Acadia National Park, Maine
introduction
One great travel destination is Acadia National Park, in the northernmost state of the United States: Maine. Acadia is located about 160 miles from the nearest large city of Portland. It is in northeastern Maine, which is the northernmost state in the contiguous 48 states. Maine is also in the area commonly known as New England, which also includes the states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
when to visit
The best time of year to visit is mid-October, but only if you can brave the cold, because the crowds va-moose in the chilly temperatures. This means that you can see the beautiful fall colors on the Maine landscape with no interruptions of noise or overcrowding in popular areas. If you are looking for a spring or summer trip, May is the best time to go, especially later in the month.
So when I go, what time should I plan for my flight there? Well, there isn't a large airport near the park, so you'll need to book a flight to Maine's largest city of Portland, which has the largest airport in Maine. It's a three-hour drive to Acadia from Portland, so you'll also need to rent a car. Since some areas of road are slightly rugged, and rain can mess up the roads a bit, something like Jeep or a big pickup truck are the best options.
main attractions
Next, let's explore some good places to go within the park or around it.
The #1 essential place is the town of Bar Harbor. This cute little town sits on the northeast end of the main Acadia island and is home to five and a half thousand people. It has many great restaurants and a very beautiful view of the sunrise and sunset. There is also a secret gravel pathway that is underwater during mid-tide and high tide, but if you're lucky enough, at low tide, the pathway reveals itself, providing a route to access Bar Island, which is right across a small strait next to Bar Harbor.
Another great place is Schoodic Point. This is a little bit of a drive from the main area where Bar Harbor is situated, so going to Schoodic is more of a day trip. Here, you can see a famous lighthouse and visit the town of Winter Harbor. Schoodic also has amazing hiking trails, so if you're a fan, this is the place to go. To get to Schoodic from Bar Harbor, you have to go up ME-3 West and continue across a big bridge and past the town of Trenton, which will be about 17 miles. When you reach the town of Lamoine, you take a right onto the highway of ME-204 East. Then, you take a left after a few miles onto Mud Creek Road, and soon you'll get to the highway of US-1 after about four and a half miles. You take a right onto it and continue for a while until you reach an intersection with ME-186. You take a right onto that and continue down to get to Winter Harbor and eventually, Schoodic Point.
Another awesome place to go in Acadia is Cadillac Mountain. At 1527 feet tall, it is the first place to see sunrise in the entire US most of the year, and is a popular tourist destination located inside the park on the main island, Mount Desert Island. It is the highest point along the North Atlantic coast, and has absolutely amazing views. Want to take a look? Check out the gallery below!
Another thing that should definitely be on your list is the trio of Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and the Beehive Trail. All of these tourist hot spots are within a mile of each other, on the southeast side of the island. They're just a 20-30 minute drive from Bar Harbor, and are each separately beautiful. Let's discuss them individually.
Sand Beach is a tiny, cute beach about 290 yards long, located between some granite mountains and Thunder Hole (next paragraph). It is Acadia's only natural sand beach, amongst many rocky ones. It also is one of the world's only cold-water beaches where the sand is mostly made of shells. Over 70% of the sand here is made of finely ground up shells, giving the sand more of a pinkish-white look.
Next to Sand Beach is an equally beautiful place to visit, called Thunder Hole. This small, rocky inlet provides a perfect place to watch the waves crash into the rocks. When the surf gets rough, waves can get very tall, and can drench anyone in sight. Putting aside these dangers of getting wet, Thunder Hole is a great place to watch the mesmerizing waves for hours.
Lastly, the Beehive Trail sits on the other side of the road from these two, and is a tough but gorgeous hike into the wilderness. The Beehive Trail has three parts: The real Beehive Trail, the Precipice Trail and the Bowl Trail. The real Beehive Trail is not for the fainthearted; it is a steep, almost vertical climb up a large cliff. This trail is extremely dangerous, but is not too long. This is the main trail that most people choose to go up, and there are many metal rungs that you hold onto, plus some metal ladders as well. The Precipice Trail is even harder; it is double the length of Beehive and even steeper. On the other hand, the Bowl Trail splits away from the Beehive Trail and is a relaxing hike across some rocky terrain that leads to a little surprise at the end!
If you do end up going to Acadia, we at TWN hope that this article helped and that you enjoy your trip!
By Armaan Dhawan
Sources:
Wikipedia (and I have visited the park) for information and some pictures
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_Mountain
Acadia Magic for the pictures of Cadillac Mountain and some information
Google Maps for the directions to Schoodic Peninsula
