Peter And Evie - Travel blog: June 27, 2023 - Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine

June 27, 2023

We went on a full day bus tour of Acadia National Park, on Mt. Desert Island. There is a big loop road that goes along the rocky shoreline and up through the middle of the island. There are a lot of overlooks along the way, but we only stopped at one along the coast -- Thunder Hole. When Peter & I were here a few years ago, we stopped at most of them, so I was a little disappointed. On the other hand, Thunder Hole was quite spectacular.

Our first stop was at the Wild Gardens of Acadia & Nature Center. Nice walk through gardens showing the different ecosystems in Acadia.

Next stop was Thunder Hole. This has steep stairs down to the shore, along side of a steep, deep, narrow gorge. So the waves come crashing into the gorge, making a lot of noise, and huge splashes. The whole shoreline was beautiful, chunky rocks that water delightfully splashed up on. There was a nice pathway along the shore that we got to walk and enjoy the view. Unfortunately, it was a bit foggy/overcast, so that limited the distance viewing.

Next stop was at Jordan Pond and trailhead. This is an inland lake and the park loop road goes along one side of it. One of the trails connects to the Carriage Roads. John D Rockefeller Jr had these gravel roads built in the early 1900's. They were built to preserve the environment and take advantage of scenic views. They are closed to motorized vehicles. Today, multiple-user groups use these roads - hikers, bicyclists, and horse-drawn carriages. We had a nice walk along one of them.

Our final stop was up at the top of Cadillac Mountain. 1530 feet tall, and a great overlook (that I remember from when Peter & I were here before). However, today it was COMPLETELY fogged in. We couldn't see a thing. Oh well -- you win some, you lose some.

Dinner at the hotel celebrated our last night together. They all had Maine Lobster.

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