Birch Harbor on Schoodic Peninsula
The last couple of weeks have been very busy with plenty of distractions, so I feel like I have to move on to new adventures soon and finish up my string of Acadia posts. On day 1 of our five-day vacation in the national park, Mark and I went on a reconnaissance of the Park Loop Road to get our bearings. Day 2 had us biking the carriage roads of the park, and day 5 offered some great views on a very challenging hike, called the Precipice Trail.
Day 3, a Sunday, was expected to be rainy. Rather than sit in the tent all day and be uncomfortable, we decided to explore a different part of Acadia NP by car.
The part of Acadia NP on Schoodic Peninsula
After a slow start, we drove about an hour and a half to Schoodic Peninsula (map). We arrived in the town of Winter Harbor right in time for lunch and a massive thunder and lightning storm. All patrons of the diner jumped up when thunder and lightning hit the building simultaneously and sparks came of the outlets! It drizzled for a while longer, but as we progressed on our driving tour, the sun slowly returned and made the afternoon much more pleasant. This part of Acadia was pretty wild, more remote and less touristy than the main area.
On day 4 of our vacation, we went the other direction and explored the western portion of Desert Island, which is also a mixture of private land and national park. Acadia National Park is pretty spread out.
Desert Island, with the Park Loop Road on the right and our drive on the left side
We stopped at a lake, a couple of towns, the Seawall area and Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, which was touristy and somewhat of a disappointment. We moved on quickly and looped back to the main road a different way, with a quick stop at Pretty Marsh.
We stopped in Bar Harbor at low tide and walked over the sandbank to Bar Island, an enjoyable place to have our lunch. In the afternoon, we left the car behind and resumed our “daily exercise program” with a hike on the Gorham Mountain Trail; the best and most enjoyable hike in the park.
If you ever find yourself in Acadia National Park in Maine for a few days, I highly recommend starting with a drive of the Loop Road and then picking your excursions based on your interests. We feel like we managed to visit all the highlights and would not have changed anything about our itinerary, except maybe an extra trip up Cadillac Mountain for sunrise or sunset. Having experienced plenty of those when sailing for eight years, we lazily skipped getting up extremely early or returning to the campsite after dark. Our favorite activities were hiking the two trails mentioned above and renting bikes to explore the interior of the park. I hope you make it out there one day, if you haven’t yet!
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October 4, 2016 at 03:52
Oh, this brought back great memories of a trip done many many years back. SO beautiful! The photos of the rocks and crashing waves just transport me right back. Terrific!
Peta
October 5, 2016 at 09:12
It is such a nice area, Peta! I’m glad you got to experience it as well. Sunny skies make it all the more enjoyable! 🙂
October 4, 2016 at 05:55
We didn’t get to the Schoodic Peninsula when we were in Acadia, though I wish we had when I see your pictures! As I said in another comment, we had a lot of rain so didn’t hike much but we did tour pretty much all of Mount Desert Island by car. In those days I wrote up my travels en route, which I certainly don’t do now. Here’s the Acadia post:
https://anabelsblog.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/acadia-national-park/
October 5, 2016 at 09:20
Schoodic was interesting, but the drive there and back was pretty long. I would only do it if one has five or more days in the National Park… Those are some rainy/misty photos indeed, Anabel. It does sound like you made the best and the most of it, though. Wish I had known about that vegetarian restaurant. And then, there are the trails up Beech Mountain and many others. One could spend weeks in the Acadia area! When we tried to explore Northeast Harbor, we stumbled upon private road after private road, so moved on to Southwest Harbor, whose vibe we liked better.
October 14, 2016 at 07:53
Love, love, love Acadia National Park. I honeymooned there and it was the last place I sailed with my friend Mary. Your images brought back many good memories. Magnificent images that really capture the heart of the place. And you and Mark look very happy. Cute pics of the two of you including the silhouette.
October 14, 2016 at 11:13
Oooh, thank you, Lisa. I’m so glad that you enjoyed your time there as well and such great memories of your last sail with Mary. 🙂 She is so strong in your heart, still. Sending you love. xx