T’s Top 5 things to do in Acadia National Park

1. Duck Harbor Campground: The ideal campground.  Quiet and secluded, with amazing views and hikes nearby.  We were there for 3 nights, the maximum allowed.  Staying here allowed us to explore Isle au Haut and was my favorite part of our Acadia trip.
2. The Beehive Trail: My favorite hike we did.  I’ve never done one before that had me climbing iron rungs up a cliff.  It was exhilarating, and a fun feature to climb on the rocks with.  It’s not a long hike, but it’ll be an experience that we’ll remember forever.
3. Bar Harbor: One thing we love doing is trying out different restaurants while vacationing.  Bar Harbor allowed us to do that – there were tons of places to indulge the foodie in us.  And I really enjoyed going to Atlantic Brewing Company to get a tasting of their beers.
4. Duck Harbor Mountain Trail: This great hike is right next to Duck Harbor Campground.  If you take the full loop, which you should, it goes up the mountain for great views of the harbor, then down and around the coastline for great beaches and forests.  It goes through a variety of different environments, and special nooks and crannies.
5. Stonington: This town is what comes to mind when I think about small-town Maine.  Lobster boats, docks, quiet, and peaceful.  It was really fun to explore the town, and made a great basecamp for catching the mail boat to Isle au Haut.

K’s Top 5 things to do in Acadia National Park

1. Pemetic Mountain Hike: I was impressed with the views and terrain on this hike. And summer in Maine made it perfect. As a bonus, you can start your journey from Jordan Pond House.
2. Squeaker Cove: This is a small rocky beach on Isle au Haut. I loved the whole experience at IAH, but Squeaker Cove is a standout. It was so peaceful and secluded. If I think back, I can still hear the sound of the rocks getting jostled by the waves, and feel the cool ocean breeze.
3. Stonington: A quintessential Maine town. I loved seeing the boats, the dock, and the lobster traps. I loved staying in a well thought-out room that was the size of a postage stamp. If you go, grab some local seafood while enjoying a harbor view!
4. Bar Harbor Sandbar: I loved the town of Bar Harbor, with its parks, ocean views, and shops. But the coolest part was walking through town at different times of day and being able to access the island during low tide. After all, that’s what gave BH its name.
5. Unique hikes: I haven’t seen iron obstacles anywhere else (though I’m sure they exist) and it’s such a fun feature. It’s like being a kid again!

Things we wish we did (“Things to do next time”)

• Precipice Trail and Jordan Cliffs Trail – The “sister” hikes to the Beehive and Beech Cliff Trails that also have iron rungs.  Both were closed due to Peregrine Falcon nesting, which happens annually in the summer.
• Schoodic Woods Campground – The only campground in Acadia we didn’t visit!  We only planned for one partial day in Schoodic.  If we had more time, we would have spent a couple days there.
• Cadillac Mountain at Sunrise – We actually did go up to Cadillac Mountain, but in the early afternoon.  The views would have been nice, if it weren’t for all the people.  Because of that, we wouldn’t recommend going there unless it was for sunrise or hiking a trail to the top.
• Biking the carriage roads – We weren’t very interested in this before our visit.  Once there, we really wished we had been able to go biking.

Our Acadia Tips

• If you go to Duck Harbor Campground, stay for the maximum of 3 nights so you have enough time to explore.
• Stay in Loop A or B in Seawall Campground.
• Despite its size, Blackwoods Campground is a great place to stay if you want to see all of Acadia’s main sites on Mt. Desert Island.
• Some trails close during Peregrine Falcon nesting from March through August.  Visit at another time, if possible.
• Enjoy the unique towns that surround the park.
• Check out a Ranger Program.  We went to an interesting Stargazing Program at Sand Beach.  The rangers told tales about the stars based on Native American stories, and gave other historical background about the constellations.
• If you only have a few days and haven’t been to Acadia before, stick to Mt. Desert Island.  If you have a week, add a visit to Isle au Haut and Duck Harbor.  If you have more time, check out Schoodic Peninsula.
• If you have to skip something, skip Schoodic.  We highly recommend Mt. Desert Island and Isle au Haut.

Map of Everything We Did in Acadia

The post Our Favorite Spots and Visiting Tips appeared first on KTNPBlog.

One of the park rangers suggested this hike since we’d be staying on the island for 3 nights, and might have time to hike it. We handed her our printed Isle au Haut map, and she drew it in for us. The end point of the trail was the titular Thunder Gulch, a narrow ravine on the south coast of the peninsula. It’s so named because of the sound of the waves crashing into the gulch at high tides sounds like Thunder. It’s similar to Thunder Hole on Mount Desert Island, which we visited while walking along Ocean Path trail.

To the Trailhead

The trailhead is located on the Eastern Head peninsula, on the southeast coast of Isle au Haut. We knew we wanted to hike it, but also knew that it’s a long way from the campground to the trailhead, mainly along the unpaved Main Road. The road leads out of the park through a rural residential area, and eventually you’ll turn right down another road onto Eastern Head Peninsula where the trailhead is located. You’ll get back onto National Park land shortly after passing through some privately-owned land.

Knowing we had a long hike ahead of us, we left as early as we could and started hiking the road to the trailhead. Not surprisingly, the road is not an interesting hike. Fortunately for us, when we were approaching the main road, a pick-up truck pulled up beside us. It was two of our park ranger buddies, who asked if we wanted a ride to the trailhead! K and I looked at each other, unsure if we should skip the experience of hiking the road. Thankfully, we said yes, and piled into the back of the pick-up. It was great luck, and we saved a lot of time.

We knew we were getting close when we passed a very homemade-looking parking sign for Thunder Gulch. We drove past a few quaint private residences, and soon we were delivered right to the trailhead – which had another unique sign directing us to the trail (see featured photo). We waved our goodbyes, thanked the rangers, and headed to the trail.

Thunder Gulch Trail

The opening view from the trailhead is pretty spectacular, with a great cove next to it. As we started hiking, we left the ocean behind and starting hiking inland, through the middle of the peninsula. There were downed trees everywhere, and the existing trees struggle to get very tall due to the wind. Compared to other places we went on the island, Eastern Head is more exposed with some wide open spaces. It made for a nice change of pace.

The trail is fairly well marked, and there are some blazes, but it’s not as easy to follow as other trails on the island. There are also a couple side paths which we explored – we didn’t find anything amazing though, typically just a path to the coast. We expected to not run into anyone else on this hike, but we ran into two other groups. They weren’t staying at the campground, so they must have been locals or staying somewhere else on the island.

