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

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Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

The lighthouse is iconic.  It’s featured prominently on art and souvenirs from Acadia, so we had to check it out.  The lighthouse is an easy 5-minute drive from Seawall.  The parking lot is small, so be prepared to wait during the summer.  But it doesn’t take long to view the lighthouse, so visitors will come and go pretty fast.  We got lucky, and found a parking spot right away.

Built in 1858, the lighthouse marks the entrance to Bass Harbor.  It’s the only lighthouse on Mt. Desert Island, and in 1988, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.  Today, the lighthouse is a private residence for the commander of the local Coast Guard unit, according to the Acadia NP website.  So naturally, visitors can’t go inside.  I would imagine the residents would get tired of visitors coming at all hours of the day, so be respectful, as always!

Once parked, we noticed two paths on either side of the lighthouse.  First, we went down the path to the right, which led directly to the lighthouse, and gave us great views of the ocean and surrounding area.  We got a few nice closeup photos of the lighthouse.

We headed back the parking lot, and went to the left of the lighthouse.  This path is the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse Trail, which first leads into the forest.  We then descended a steep wooden staircase to the rocky coastline.  From there, we scrambled around to get photos of the lighthouse, ocean, and cliffs all in one shot.  There were a lot of people doing the same thing, so be patient!  We think we got some pretty good photos, not to mention memories!  This spot was where we attempted to recreate those scenic lighthouse photos that had inspired us.

Beech Cliff Trail

After getting our iconic photo of Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, we drove to the Beech Cliff trail.  The trailhead is located next to Echo Lake, a popular swimming spot.  The lake boasts the only other sandy beach in the park aside from the appropriately named Sand Beach.  We easily found a parking spot, and started on the trail.

Initially, Beech Cliff is pretty easy going, but the trail quickly start gaining elevation.  We noticed signs and tools around that indicated that the trail was currently being maintained.  On trips, we often wonder how long has each trail been around, and hypothesize (and later, research) about the history of the trails we’re hiking on.  A Google search generally doesn’t bring up a lot of historical information, unless it’s a big name trail.  How long has the Beech Cliff Trail been in Acadia?  Who built it?  For the moment, it’s nice to know that it’s being taken care of, and not to take it for granted.  When we got home, a quick Google search did turn up that the Beech Cliff trail was built by the CCC in the 1930’s.

Before too long, our hike led us to a nice viewpoint of Echo Lake beach.  K suggested visiting the beach after our hike.  We took a short break, snapped some pictures, grabbed an energy bar, and continued on.  Soon, we came to our first iron ladder.  K went up first, and let out a yelp!  Worried, I ask if she was okay.  Laughing, she explained that a red squirrel, which had been sitting at the top of the ladder, had jumped and scared her.  Not quite what I was expecting!

We went up a few more ladders and stone steps until we reached the end of the trail.  It is a unique trail, particularly because of the iron features.  At the top, we opted to do the 0.4 mile Beech Cliff Loop Trail, which offered impressive views of Echo Lake and the surrounding area.  We also ran into some workers doing trail maintenance, and we made sure to thank them.  A lot of time and effort goes into maintaining the trails we use.

Canada Cliff Trail

We don’t recommend taking Beech Cliff trail back down, since you could run into people climbing up the ladders. Instead, we made a loop with the Canada Cliff Trail.  I wish I knew why the trail was named that.  Regardless, we made our way down the mountain, hiking over roots and rocks.  Along the way, we ran into a couple looking for a fire tower.  Not having seen a fire tower in the area, we took out our maps.

Turns out there was a fire tower, but it was at the summit of Beech Mountain – which was the opposite direction from where the couple was headed.  They turned around and headed back up the trail – both Beech Mountain Trail and Beach Mountain Valley Trail lead there.  Hopefully next time we’ll get to see the tower, which was also built by the CCC.  Acadia has so much to discover, even if you’ve already done a lot of research.

Soon we were back at the parking lot.  But before we left, we wanted to check out Echo Lake!  It’s hard for us to relax sometimes, since there’s so much we want to do when we’re on vacation.  Echo Lake provided an opportunity to relax, enjoy the view, and discuss our dinner plans.  We chatted about either going back to Bar Harbor, or checking out Southwest Harbor.  A girl nearby overheard us and chimed in that Southwest Harbor didn’t offer too much in the way of restaurants.  We took her suggestion and went to Bar Harbor, for the last time on our trip, and ate at Finback Alehouse.  We would still go to Southwest Harbor, but it would be for breakfast the next day instead!

