Friday, September 8, 2023

St. Sauveur Mountain Hike Loop - Acadia National Park

  

After watching our 2nd sunrise at Cadillac Mountain Sumit, we decided to hike the Sauveur Mountain Loop.  The weather on the sunrise trip was 30 degrees warmer than our previous trip which was in the low 40's with 25 mph winds.  We brought blankets and seats to be more comfortable, Overestimated!  Weather was 73 degrees at the top. 



Just south of Acadia Mountain, St. Sauveur Mountain is a larger formation that makes for a pleasant and not-too-strenuous day hike.



A granite path leads the way up the mountain. Good hiking shoes is a must for all the trails in the park. 



We started the "St. Sauveur" trail near the Acadia Mountain Trailhead which is roughly a mile north of the main St. Sauveur trailhead.



The trail heads southeast and slowly make its way up the mountain.



We walked through narrow trails with many spider webs along the path. 



Had a great photo of a spider web. On average, it takes 30 to 60 minutes for web building spiders to weave a web. Even though spider webs are extremely strong, they don't always last for long.



We came upon a wooden path to walk. This path is welcomed after rains. 

We finally arrive at the summit marker. They say don't be disappointed at the lack of a view; the views will be coming up soon enough.


To see the views, you need to hike to the Valley Peak. 


We finally arrive at Valley Peak however, due to the foggy conditions, we could not see Southwest Harbor nor Greening Island. A bit disappointing but not so unexpected.  During our sunrise trip Bar Harbor was totally fogged in. 


We started our hike back up to the summit. We traveled the Valley Peak loop counterclockwise but would recommend hiking it clockwise for the best views. 


We traveled along the Man o' War truck road trail on our return. 


We finally reached our last trail marker. The trail slowly descends the forested north face of St. Sauveur Mountain and intersects with the "Man o' War Truck Road. 


Kathy uses Map my Walk by Under Armor which tracks our path along the route. 


It also tracks distance, duration, calories and steps.   Although we did not see some amazing views, the hike was well worth the effort.  We certainly passed our 10,000 steps a day. 



Beech Mountain South Loop - Acadia National Park

 





Kathy leading us on a short moderate loop of Beech Mountain on the west side of Mount Desert Island.  


All of the hikes in Acadia NP involve hiking up mounds of granite boulders, slopes and steps made with granite. 


I did say rocky trails, granite stairs and slopes. This hike was a short distance of 1.2 miles each way.


Max, our kayak guide, suggested this hike for the amazing views at the top. 


A look towards Somes Sound. 


We had views of Long Pond and Mansell Mountain on the way up and access to one of the few remaining fire towers in the area. 


The first platform of the fire tower is open and provides views of Somes Sound, Echo Lake, Acadia Mountain, and other mountains on the east side of the Mount Desert Island. I decided to climb to the first platform for a look. 


My views from the first platform. 


Somes Sound. 


I did hear Max say this is a great location for a sunset.


Starting our hike back down the trail. 


Our trail marker back to the parking area. 


Long Pond on the east side of Mount Desert Island.  A short hike but well worth the effort. 






Pulling up Anchor at Acadia National Park

 I thought it would be nice to add a few facts about Acadia National in each of the photos below. We decided that our last trip here at Acad...