It wasn’t long before we reached the coast, and Thunder Gulch. It wasn’t high tide, it was somewhere between low and high, but we hadn’t really thought about timing the tides. As a result, while there was a definite “thunder” to the waves, the sound wasn’t amazing. But altogether, the sound, ravine, coast, and hike were a great experience. We got as close to the ravine as we could, and scrambled around on nearby rocks, making sure to watch our footing.

After exploring the gulch, we went along the coast for a short walk. We climbed a huge boulder, and took a quick power nap on top of it. When we opened our eyes, a thick fog had rolled in. And – we think – it had only been 5 minutes! That was our cue to head back the way we came. It’s a quick hike, but once we got back to the Thunder Gulch trailhead, we had a long walk on Main Road back to the campground.

On the hike back, we also did a quick 1.1 mile loop of the Goat Trail, since I had heard there were some carnivorous plants and orchids there. We had seen some on the way to Isle au Haut Town, but what we found on the Goat Trail was better: there is a boardwalk to get you closer to the plants, which made for good photo ops. Closer to the campground, we also took a quick 0.7 mile hike on Eben’s Head Trail, the big rock outcropping in Duck Harbor. We were exhausted at this point, but this was our last day, so we wanted to see it. It was nice, but very windy on top of Eben’s Head.

Thunder Gulch is a very nice trail, and if you have the time, I would recommend it. There are better trails on the island, but it’s still very rewarding. Why is it not on any maps? We asked the park ranger when we boarded the mail boat to leave Isle au Haut. And the answer is simply because the trail is surrounded by a residential area. Keep that in mind if you decide to hike the trail. Be respectful of private property and leave no trace!

Thunder Gulch Trail
Distance: 1.8 miles / 2.9 kilometers roundtrip
Type: Out and back
Elevation Gain: 292 feet / 89 meters
Difficulty: Easy
Crowds: None.  We saw a few groups of people (surprisingly!), but it wasn’t crowded.
Water: Oceans, but we didn’t see any type of fresh water.
Parking: In Stonington, most likely
Directions to Trailhead From Duck Harbor Campground (Google Maps Directions):

• Mile 0.0 – First head east on the gravel service road that heads inland. You’ll pass the intersection with Western Head Road in 0.1 miles, then you’ll pass the water pump.
• Mile 0.4 – Turn right onto Main Road, and head southeast for 1.8 miles.
• Mile 2.2 – At this point, there is a small parking sign for Thunder Gulch. Turn right onto Head Harbor Road.
• Mile 2.4 – You’ve arrived! The trailhead will be on your right.

Trail Directions: 

• Mile 0.0 – Head south on the Thunder Gulch Trail. You’ll have the coast and a nice cove on your right. The first part of the hike goes through private property, so be respectful.
• Mile 0.4 – An optional side trail to the right goes to a rocky beach. Otherwise, continue on the main trail.
• Mile 0.9 – Arrive at Thunder Gulch! Enjoy, relax, and hear the waves crashing on the rocks, and then head back the same way you came.
• Mile 1.8 – Back at the trailhead, and time for the hike back to camp. Why not explore Goat Trail or Eben’s Head too?

Highlights: Views, rocky shorelines, windswept area, off the beaten path trail, the “thunder” from the gulch, different from other hikes on the island
Notes: The total mileage round-trip, with the trail and hiking from Duck Harbor, is around 6.6 miles.

Places:
Duck Harbor Campground | 44.028130, -68.652953
Thunder Gulch Trailhead | 44.022208, -68.616721
Thunder Gulch | 44.011720, -68.14373
Goat Trailhead | 44.023059, -68.632114
Eben’s Head Trailhead | 44.030190, -68.651430

References:
Thunder Gulch Trail Map (KTNPBlog)
Isle au Haut Map (KTNPBlog)
Isle au Haut Map (NPS)

The post Thunder Gulch Trail appeared first on KTNPBlog.

There are multiple ways to get to town (and by town, we mean to the Ranger Station there).  From the campground you can either follow the main road all the way to town (5.1 miles one way), or hike on the Duck Harbor Trail (4.2 miles one way).  Or, like we did, a combination of both!  The road is faster and easier, but the trail is more direct.  A park ranger had mentioned a bog area where we could see carnivorous plants along the Main Road, so we decided to see that, but otherwise stick to Duck Harbor Trail.  We saw a few cars, including the park rangers, drive through this section.  If you take Main Road, watch for cars – you might not expect them.

To return from Isle au Haut Town, you can hike the network of paths.  Or, as some other campers told us, you can also take the Isle au Haut Mailboat back to Duck Harbor for a discounted price (we don’t remember the exact price, but around $7/person).  Thinking this was a brilliant choice, this was what we had decided to do.  It’s the same boat that you take to get to Isle au Haut, but you’re only on it for the last leg from the town to Duck Harbor.  The only catch is that you have to get to the dock by a certain time to catch the boat, otherwise you’ll be hiking back.  The exact time depends on the day of the week, but for us it was 3:15 pm.  So that was our goal, to get there by then.  We started the hike around 12:30pm, so we’d have to hustle a bit.

We filled up our water supply at the ancient-looking pump (which we mentioned in our “Duck Harbor Campground” post). The water was very iron-rich, but improved a lot after we strained it through a bandanna. Once we filtered it, we continued on the fire road, then turned left onto Main Road.  This route took us around Duck Harbor for a nice view of Duck Harbor Landing, where we had arrived the day before.

After about 0.3 miles, we turned right onto Duck Harbor Trail.  This first part of the trail had a small bit of scrambling, and otherwise was a nice easy forested trail.  We reached an intersection with the Main Road again after 0.8 miles.  Duck Harbor Trail and Main Road intersect a few times as you go toward town.  Since I was interested in seeing the pitcher plants in the bog, we turned right at this point to continue again onto Main Road.  We hiked in a pleasant wooded area with some clearings, which was nice even though it was a fire road.

When we got to the junction with Nat Merchant Trail after 1 mile, we started looking for pitcher plants. Before this trip, K had never seen a pitcher plant, but we got to see a lot of them here!  It’s basically a bulbous cone-shaped plant that tricks and eats insects.  The ones we saw came in neon green, deep red, or a mix of the two.  We saw glimpses of boggy areas that might have had some pitcher plants as we hiked, but we didn’t truly see them until we came to a wide open area.  It was a beautiful view of the bog, with dying trees surrounded by dark water and clusters of crimson red sundews (another carnivorous plant with sticky ‘leaves’).  And there, scattered around, were numerous flowering pitcher plants.

Be very careful if you try to look at the pitcher plants up close, as their environment is marshy and fragile.  I tried to examine these up close, but the surrounding footing wasn’t steady enough, and we are firm believers in “leave no trace.”  Additionally, there were small pink orchids growing in and near the bog.  The eastern half of the Goat Trail (also on Isle au Haut), has the best carnivorous plants that we saw on our trip.  The boardwalk made for easier (and safer!) photography.