This was a nice hike, highlighted by the views and ladders.  We wished the trail was a bit longer, but it was okay since we were pretty tired that day.  Plus, that gave us some time to hang out on the beach and grab some great food and drink in Bar Harbor.

Beech Cliff Trail
Distance: 2.2 miles / 3.7 kilometers roundtrip
Type: Loop
Elevation Gain: 720 feet / 220 meters
Difficulty: Moderate, mainly for the metal ladders, easy otherwise
Crowds: We didn’t see anyone else on the ladders, but ran into a couple groups at the top and on the Canada Cliff Trail
Water: A couple of easy stream crossings near the end of the Canada Cliff Trail
Directions to Parking at Echo Lake Beach: Google Maps Directions
Trail Directions: 

• Mile 0.0 – From the Echo Lake Parking lot, head north to the trailhead.  You should see a building/house on your right.  Start ascending the trail through switchbacks, and eventually ladders.
• Mile 0.4 – You’ve climbed all the ladders (sad) and are at the top of Beech Cliff.  Turn right to go onto the Beech Cliff Loop Trail.  At a fork in the road, you can choose to go counterclockwise or clockwise on the loop – both are good options.
• Mile 0.9 – You’ve completed the loop; head straight onto Canada Cliff Trail, which will descend the mountain
• Mile 1.5 – The trail intersects with the Valley Trail, but bear left to continue on the Canada Cliff Trail
• Mile 2.1 – The trail will end on the road.  Take a short walk back to the Echo Lake Beach Parking Lot
• Mile 2.2 – Back at the parking lot.  Check out the lake if you haven’t already!

Highlights: Iron ladders, views, Echo Lake Beach

Places:
Seawall Campground | 668 Seawall Rd, Southwest Harbor, ME 04679
Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse | Bass Harbor, ME 04653 | Open daily, 9am – sunset
Echo Lake Beach | 44.3149522, -68.3366646

Maps:
Beech Cliff Trail Map (KTNPBlog)

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Ocean Path

After navigating Acadia’s partially one-way Park Loop Road, we parked our car near Otter Cliff Overlook, a peninsula on MDI. We were careful not to drive too far and miss the last parking point, so we parked at the first lot we came to, on the southernmost part of the peninsula (there are 2 lots – Otter Cliff and Otter Point). Acadia can be crowded, and parking lots fill up. We got a late start for the hike, having done Jordan Pond House and Waterfall Bridge earlier in the day. So we missed a small portion of the Ocean Path trail, but at least we found parking.

We crossed Park Loop Road and started our Ocean Path hike (more of a walk, really). Immediately we were met with gorgeous rocky coastline views. Apparently lots of people like rocky beaches, because the trail was packed with tourists. As you hike north on a gravel path, there are many scenic overlooks, including a rocky beach with bowling ball sized boulders and vertical cliffs. There were many photo ops, so we stopped often. We spotted the only ocean-side sandy beach, aptly named Sand Beach, from several points along Ocean Path.

After about 1.2 miles, we reached Thunder Hole, a popular spot where you can hear the “thunder” of waves hitting the rocks through an underground cave. A gate kept visitors from going past the safe point due to current weather/sea conditions. The view was nice and the “thunder” was an interesting experience, but really wasn’t as great as we hoped. Perhaps it’s more spectacular at high tide.

Though we were tempted to stop at every overlook, we had to keep these stops short so we could finish our hike before nightfall (particularly given the potentially dangerous terrain of The Beehive). Eventually, we reached the end of Ocean Path at Sand Beach. If we had more time, we would have gone for a walk in the sand (a few days later, we went to Sand Beach for a family-oriented Stargazing Ranger Program that was focused on storytelling). We crossed Park Loop road to continue onto the Beehive.

Beehive Trail

The Beehive is an iconic hike with major view payoff, but the catch is that much of it is vertical, taking you up the rock face via iron rungs. The difficulty of the hike, combined with our later start time, meant the hike wasn’t too crowded.

