beach (which is a feat itself) and took that as a sign from the universe that we needed to try the Beehive Loop. Although sketchy at times, and demanding on your thighs and knees, it was a fun hike and one that reminded you that you really should “do something every day that scares you!” Here are some highlights:
And to cap off the day….we watched the sun SET at our campsite. Full circle day….How lucky are we?
A few last minute pics summarizing a great stop!