After exploring the bog, we continued north on Main Road. After 1.3 miles, we turned back onto Duck Harbor Trail for more peaceful woods, and a few boardwalks.  We also saw some beautiful irises and other wildflowers.  There were several signs along the trail that marked the boundary of Acadia.  After 1.4 miles, we reached signs of civilization, and walked right into what looked like someone’s back yard; there was even a cozy-looking hammock set up.  As we walked closer, we realized it was the Isle au Haut Ranger Station.  Sadly, we reached the station at about 3:30 pm, so we had already missed the last mail boat back to Duck Harbor.  We’re always running late it seems!

The Ranger Station is a quaint building, and has information inside about the park.  Since we had befriended some of the rangers, we wanted to sop in and say hi.  Also, we were hoping they would offer us a lift back since we had missed the last mail boat…but no one was there.  So we grabbed an Isle au Haut passport stamp, then continued to Isle au Haut Town.  Beside the Ranger Station, there is also a pit toilet, which is a luxury when you’re hiking.

Our next stop was the Island Store, the island’s only general store.  As we walked the 0.4 miles from the Ranger Station, we passed by the town landing dock, and a small souvenir store, though we didn’t stop at either.  The Island Store sells basic groceries, hardware, and various other goods that residents on the island need or requested.  And of course, it was more expensive than on the mainland.  The best thing we found was called a Harbor Bar.  It appeared to be an ice cream-cookie sandwich covered in chocolate.  K coerced me into getting it, since she is allergic to dairy…

We sat out back on one of 2 picnic benches.  K ate her sandwich, and I ate my Harbor Bar (a healthy lunch).  The weather was gorgeous, and we had a view of the Isle au Haut Thorofare (the body of water between Isle au Haut and Kimball Island).  There is even a small pier out back at the Island Store.  It was all very picturesque, and a great spot to take a break and eat lunch…or ice cream.

We hiked back to the Ranger station to use the bathroom before heading back to Duck Harbor.  But when we arrived, all 3 Isle au Haut park rangers were there.  So we chatted with them for a bit, they were all friendly and offered information, stories, and even Oreos… mmmm.  And there’s no dairy in those!  Sadly, we didn’t get any offer for a ride back to camp, so it was another hike for us.

We started to head back to the campground, but took the route opposite the way we came, again using a mix of Duck Harbor Trail and Main Road.  This kept things interesting, and limited the amount of revisited trail.  The rangers had mentioned to look out for the local “food truck,” which we were told is referred to as the Lobster Lady.  Sadly, she wouldn’t arrive until the following week.  We did snap a photo of the Lobster shack, though.  Someday we’d love to try this iconic Maine – remote island – “food truck” destination.

Initially we started on the Main Road, before switching to the Duck Harbor Trail at the first intersection.  Here, the trail went along the coast and some rocky beaches, which was a nice change from the trail or road we’d been on.  A side trail also leads down to Deep Cove, but we skipped it since it was getting late.  The trail started to feel a bit long at the end (we were getting tired); the road was monotonous, and the terrain along the trail became fairly similar as we neared the end.

Before long, we arrived back at our campsite, exhausted.  The hike was a lot of fun, and it was great to see a variety of plant life and Isle au Haut Town. But we really wished we had been able to take the mail boat back, and we recommend that for others doing this hike.

Isle au Haut Town via Duck Harbor Trail
Distance: 7.0 miles / 11.3 kilometers roundtrip
Type: Out and Back
Total Elevation Gain: 1155 feet / 352 meters
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate.  The only difficulty is the length.
Crowds: We encountered a couple cars on the Main Road, but saw no people on the trail.
Water: There’s some marshy areas and the ocean, and a couple small streams.
Parking: In Stonington, most likely
Directions to Trailhead (Google Maps Directions):

• Mile 0.0 – First head east on the gravel service road that heads inland. You’ll pass the intersection with the Western Head road in 0.1 miles, and the water pump a bit further.
• Mile 0.4 – Once you reach the intersection with the gravel Main Road, turn left, and go for 0.3 miles northwest.
• Mile 0.7 – The trailhead for Duck Harbor is on the right side of the Main Road.

Trail Directions (via Duck Harbor Trail): 

• Mile 0.0 – The actual “trail head” is here on the right side of the road.  The first part of the trail goes up and down and features a small bit of scrambling.
• Mile 0.8 – You’ll arrive at the intersection with the Main Road again.  Continue straight across (or go on the road, if you’re feeling like it).  This part of the trail goes near the coast, so you’ll be hiking through woods and also rocky beaches.
• Mile 1.0 – To the left, is an optional side trail to Deep Cove, if you have time.
• Mile 2.1 – Once again, an intersection with the Main Road.  Continue straight across, for the last leg of the hike.  This one goes through a few marshy areas so there’s some board walks, but is otherwise fairly straightforward (and a bit monotonous at this point).
• Mile 3.5 – You’ve arrived at the Isle au Haut Ranger Station!  Stop in and say hi, and then check out the town.  Then go back the way you came (or take the mail boat back.  Or hike on the Main Road back.)

Highlights:  Seeing the town and ranger station.  Carnivorous plants, if you’re a nerd like I am.
Notes: The directions are for using Duck Harbor Trail only, but as our post detailed feel free to make detours on the Main Road.

Places:
Duck Harbor Trailhead | 44.030184, -68.651364
Duck Harbor Campground | 44.028130, -68.652953
Isle au Haut Ranger Station | Acadia National Park, Isle Au Haut, ME 04645
The Island Store | 3 Main St, Isle Au Haut, ME 04645 | Hours vary depending on season | (207) 335-5211
Lobster Lady (Facebook) | Location varies on the island | She’s only there during the summer
Bog on Main Road | 44.042623, -68.634540

Maps:
Duck Harbor Trail Map (KTNPBlog)
Isle au Haut Map (KTNPBlog)
Isle au Haut Map (NPS)

The post Isle au Haut Town via Duck Harbor Trail appeared first on KTNPBlog.

Duck Harbor Mountain Trail

We had just arrived at the campground, and had only gotten settled in for an hour or so before we ventured out, but it was already early afternoon.  We wanted to experience as much as possible during our 4 days and 3 nights on Isle au Haut.  Heading east from the campground, we walked along a small trail that goes along the shore of Duck Harbor.  We ventured off-trail for a view of the harbor and rocky shoreline.  There we found lots of mussel shells, as well as a few crab shells.  The crab shells intrigued us, we wondered why there were so many.  Later, a park ranger told us that seagulls routinely drop live crabs on the rocks, feast on the crab, and leave the shell behind.  So you’ll find them scattered along the coastline.

