by
Travelin' Tony T (Editor @ Large)
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Entering
the island dotted channel into Bar Harbor is where
it first occurs to me that coastal New England is much like
home. We Maritimers sometimes take for granted our
incredible seaside scenery. Pounding surf, majestic cliffs
and serene beaches are part of our semi-everyday life. But
the spectacular vistas awaiting us in the Bar Harbor
area and Acadia National Park were remarkable even to our
well-trained eyes. It started as soon as we found the Atlantic
Eyrie Lodge. The sign invites you up for a look at their
harbor view, or HABA VUE as they say in Maine ;-) (the
phone number actually is 1800-HABA-VUE !) And the view is
truly breathtaking (photo). |
Besides
the wonderful hilltop harbor scenery, The Atlantic Eyrie
Lodge provides clean, no-frills accommodation. The rooms
are large and comfy, each with a balcony to take advantage
of the, you know. The staff is well informed and courteous and
the location leaves you 3 minutes from anywhere. But that’s
the way most things are in Bar Harbor. The map seems
almost drawn to scale as you meander about this, I hate to say
it, “quaint coastal community”. Bar Harbor is a resort
town, relying on its scenic locale to draw in the visitors,
and they do flock here in the thousands during the summer months.
Some to relax, some to shop, some to golf and most to visit
wonderful Acadia National Park.
41,000
acres of protected woodland encompassing lakes, trails,
beaches and majestic mountains make up the
park. It spreads over most of Mt. Desert Island, which again
is not that big a place. The park also extends to coastal
areas off the island, but this area alone has 120 miles
of hiking trails over varied terrain, loads of space
to cycle and the amazing "Carriage Roads". Built
to offer comfortable routes for the Rockefellers to meander
about the park in the early days, these wonderfully maintained
gravel roads show off some of the best scenery the park
has to offer, and are available to hikers and cyclists only.
We chose the lazy man's scenic drive option. And there's
tons to see !
(note: One park "tradition", I'm told, is a popover
stopover at Jordan Pond House. Dive in to one of
their trademark strawberry preserve popovers and soak up
one of the most spectacular views in the park from this
full service restaurant.)
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The
Beach in Acadia National |
The
“meat” of the park starts at the visitors center,
just a few miles down the road from the ferry terminal (or
pretty well anywhere, this is Bar Harbor ;-). Walk up the
stone steps and immerse yourself in information.
Plenty of pamphlets, maps, etc. await. There’s even a contour
model of the whole park, which the staff will give you
a virtual tour of. Any questions you may have can be answered
here, except the one I asked, “how long will the trip take”.
The answer of course, “as long as you like”. And that’s
the truth.
Guided
tours are also a great way to “do” the park. There is
a strong movement to make bus tours mandatory in the national
parks in the United States, in order to reduce traffic.
Though not the law here in Acadia at the moment, they certainly
are informative and enjoyable. Choose from “Oli’s” Trolley
(an open air vehicle) or National Park Tours’
enclosed coach for a 1 hr $10 trip or a more in-depth 2
and half hour excursion for $15.00. You’ll see the sites,
get lots of info and leave the driving to someone else.
Join us on our drive, next
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Next
: More
of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park
Previous : The "Cat" Hi-Speed
ferry , Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
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