The Beauty of Acadia National Park - Throwback Thursday blog #2

In early September, NoKey and I took our day off to visit Acadia National Park.  We had wanted to go since arriving in Maine, but we also wanted to miss the tourists in Bar Harbor.  September brought cooler and damper weather, but smaller crowds!  Since it was raining that morning, we had a limited opportunity to get any hiking in, which is okay in Acadia since you can drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain.  We decided to call it “car hiking” and enjoyed it very much (other than the fact that there were bus loads of elderly people milling about up top!)  Since it was raining and misting, we didn’t expect many views, but it was still stunning to be on top of a mountain and be above treeline at only 1500 feet.  The mist and cooler weather definitely made you feel the fall-like atmosphere, and the smell of the coniferous trees took us back to the days we hiked in the soaking rains of New Hampshire for two weeks back during our thru hike.  

We walked on the large paved paths and then found the roads less-traveled on some muddier ones.  We even did something true to a Sprinkles and NoKey hike and went exploring on unmarked trails.  After we’d had enough of the crowds, we did more “car hiking” around the park and drove along the coast of Maine, seeing beautiful bays and Thunder Hole.  We enjoyed the sites in Acadia and would one day like to go back for some hiking and possibly bike riding along the loop.  There is no backpacking allowed in the park due to the fragility of the alpine plantlife and the harsh conditions of Mt. Desert Island.  

This was also the day before NoKey’s birthday, so we took time out to go out and grab a bite to eat in a good restaurant and a good quality draft beer, something we didn’t get much of in Millinocket!

There wasn’t a whole lot of hiking done, but every once in a while it’s about relaxation… and we really enjoyed our trip out to the Maine coast. The photos are (1) The view from Cadillac Mountain into Frenchman Bay. (2) A beautiful, classically rocky view of the Atlantic from the Maine coast. (3) A serene and sandy beach on the southern part of the island.