Soon, we reached the Duck Harbor Mountain trailhead sign. The trail begins on a service road, and a pit toilet is conveniently located at the trailhead.  We turned right to continue on the service road, and immediately stumbled upon the log cutter for the campground.  We had been wondering where the machine was!  After 0.1 miles on the service road, we turned left into a wooded area to continue onto Duck Harbor Mountain Trail.

We started going uphill, over roots and rocks.  As we continued, the trail led out of the forest and onto huge exposed rocks.  Here, we relied on cairns to point the way up to the summit, which reminded us of our hike at Pemetic Mountain.  Hiking on the exposed rock soon gave us amazing views of Duck Harbor, and the surrounding area.  There are also some blue blazes that pointed us in the right direction.

Before long we reached a false summit, which provided great views of the harbor.  We actually thought we were at the top at this point, before noticing we could continue uphill.  We took a break anyway, enjoying the breeze and vistas.  The hike continued, going downhill briefly before ascending the mountain again with some cool rock scrambles.  Some of the rock features were a lot of fun to climb – this was a definite highlight of this hike.  When we saw a US geological survey marker, we knew we had reached the summit of Duck Harbor Mountain.  Interestingly, we preferred the views from the false summit.

The descent sent us scampering over rocks, passing through a narrow path between boulders, and into a pine forest, as we slowly hiked to the coast.  It wasn’t long until the Duck Harbor Mountain trail ended, and we reached Squeaker Cove, a beautiful rocky beach where we took a break and relaxed.  We felt the refreshing sea breeze, and enjoyed the sound of small rocks rolling around as the waves came in.  We think the cove was named for the “squeaky” sound the rocks made as they tumbled.  This was one of our favorite places on Isle au Haut; it felt very secluded and peaceful.  It was also fun to walk around the cove, and peek in some of the tide pools.

Eventually, we had to leave Squeaker Cove behind.  We turned right onto Goat Trail, which continues along the coast and eventually hits the access road we had started on.  If you’re looking for an easier hike back to the campground, you can take the access road.  As we came to the road, we met Alison, the park ranger who had met us at the dock, with one of the other rangers.  “I thought you were going to take it easy and relax today?” she said.  We laughed, since we had told the rangers that our plan for day 1 included lots of relaxing.  But we quickly realized how tough that is when you’re in such a beautiful place with so much to explore!  We waved goodbye as they drove on, and we continued onto the Cliff Trail.

The Cliff Trail ends at the southern end of the Western Head Peninsula.  Here, Western Head trail begins, heading north.  Western Ear Island is also at the southern end, separated from the peninsula only by a narrow sand bar.  At low tide, you can cross onto the island.  We were hoping to do just that, so we could explore the tiny island (there aren’t any trails there), but sadly we had arrived solidly at high tide.  So we just sat there, enjoyed the view and perfect sunny-but-breezy weather before continuing on.  If you happen to get to Western Ear Island, let us know how it is!

Soon we were on a boardwalk crossing a marshy area.  I was immediately on the lookout for some carnivorous plants; we didn’t see any, but we did see a small wood frog.  We also came upon various coves and beaches as we hiked.  Sadly, some were strewn with trash and buoys.  If you collect a certain number of buoys, you can earn a junior ranger badge.  It’s for kids (mostly), but the rangers offered it to us to if we collected bouys.  We found out too late, otherwise I would have!  The buoys are heavier than they look, so you might want to spread it out if you do choose to collect them (and help keep the beaches clean).  Every year a group travels to Isle au Haut to clean up the beaches and coves, but a lot of trash washes in the rest of the year.  It’s a bit disheartening, as some places have a lot of it.

As you cross the rocky beaches, there are cairns to guide the way.  It’s a bit of a hunt sometimes to determine which way to go.  After 1.5 miles on Western Head Trail, we joined back up with the access road, and continued 0.4 miles back to the trailhead.  We made it back to our campsite while it was still light out, which allowed us to see a gorgeous sunset as we ate dinner and relaxed in our hammock.  A great first hike on Isle au Haut!  And spoiler:  It was our favorite hike on Isle au Haut.

Duck Harbor Mountain Trail
Distance: 4.2 miles / 7.8 kilometers
Total Elevation Gain: 1102 feet / 335 meters
Difficulty: Moderate
Crowds: We saw only about 3 people on the whole trail.  5 counting park rangers.
Water: There’s the ocean… a few small streams you’ll step over, and some boggy areas.
Parking: In Stonington, most likely
Directions to Trailhead:  From Duck Harbor Campground, take the service road east for 0.1 miles until you reach an intersection
Trail Directions: 

• Mile 0.0 – At the intersection with the service road that cuts through Western Head, head south.  You’ll pass a wood cutter in a few hundred feet on your right.  If you look closely, you may see some sundews along the road.
• Mile 0.1 – Turn left onto Duck Harbor Mountain Trail.  You’ll go through a forest with rock scrambling and incline to reach the top of the mountain.  Along the way you’ll also get to a false summit, with great views.  Blue blazes and cairns will help you on your way.
• Mile 0.2 – Arrive at the “false summit” of the mountain.  See the views, then descend a bit before ascending toward the actual summit.
• Mile 0.4 – Arrive at the summit of Duck Harbor Mountain.  Views weren’t as great as those at the false summit, though.  Continue your descent, scrambling along the way as you go through mossy forests.
• Mile 1.2 – Arrive at Squeaker Cove, and enjoy the sights and sounds.  Then turn right onto the Goat Trail, which is relatively flat.
• Mile 1.5 – Continue straight onto the Cliff Trail.  You’ll see Western Head Road (the service road) on your right.
• Mile 2.3 – Reach the southernmost tip of Western Head Peninsula.  If it’s low tide, you can cross over to Western Ear Island and explore!  Head north on Western Head Trail to go across boardwalks and through a somewhat swampy area.  There are a lot of rocky beaches along this trail too.
• Mile 3.8 – Turn left onto the service road (Western Head Road), and continue north, eventually passing the trailhead for the Duck Harbor Mountain Trail.
• Mile 4.2 – Arrive back at the trailhead!

Highlights:  Amazing views of Duck Harbor, fun rock scrambling, and a diverse range of ecosystems
Notes: Our favorite hike on Isle au Haut!

Places:
Duck Harbor Campground | 44.028130, -68.652953
Duck Harbor Mountain Hike Trailhead | 44.028038, -68.651038
Squeaker Cove | 44.016180, -68.644663

Maps:
Duck Harbor Mountain Trail Map (KTNPBlog)
Isle au Haut Map (KTNPBlog)
Isle au Haut Map (NPS)

The post Duck Harbor Mountain Trail appeared first on KTNPBlog.

