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 Acadia National Park would be to enjoy a relaxing cruise aboard the "Alice E" built in 1899.   We sailed with a company called Sail Acadia out of Southwest Harbor. 

Fact 1.  Acadia is the only National Park in the Northeast and the smallest of all National Parks. 

 We sailed on the Alice E which is the oldest Friendship Sloop still in use. The boat accommodates six passengers and the captain. Here we are motoring out of the harbor.  

Fact 2. One of the park’s peaks, Cadillac Mountain 1530 feet high, just happens to be the tallest mountain on the Eastern Seaboard.

It was an overcast foggy day, but our Captain said the visibility was good enough to sail.  He had over 50 years' experience with sailing, so he knew what he was doing. 

Fact 3. From Oct. 7th through March 6th, Cadillac Mountain is the first place in the United States where people can see the sun rise.

 

The boat was 42' feet long and was equipped with small cabin. 

Fact 4. Over four million people visit Acadia each year.

After the sails were released and set, Captain Chris showed us a map of the harbor and our route for the trip.   

Fact 5.  Arcadia was created solely by private land donations, and Acadia, a French word means "Heaven on Earth."

We waited many years to travel the Northeast and our travels through Prince Edwards Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Acadia National Park were worth the wait.  The people, places and events were sensational. We shared many great photos on our blog, but many great memories were shared by us. If you ever get the opportunity to visit these areas, you will have a trip of a lifetime. 

Schoodic Summit Hike - Acadia National Park

The Schoodic Peninsula is the only part of Acadia National Park found on the mainland of Maine. It takes about an hour drive from our campground to get here.   We decided to hike three different routes today as a loop to get to Schoodic Summit - Anvil, Schoodic & Alder.

It is also managed by the national park services but has fewer visitors. It still boasts granite ridges, granite stairs and most features as other hikes we have completed in Acadia national park. 

We also have to navigate many tree roots as well. 

This trail rises abruptly uphill and downhill along our route.  

We have a few switchbacks on the way up the mountain. 

Did I mention granite steps.  Hiking down them is not my favorite part of the hike.  It does hurt the knees. 

We did have to hike down some trails only to hike back up again.  The last .3 miles was decidedly uphill. 

We finally arrive at the summit, but you have to travel to the overlook for the views which is another .2 miles.  

View from the Overlook of the Winter Harbor Lighthouse built in 1856.  It's now privately owned and not opened to the public. 

The Bar Harbor, Maine cruise port is a tender port of call, meaning cruise ships anchor a short distance offshore and passengers are ferried to the port terminal in smaller tender boats. From our vantage point we also had views of Cadillac Mountain and Frenchmen's Bay.

 

Kathy found and photographed an 1860 geological marker near the overlook. 

You can get confused with all the trail markers. I decided to point to our direction of travel on the way back. 

We had to take the Schoodic Trailhead back to the Alder trail on our return. 

 
A long wooden path to cross over a wet section on our return.  It did rain a day earlier but not much accumulation. 

We reach the Alder Trailhead.  We have .6 miles to go. 

After hiking up and down on the way up to the summit, we have a nice wide-open flat trail to complete our hike.  

 Our final totals for this hike.  

The Peninsula is also the home to the Schoodic Research Learning Center. A place for science learning in that it enhances the understanding of the natural and cultural resources of the National Park System.  The building was converted from a closed Naval facility.

 

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.