I thrive when I am outdoors with nature. I love to hike, trek, and climb. There is something about being in the woods surrounded by mountains and streams, and reaching to the top of a mountain or cliff that pacifies me and generates an inexplicable freedom and inner joy. After an awe-inspiring hike in Kauai, Hawaii in 2007, I had made a life's goal in 2009 to travel and hike some of the most beautiful places in the world. One destination came to mind was Mt. Kilimanjaro. But I needed to train myself, so I began small and headed to Acadia National Park in Maine.
Brewer, Maine
On this trip, I traveled with a buddy of mine during the week of July 4th. Traveling with someone is always a good way to cut expenses. Sticking to a budget given the holiday weekend, I tried to go online to find affordable hotel, car rental, and flight rates. I usually use kayak or travelzoo to help me locate the best deals. I found a cheaper flight flying in to Bangor, Maine than to the local Bar Harbor Airport. It is usually cheaper to fly in to an international airport because of the wider options. Geographically, Brewer and Ellsworth are towns between the Bangor airport and Bar Harbor, with Brewer closer to the airport. I found that booking hotels at Ellsworth was cheaper than at Bar Harbor, and it was cheapest at Brewer. Despite the lack of activities in Brewer, we booked a few nights at Vacationland Inn at 453 Wilson Street because of the rates. The inn was not a 4 star hotel, but resembled those of Comfort Inns or Quality Inns. The main thing is that the inn did its job offering comfortable beds with clean sheets. Driving distance from the inn to Acadia took 1 hr 15mins but to me that was not a huge inconvenience.
If your plane arrives around noon like ours did, one of the options you could do is drive straight to the outlets in Freeport. I am a fan of outdoor clothing brands and being in Maine, I could not pass the opportunity of stopping by the Patagonia, North Face, and LL Bean outlets at Freeport. Despite the 2hrs drive one way, I returned with glee and giggles. The amazing bargains were definitely worth the trip.
by car:
From Bangor Int'l Airport, take I-295 to exit 22. Proceed to Route 1, which is Maine Street
Bar Harbor, Maine
Only minutes away from Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor is a good place to spend your past time and grab a bite while you are in the area. There is really nothing to eat once you are in the park, besides at Jordon Pond House. Bar Harbor is also home to US's eighth oldest golf course. The most happening section is on Main Street. Stroll along Main Street and you will find a number of boutique shops, restaurants, and rental places to choose from. And if you are in New England area, you have to try the seafood. My friend and I stopped by Galyn's Restaurant on Main St. for dinner and had one of the freshest fish and lobster platters ever! Another cool thing to do at Bar Harbor, however, dependant on the tides, is to walk from Bridge Street to this natural gravel land bridge toward Bar Island.
Acadia National Park
If you love nature, then Acadia, situated in Mount Desert Island, fits the bill. Though this state park is not as renowned as west coast's Yosemite, the northern pristine land provides worth mentioning breath-taking mountain, forest, and ocean views and shelters many plants and animals. There is an entrance fee ($10-$20 with vehicle depending on the month, $5pp - pedestrian, motorbike, bikes, during late spring thru early autumn. FYI: You can also purchase an annual pass for $80 that enables you to access all the national parks in the US). As like those of most park environments, there are many outdoor activities to choose from at Acadia. You can hike, bike, fish, climb, swim, do a scenic drive, join a tour, whale watch, etc.
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| Scenic view along the North Ridge trail. |
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| Backdrop of Bar Island, Sheep Porcupine Island, Bald Porcupine Island, Burnt Porcupine Island, and Long Porcupine Island along the South Ridge trail. |
In Acadia, there are 125miles of hiking trails to choose from, ranging from easy to strenuous. I decided to hike on the tallest mountain, Cadillac Mountain - 1,350ft, on the US Atlantic coast: hiked up the Cadillac North Ridge Trail (moderate) and came back down on the Cadillac South Ridge Trail (strenuous). The estimated time it took to finish the two trails was 7hrs at moderate pace, with 1.5hrs lunch break and photo snapping, and .5hrs wasted going in the wrong direction at the beginning. You can leave your car along the road at the beginning of the North Ridge Trail. Along these two trails I was able to cover every type of scenery I wanted to see; forest, mountains, water. In my opinion, anyone can hike the North Ridge, unless you have leg problems or seldom exercise. My friend rarely walks and she does not exercise, yet she did just fine. The South Ridge, however, is definitely an exercise hiking up or down. Because we left our car at the other end of the mountain, we could hop on Acadia's free shuttle buses back to the north side. But we just missed our last bus and had no choice but to hitch hike back to the other end. So before you decide to hike on any trails and your car is parked elsewhere, make sure to check the bus schedules! Though we were lucky to have a nice couple offer us a free lift, I would not recommend hitch hiking for obvious safety reason. It is, however, entirely within your discretion. *Note: Also bring a light jacket or windbreaker because it can get windy at the top.
If biking is something you rather do, then you can also rent bikes at the bike shops in Bar Harbor. We went biking the following day and rented from Acadia Bike on 48 Cottage Street. The equipment was great and rates were reasonable. If you book online it costs $20per day, $22 otherwise. You can opt for 1/2 day which costs $16 or multiday for $17. The bike rental place also offers a map of the various biking trails. There are 55 miles of carriage trails that lace through the park. I would not suggest biking the whole Park Loop Road (27miles, 3-4hrs) unless you are in shape, have time to kill, and not intimidated with some car traffic. I saw a few brazen individuals biking uphill along the road and all I could think of were "wow" and "I'm glad I'm in my car". My friend and I chose to bike a section of the Park Loop Road trail given the amount of time we had, for real. Driving along the Park Loop Road is incredible and highly recommended.
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