The Beehive starts with some bouldering and otherwise moderate hiking, before you reach the first iron feature, a small bridge. The picture doesn’t do it justice. It doesn’t give you any sense of what you might feel when you cross it (or what went through my mind as I surveyed the rocks below and imagined myself crossing it). There is no handrail, and I couldn’t turn to the side because I was wearing a daypack. Carefully, I crossed to the other side and took a sigh of relief. This is the part where you commit to this hike (or not). After T crossed behind me, he commented that the bridge felt “slippery,” which is sort of terrifying to hear when you’ve been married for a month.

As we continued up the vertical ascent, the woman behind us and I joked about falling to our deaths. T was rolling his eyes and just enjoying himself, but there were definitely parts of the hike that felt scary. I guess I have to get used to it, since our goal is to explore all 59 national parks. And when you get to each viewpoint, it’s totally worth it. For example, there are gorgeous views of Sand Beach from The Beehive as well.

As we followed the cairns, we ascended more rock stairs and iron rungs. Finally, we reached the summit, where we were able to walk on relatively flat rocky ground (!). The view was beautiful, as we could see Champlain Mountain fading into the distance and rain sweeping over the ocean. We ate a snack, got some fellow hikers to snap a photo, and began the descent. The Beehive continues down to The Bowl (a small lake to the west), but we decided to skip that part since it was getting late. We turned left to go down a small connector trail. This part was much easier, and led us down the rocks and back to Ocean Path.

Thoughts: The vertical part of this hike was intimidating at first, but I’m so glad I did this hike! Just stay on the trail, remember to breathe, and you’ll be fine. And don’t look down too much. Trails in Acadia have some unique features, along with amazing views you won’t want to miss. Two other trails in Acadia have iron rungs: Precipice and Jordan Cliffs. Next time, we’d love to do the Precipice Trail – it’s similar to the Beehive’s terrain, but is longer and more strenuous. From March through August, the Precipice and Jordan Cliffs Trails are typically closed for Peregrine Falcon nesting. We went in 2016, and both trails were closed beginning March 15, and reopened on July 29. Make sure to check alerts before you go.

Ocean Path & Beehive Trails | 5.9 Miles Round-Trip, Out and Back
Elevation Gain: 528 feet
Difficulty: Easy (Ocean Path) & Difficult (Beehive)
Trailhead Parking: Park near Otter Point (Google Maps Directions). There is another parking lot at Otter Cliff (Google Maps Directions), if the Otter Point lot is full.  If you’re just doing the Beehive, park at Sand Beach (Google Maps Directions), or there are a few spots along the road beside the Beehive Trailhead.  If you’re just doing Ocean Path, you can hike from either direction – park at Otter Point/Otter Cliff or at Sand Beach.
Trail Directions: Park at Otter Point or Otter Cliff. Cross Park Loop Road and turn left onto Ocean Path. Go 1.2 miles to Thunder Hole. Continue another 2.0 miles to Sand Beach. At this point, the main Ocean Path ends and you can begin the Beehive. Cross Park Loop Road, and continue until you reach the Beehive trailhead on your left. Continue 0.2 miles until you reach a fork. Keep right to continue on the Beehive (the straight/left path is the Bowl Trail, which you’ll return on). You’ll climb iron rungs until you reach the summit, about 0.2 miles. After taking in the views at the top, continue straight toward The Bowl. The trail will skirt the lake, then you’ll come to an intersection with the Champlain South Ridge Trail. Turn left onto the Bowl Trail and keep on the trail for 0.5 miles, at which point you’ll reach the intersection with the Beehive Trail. Continue straight to return the way you came for 0.2 mi. back to the trailhead. Return on Ocean Path.
Highlights: Views, rocky shorelines, beaches, iron features on Beehive
Notes: You could do each trail individually. Ocean Path is 4.4 miles out-and-back, and Beehive is a 1.5 mile “lollipop.”

Places:
Southern Ocean Path Trailhead and Otter Point Parking | 44.307695, -68.192267
Northern Ocean Path Trailhead and Sand Beach Parking | 44.329748, -68.183764
Beehive Trailhead | 44.331543, -68.185257
Otter Cliff Parking | 44.310749, -68.189804
Thunder Hole | 44.320730, -68.188380
Sand Beach | 44.329199, -68.182038

References & Maps:
KTNP Trail Map of Ocean Path & Beehive

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