After an easy drive from Freeport, we arrived at Blackwoods Campground in Acadia National Park. This is one of the most beautiful campgrounds I’ve stayed at (It ranks up there with Moraine Park in Rocky Mountain National Park!) It was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in about 80 years ago, so the sites are pretty small and like all American NPS campgrounds, doesn’t have showers, but the beauty makes those negatives disappear! It’s heavily forested by beautiful, tall pine and fir trees, and you can walk to the ocean in about five minutes and sit on a rocky cliff overlooking the Atlantic! It was a perfect place for sunset beers our first evening!
Going to Acadia a weekend before Memorial Day and the unofficial start of the season had huge benefits. The crowd level was super low, we could drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain without a vehicle reservation, and had no problem finding parking anywhere except for Sand Beach.
The weather was pretty nice! We had one rainy night. The skies were a bit too overcast for my photography (the second time we tried to get up for sunrise, it was nothing but fog!), but the weather cooperated with all we had planned.
We spent one afternoon hiking near the Jordan Pond House. We explored the Jordan Stream Trail and hiked on a carriage road for a bit, ending up at the cobblestone bridge, one of the historic bridges that traverse the 51-miles of carriage roads. Apparently this bridge is the only one built out of cobbles – stream rounded stones. It was a gorgeous hike and a lot of fun to see the interior of the park!
In many of my roadtrips across the continent, I’ve used the Guide Along audio tours to narrate my travels. I first discovered them over a decade ago when traveling the Icefields Parkway in Banff and Jasper. The company now has dozens of tours, including one for Acadia National Park. We enjoyed listening to the educational and amusing stories along the way. The narrator, who we’ve nicknamed Chuck, never fails to impress when traveling!
On our final day in Acadia we drove to the “quiet” side of Mount Desert Island and explored the fishing villages there including the Bass Harbor Lighthouse. In the list of “Jenni’s list of weird careers she wants to explore” I have added lighthouse keeper to it. I feel like being a lighthouse keeper would be an excellent way to pursue some of my artistic endeavors while on the job!
We then did an easy less-than-two mile hike near Seawall called Ships Harbor. It was excellent! It wove through forests that were exploding with SPRING flowers and fiddlehead ferns, and also traversed the rocky coast. It was a really fantastic afternoon hike.
We ended up in Bar Harbor in the late afternoon. Our buddy Chuck – aka Guide Along Tour – recommended an ice cream spot that was out of this world, and quite possibly the best ice cream I’ve ever had. We got flights – so four scoops each – and they were all outstanding. My favorite was probably the basil and lemon curd, with a delightful coconut a close second. I’d go back there in a heartbeat! Apparently former President Obama has been, so if you don’t want my recommendation, take his!
I can’t wait to go back to Acadia!
Teardrops & Ales 