“Kill Nothing but Time…
Take Nothing but Pictures…
Leave Nothing but Tracks…”

– Anonymous (Posted on Duck Harbor Campground Shelters)

Exploring Duck Harbor Campground

Duck Harbor Campground sits within Acadia National Park, on an island called Isle au Haut.  To get there, you must take a small mail boat from the mainland.  In return, you get a secluded campground, great hiking, and an amazing experience.  Isle au Haut is not a place most visitors to Acadia go to.  Our boat trip to the island was uneventful, but exhilarating at the same time.  We disembarked from the boat with all our gear in tow.  We had thought about using our backpacking gear, but decided against it to give ourselves more flexibility.  Most of the departing campers we saw had backpacking backpacks, but our daypacks, duffels, and small cooler met our needs.

Our small, hard-sided cooler (which we purchased at Walmart) held some ice and fresh foods like veggies, hotdogs, and hummus.  Just in case, we brought a dehydrated meal too, but didn’t end up using it.  There’s no camp store here, so you have to pack everything in that you’d need (unless you want to hike 4 miles to the nearest general store).  Lastly, we brought minimal water, relying on the water pump near camp.

One of the park rangers, Allison, greeted us on the dock.  She explained the rules and proceeded to show us the campground.  There is always a ranger to greet visitors at the campground, rain or shine, at both the morning and afternoon boat drop-offs.  Allison and the other rangers were friendly and helpful, which was great since we ran into them often during our stay!

Duck Harbor Campground has 5 shelter sites, and two shared compostable pit toilets.  There was even hand sanitizer inside the bathrooms.  For day-visitors to Duck Harbor, there’s a third compostable bathroom near the trailhead to Duck Harbor Mountain.  Each campsite is equipped with a shelter, fire ring, and picnic table.  Each site also has a food storage box, since rodents have been known to get into food that’s not properly secured.  In addition, there is firewood available for campers, though you can also collect downed branches for tinder or get some pre-chopped wood at the wood chopping machine.  When we arrived, there was already firewood under our shelter for us.

There’s also an old hand water pump for getting potable water. It’s about a ⅓ mile hike from the campground. It looks ancient, like it won’t work or that the water would be nasty, but it’s fine.  The rangers told us that the water quality is checked every year to make sure it’s potable, though it does have a distinct taste of iron.  Iron Water would make a great new name for a brand of bottled water.  Or maybe not.

To improve your experience at the water pump, we recommend straining water through a bandanna and into your water bottle / jug / hand / mouth.  We found that worked to reduce sediment in the water, though it’ll still taste like iron and have a cloudy yellowish haze.  There are also many places the water can come out of – it’s kind of intriguingly confusing.  In the end, we pulled up on a knob, which filled a tank that released water out the bottom – your mileage may vary as to the best method to use the pump.  But that’s part of the fun

When it comes to the shelters, each one has a variety of shelving and hooks for storage, and a broom to sweep off the wooden floor.  Every shelter is different: some have better views, some have more privacy, some have more seating, etc.  On another blog, we had read that sites 4 or 5 had the best views, which we agree with, but each site has its charms.

Luckily, only one site was taken when arrived and we were the only ones on the mail boat… so we got our pick of sites 2 through 5!  The rest of the campers came on a later boat, which we attribute to a mail boat schedule change.  Allison, the park ranger, said we were also lucky to have gotten 3 nights since the campground was completely booked for the season.  By the way, reserving a campsite is a bit of a process.

How to Reserve a Camp Site

[04/05/18 Update: The National Park Service has changed how you reserve a campsite.  Out with mailing a letter, and in with online reservations through recreation.gov.  I actually got an email from the park about the reservation change since I had previously made reservations.  So this section is out-of-date, but I’m leaving it here for reference.  Online reservations begin every year on April 1 @ 10am EST.  This is a good change – mailing the reservation was a pain.  Also, you can now choose your campsite before you even get there!  Good luck!]

First, you must send a letter to the park service – no email, fax, or calling.  Old fashioned snail mail.  When you send in the reservation form, you’ll specify three possible date ranges and the number of nights.  You can stay a maximum of three nights, which is what we recommend and did.  On the form, we did add a note that we were okay with fewer nights if we couldn’t get three.  The letter must be postmarked April 1 or later, otherwise the NPS will ignore your letter.  We sent in our letter on April 1 with a $25 check, which is the amount no matter how long you stay.

The days ticked by, and we were nervously awaiting the return letter.  Would we get our requested dates?  Did the park service even receive our letter?  Maybe the USPS lost it?  Thankfully, we got a letter from the park service on April 14 – two weeks after we had sent ours.  Excitedly, we opened the letter to find out that we had gotten our first choice of dates, with three nights.  Unless you’re very flexible with the dates, I HIGHLY recommend sending in your request on April 1.  Most campers we talked to were not able to get their exact choice of dates or even three nights.

Now, that’s how to reserve a campsite.  But you also have to get to the campground, and unless you have your own boat, you’ll be taking a ferry.  Specifically, the Isle Au Haut mailboat that travels from Stonington, ME to Duck Harbor.  Check out our Stonington post for more info on the mail boat.

Comparing Campsites

So, which campsite did we choose?  Well, which site looks best to you?

Site 1

Site 2

Site 3

Site 4

Site 5

We chose site 4 – great location, great views.  Site 5 was also excellent, but a bit further from the bathroom.  Site 1 was taken.  Sites 2 and 3 were nice, but proximity to the ocean won out.  The only negative was that previous campers had carved out a path to our site in the grass, and a few visitors mistakenly ended up in our site.  We warmly welcomed them… then mentioned it to the rangers, who were already fixing some signage to mediate the problem.

Site 1 – Most inland, less breeze, close to bathroom, fairly private
Site 2 – More inland, less breeze, close to bathroom
Site 3 – Close to bathroom, close to other campsites
Site 4 – Great views, good location, close to bathroom, close to other campsites, access to coastline
Site 5 – Most remote and private, bit farther from bathroom, great views, access to coastline

So, we settled in and made our shelter a home.  We thought we would just relax – we even told the Park Rangers that was our plan for the day.  And we did, for an hour or so.  But we only had a few days here and wanted to make the most of it, so it was time for another adventure.  Duck Harbor Mountain loomed behind us…

We loved Duck Harbor Campground.  It was probably our favorite adventure in Acadia, and that’s saying a lot, with so many awesome attractions in the park.  The campground was very clean, mostly private, and had amazing views.  We enjoyed just resting in our hammock and watching the sun set, or reading a book with the sea breeze blowing gently around us.  Often, we’d go down to the coastline and eat our breakfast or dinner on a rock.  And there are a lot of great trails to explore just minutes away!  And if you were wondering, we did indeed see actual ducks at Duck Harbor!  So the harbor is aptly named.  Quack.  Quack.

Duck Harbor Campground | 5 Shelter Sites

Location: Isle au Haut (Google Maps Directions)
Amenities: Potable water available via an old hand pump located ⅓ mile from the campground| Fire ring | Picnic Table | Composting Toilet | Food Storage Box
Dates Open: May 15 to October 15
Prices: $25 / stay | Maximum stay: 3 nights
Highlights: Right next to the coast, solitude, hiking trails nearby
Notes:  Check-out: 11am | Advance Reservations Required – reservation requests must be mailed on or after April 1

Links

Duck Harbor Campground Reservations at Recreation.gov
Isle au Haut 2014 Visitor Use Management Plan
Isle au Haut Map (KTNPBlog)
Isle au Haut Map (NPS)

Interactive Map

The post Duck Harbor Campground appeared first on KTNPBlog.

Our journey to Isle au Haut began in Bar Harbor, where we had just gone kayaking and checked out of Blackwoods Campground.  We headed to Stonington, a small town on Deer Isle off the Maine coast.  Stonington is the “gateway” to Isle au Haut, since a mail boat travels between the two.  It’s an easy 1.5 hour drive to Stonington from Bar Harbor.  There aren’t many grocery store options in or close to Stonington, so we grabbed everything we needed along the way at a Walmart.

Stonington

We planned to stay in Stonington for one night, before catching the mail boat to Duck Harbor the next morning.  Our lodging for the night was at Boyce’s Motel, a quaint spot on the coast, that we would heartily recommend.   The room was small, but it was clean and well-maintained.  The price was right, and our room even had a fridge to store some goodies for our trip.

Since we desperately needed to do laundry, the proprietor of Boyce’s pointed us toward Island Laundromat on Deer Isle, about 10 minutes from Stonington.  Bring quarters!  We also brought detergent in single-use boxes, but there is a machine that will dispense some as well.  Check the hours – it isn’t open very late.  If you go, set aside extra time, and be aware that the machines are pretty old.  Some of our clothes were sopping wet after the wash cycle, and needed additional dryer time.  It was a bit annoying, but in the end the laundromat served its purpose.  We stopped by the laundromat again after returning from Isle au Haut.

Next stop: dinner.  There aren’t many restaurant choices in Stonington (surprise!), but we had researched options beforehand using Yelp and other sources.  We didn’t know quite what to expect, but we decided to check out Fisherman’s Friend, a restaurant located on the pier and walkable from Boyce’s.  K got the fish tacos, which were amazing. She really liked the remoulade sauce, and she ordered extra (naturally). I got the fish and chips, which were good too.  They have outdoor seating, but we ate inside since it was a bit chilly that evening. We had a partial view of the pier from our table.  Also, they had hard cider and a decent selection of craft beers, which was a nice treat.  Overall, good food and service, and decent prices. K says, GET THE FISH TACOS!!! (Note: Fisherman’s Friend is now closed, and will be re-opening as Stonecutter’s Kitchen).

A few days later, we wanted to eat here again after returning from Isle Au Haut, but found out that they were closed on Wednesdays.  Instead, we went down the street to Harbor Cafe.  The food was simple but surprisingly good.  K got the fried haddock sandwich, and I had the turkey club.  Both meals came with fries.  The hostess and server was both very friendly.  The beer selection was limited, but overall, this was what we needed after 3 days of camping.  A piece of blueberry pie didn’t hurt either.

After our dinner at Fisherman’s Friend, we wandered around town, taking photos and enjoying the atmosphere of a quintessential Maine fishing town.  We also wanted to locate the mail boat dock, since we planned to arrive there early the next day.  We eventually found it, only 0.2 miles from Boyce’s.  Stonington was a highlight of our trip; it is a relaxing, quaint town that we’ll remember for a long time.

The Mail Boat to Isle au Haut

We woke up early the next morning to catch the mail boat at 8:00 am.  We made some oatmeal, packed up our gear, and headed to the dock to get there at least 30 minutes ahead of time.  Originally, our boat was supposed to leave at 10:30 am, but the company switched the times due to problems with one of their boats.  Thankfully, the National Park Service had emailed us a few weeks ahead of time to notify us of the change.  The earlier departure time was actually a boon in the end since we had fewer people on our boat (more groups arrived on the afternoon boat).

After getting out the door, we drove to the nearest convenience store (next to Fisherman’s Friend) to get ice for our cooler.  Our fresh food properly refrigerated, we drove to the Isle au Haut Mail Boat dock.  There, we bought two roundtrip boat tickets for $40 each – you can’t reserve them in advance.  We were then directed to park our car on the dock, where we could leave it for three nights.  The dock had a cart that we used to load our luggage onto the boat.  And we were ready to hit the waves and head to Isle au Haut!

At this point, we were the only ones at the dock.  By the time the boat left, one other couple had arrived to make the journey with us.  But that was it, so it was a quiet ride.  The boat set off from the dock, and we were on our way.  Our boat passed enumerable little rocky islands, many with trees, some with houses, all surrounded by lobster traps.  We took endless photos, but at some point we just relaxed and enjoyed the scenery.

After about an hour, the first stop was Isle au Haut Town on the northern end of the island.  We could have departed here, and backpacked the approximately 4.0 miles to the campground, but had chosen to go directly there.  We would visit the town later on a dayhike during our stay.  The other couple got off here, so we were now the lone passengers for the remainder of the ride to Duck Harbor.

It’s a quick 20 minute boat ride to Duck Harbor from the town.  Along the way, we saw Robinson Point Lighthouse – a beautiful sight on the rocky coast.  The captain of our boat informed us that you can actually stay there at Keeper’s House Inn… for $450 a night!  That’s a bit beyond what we’d be willing to pay personally, but would make for a neat stay.  Soon we rounded Eben’s Head, a rocky outcropping just before Duck Harbor.  And there, at last, was the Duck Harbor Landing pier!  Several people were waiting there, including a Park Ranger who would greet us, and other visitors waiting to take the boat back to Stonington.

Places:
Isle au Haut Mailboat | 37 Seabreeze Ave, Stonington, ME 04681
Boyce’s Motel | 44 Main St, Stonington, ME 04681
Fisherman’s Friend/Stonecutter’s Kitchen  | 5 Atlantic Ave, Stonington, ME 04681
Harbor Cafe | 36 Main St, Stonington, ME 04681 | Open 6 AM to 8:30 PM
Island Laundromat | 44.21609, -68.68925 (There’s no address that I could find) | Open 8 AM to 6 PM

References:
NPS Isle au Haut
Wikipedia Isle au Haut
Isle au Haut 2014 Visitor Use Management Plan

Maps:
Isle au Haut Map (KTNPBlog)
Isle au Haut Map (NPS)

The post Stonington to Isle au Haut appeared first on KTNPBlog.

We don’t like lobster. Normally, we would jump at the chance to try any local or regional delicacy. During our trip to Maine, we did have plenty of blueberries, fish, maple candy, and other tasty local treats. But we didn’t go to Maine solely for the food; our trip was centered around Acadia National Park. This post discusses how we planned for our trip to Acadia. This wasn’t just a random vacation either, this was our honeymoon! Because of competing life events, we only had 10 days in Acadia and were determined to make the most of it. We’ll go over our planning process, what we did and how we did it, and our recommendations. There’s much more to do, this is just what interested us. And even if you only have a day or two, checking out a national park is an experience you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

Maine’s Only National Park

Acadia (nps, wikipedia) is located off the coast of Maine, and preserves parts of Mt. Desert Island (MDI), as well as other smaller islands and areas. It was initially established in 1916 as Sieur De Monts National Monument, before being renamed to Acadia in 1929 (with another renaming in between). We were drawn to Acadia’s breathtaking rocky coastline, abundance of hiking, wildlife, and adventures. There’s a lot to do in the park. Many visitors just drive the main Park Loop Road, which is on the eastern side of MDI, but there’s so much more to see. We like to take our time, and see everything we can. Even with 10 days in Acadia, we wish we had more time to explore. The following quote, posted at Hulls Cove visitor center, captures the spirit of the park:

“Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in…where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul.”

–  John Muir

Acadia Districts and Regions

K had been to Acadia before, but hadn’t explored the park much, so we started from scratch when we did our research. All we knew about Acadia was that it was located on an island, and was near the town of Bar Harbor. We started with some basic online research at Wikipedia and The National Park Service’s Acadia site. In our research, we found that there are three main geographic districts of the park. And we wanted to visit them all (spoiler alert: we did).

• Mt. Desert Island – This is the main island that most people visit in Acadia. It’s separated into two “sections” – the more populated east side and the quieter west side. Contains the majority of sights, hikes, and campgrounds. Bar Harbor, the most well-known town near Acadia, is on the east coast of MDI. There are also historic carriage roads, with a series of impressive bridges that you can hike or bike on. You can also hike trails to view some of the bridges.
• Isle au Haut – A small island to the southwest of MDI. You have to take a mail boat to get here. Gorgeous views, amazing campsites, and great hikes. And all without a ton of crowds! This was one of our highlights. Pronounced Isle au Ho (Not Isle au Hot as we said for the longest time…).
• Schoodic Peninsula – To the east of MDI, this small peninsula houses the Schoodic Education and Research Center. In addition, there are hiking trails, a newly-built campground, and the photogenic Schoodic Point, where waves crash into the rocky shoreline.

Activities and Wildlife

There’s a lot of outdoorsy fun in Acadia, but we focused on hiking, camping, and kayaking. Biking is also a popular activity on the park’s historic carriage roads. There is no backcountry camping in Acadia, sadly. The NPS FAQ for Acadia states that it’s due to Acadia’s small size and fragile environment. Joe’s Guide to Acadia was a great help for the hiking portion of our research. From his site and other sources, we developed a list of hikes that we were interested in, and planned to do as many as possible. One thing to remember is that some areas are closed during the year because of Peregrine Falcon nesting. This typically happens from March through August, but the exact dates vary. This prevented us from doing a couple trails that we wanted to hike (Precipice, Jordan Cliffs, and Valley Cove). That calls for another visit in the future.

There are 4 campgrounds in Acadia. We visited 3 out of the 4. Next time, Schoodic…

• Blackwoods –  Located on the east side of MDI.  290 Sites. $30/night (May – Oct), $15/night (April,November), Free (Dec – Mar).  Reservations available.
• Seawall – Located on the west side of MDI.  About 200 sites.  $22/night for walk-in tent site, $30/night for drive-up sites.  Open Late May – Sept 6th.  Reservations available.
• Schoodic Woods – Schoodic Peninsula.  94 sites.  $22/night for walk-in tent site, $30/night for drive-up sites. Open Late May – Columbus Day.  Reservations available.
• Duck Harbor – On Isle au Haut.  5 camping shelter sites.  $25/stay, maximum 3 nights.  Open May 15 – Oct 15. Advanced reservations required.

For kayaking, there are a number of outfitters on MDI that lead trips around the island. Likewise, there are boat tours for whale watching or bird watching (like puffins). Technically, those aren’t part of Acadia since the park doesn’t extend into any waters. This becomes evident if you’re in parts of Acadia where lobster traps are placed close to shore. And puffins, while featured in Acadia memorabilia, are not actually in the park (though they are found on surrounding islands). Similarly, moose and bears within the park are rare. If you go on a kayaking trip (like we did), you’re much more likely to see plenty of harbor seals.

Weather & Seasons

Before we decided to go to Acadia, we evaluated various factors like weather and insects. We went to Acadia in late June, and weather was forecasted to be in the high 60s / low 70s. The weather during our stay ended up being perfect, with highs in the mid to upper 70s.

You do have to watch out for insects depending on what time of year you visit. Black flies are a problem in the spring (especially when it’s particularly rainy), most common between mid-May and mid-June. When it gets warmer, they generally disappear…and are replaced by mosquitoes. Our trip fell at the end of black fly season, though we only ran into them on Isle au Haut. Likewise, we really only saw mosquitoes on Isle au Haut.

Park Loop Road (the main road) is closed every year from December 1 – April 14 due to snow. There’s always a threat of snow if you visit during winter.

Month	Min. Avg. Temp (°F)	Max. Avg. Temp (°F)	Avg. Precip (in)	Avg. Snowfall (in)
January	11.6	30.6	3.12	17.0
February	11.8	31.6	3.77	29.1
March	21.3	40.2	3.34	12.7
April	31.2	51.6	3.60	1.4
May	42.8	62.8	4.06	0.0
June	50.9	69.5	5.45	0.0
July	58.2	78.0	3.19	0.0
August	57.2	76.3	3.44	0.0
September	49.8	70.0	3.82	0.0
October	40.2	58.9	5.00	0.5
November	28.6	46.3	4.02	7.9
December	21.9	37.2	5.92	15.1

Source: NOAA - East Surry, ME (2011-2016)

Visitors

It’s no secret that National Parks are very popular, and becoming even more crowded. That’s a good and bad thing – it allows more income for the NPS to maintain the park, and hopefully visitors will respect the parks. On the flip side, it’s harder to find peace and quiet with hordes of people everywhere.

The NPS publishes monthly visitation statistics back to 1979, so if you’re flexible, you may want to plan your visit during a time with fewer visitors. We went in June, which isn’t the worst month to go. Check out the chart below for monthly visitation averages to help you plan your trip.

[visualizer id=”98″]

Transportation

There are a few airports around, including Hancock County Airport (15 minute drive), Bangor International Airport (1 hour drive), and Portland International Jetport (3 hour drive). Based on availability and price of flights, we decided to fly into Bangor and rent our car there. Driving into the park is an option as well; there are bridges connecting MDI and Schoodic to the mainland. However, to travel to Isle au Haut, you’ll need to go by boat.

In MDI, there are a variety of roads to get around the park. The main park road is the Park Loop Road, which is on the east side of MDI. Annoyingly, this road is one-way at specific points. Make sure you have a map, so you know where and how to get it around it – you may not have a cell signal. Go slowly, especially on the one-way section, since people will randomly stop (either legally or illegally) on the right side of the two-lane road.

During peak season, I would recommend using the Island Explorer shuttles. They travel to a variety of locations throughout the east side of MDI, parts of the west side of MDI, and Schoodic Peninsula. We didn’t end up using the shuttle, but probably would have had it been more crowded.

Maps

If you don’t plan to do much hiking, the official park map (free at the visitor center) will work just fine. If you plan to hike, I recommend that you get the Map Adventures Acadia National Park waterproof trail map. It was really wonderful for finding our way on MDI and seemed to be very accurate with a lot of information. The only the problem is that it doesn’t include Schoodic or Isle au Haut.  We created our own maps that show details pertinent to hiking, available on each respective blog post.  Additionally, we created a detailed map of Isle au Haut that showcases the hiking trails, which is available here.

We also purchased the National Geographic Acadia map, since it did have maps for Isle au Haut and Schoodic. In hindsight though, I don’t think we really needed it. We recommend that you print the National Park’s map of IaH or ours. You can buy a detailed map of Schoodic for $0.50 at the information centers in that region of the park, or you can grab a trail map from npmaps.com.

Visitor Centers & Entrance Payment

Acadia’s only “true” visitor center, Hulls Cove, is on the east side of MDI. You can pay your entrance fee, get maps, and get trip planning tips from the park rangers. There are other locations where you can purchase entrance passes too, but this was the easiest for us. Passes are also available online. For $25, you get a 7-day park pass and a hang tag. Most other parks we’ve been to have a booth at the entrance where you pay, but Acadia is different.

The park has many entrances, so they can’t have an attendant at every one; the hang tag system shows that visitors have paid they entry fee. If you enter the park outside of the main operating months (November – April), you don’t have to pay. We used our “America the Beautiful” pass, which gets you into most national park sites for 13 months. It can easily pay for itself, and it supports our national parks!

Besides Hulls Cove, there are a couple of ranger stations and pseudo visitor centers too. The notable ones are Sand Beach Entrance Station, Park Headquarters on Route 223, Isle au Haut Ranger Station, and Schoodic Woods Information Center (near the campground).

Our Itinerary

Now that we knew what we were getting ourselves into, we could properly plan our trip. We decided to split our trip into 4 sections: East side of MDI, West side of MDI, Isle Au Haut, and Schoodic Peninsula. Below is our overall itinerary and lodging. Our other blog posts further detail our adventures in Acadia.

Day	Plan	Accomodations
1	Arrive in Bangor, Drive to Bar Harbor, Explore	Quality Inn in Bar Harbor, ME
2	Explore East Side MDI (Visitor Center, Jordan Pond House, Hikes)	Blackwoods Campground
3	Explore East Side MDI (Hikes)	Blackwoods Campground
4	Kayaking trip around MDI, Driving to Stonington, ME	Boyce's Motel in Stonington, ME
5	Ferry boat to Isle au Haut, Explore island	Duck Harbor Campground
6	Explore Isle au Haut	Duck Harbor Campground
7	Explore Isle au Haut	Duck Harbor Campground
8	Take mail boat back to Stonington, drive to Seawall	Seawall Campground
9	Explore West Side MDI	Seawall Campground
10	Drive to Schoodic Peninsula, Explore. Drive to Bangor for flight the next day.

Our Packing List

There weren’t a ton of packing considerations for this trip. Just your standard hiking and camping gear. We brought duffels for our stay in Duck Harbor, though you could also bring a backpacking backpack. For camp cooking, we brought a backpacking canister stove so we could easily boil water for oatmeal in the morning. You can’t bring canister stove fuel on a plane, so we stopped at Walmart on the way to Bar Harbor from Bangor… which did not have canister fuel in stock. So when we got to Bar Harbor we went to Cadillac Mountain Sports (which also has a location in Ellsworth, on the way to Bar Harbor). We’d recommend going there, since they had every outdoor item that you’d need. Here’s a quick overview of gear we brought with us:

Backpacking tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pads, headlamps, mallet, Swiss army knife, backpacking canister stove, backpacking pot set with bowls and sporks, tongs, small flexible cutting board, small container of 4 spices, 2 dehydrated meals (for Duck Harbor, just in case), water filter (for Duck Harbor, just in case, but we didn’t need it), ziploc bags, dry bags, daypacks, foldable duffels, water bottles, hammock, cameras & tripod, clothes & toiletries, deck of cards, books, rain & fleece jackets, hiking boots, sandals, & flipflops

Here’s what we bought in Maine at Walmart or Cadillac Mountain Sports:

Food, small hard-side cooler, ice, canister fuel, lighter, aluminum foil (for foil packets on campfire), paper towels, water jug

Our Experiences

There’s more info about planning in specific posts about various attractions and areas of the park. Below is a list of our blog posts about Acadia. I hope they help you plan your trip, inspire you to travel, or at least provide interesting reading material.

•  Mt. Desert Island (East Side)
  • Bar Harbor & Bar Island Trail
  • Blackwoods Campground
  • Carriage Roads, Bridges, and Jordan Pond House
  • Ocean Path & Beehive Trails
  • Pemetic Mountain Northwest Trail
  • Kayaking West Side MDI
• Isle au Haut
  • Stonington & Mail Boat to Isle Au Haut
  • Duck Harbor Campground
  • Duck Harbor Mountain Trail
  • Isle au Haut Town Adventure
  • Thunder Gulch Trail
•  Mt. Desert Island (West Side)
  • Seawall Campground
  • Beech Cliffs Trail & Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse
  • Southwest Harbor
• Schoodic Peninsula
  • Schoodic Institute & Sundew Trail
  • Schoodic Point & Schoodic Head Trail
• Reflections on Acadia: Our Favorite Spots and Visiting Tips

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