Day 26: Acadia National Park

I had planned to begin my day doing some exploring in the small town of Bar Harbor (pop. about 5,000) before seeing Acadia National Park. It is definitely a tourist town, with many impressive (and expensive!) inns, resorts, and hotels. The town was teeming with traffic and people, and after searching in vain for a parking spot anywhere near where I wanted to be, I gave up and headed to the park. It was just as well, since it turned out I barely had time to see the park to my satisfaction as it was.

Acadia, occupying much of Mount Desert Island and parts of some smaller islands nearby, is the oldest national park east of the Mississippi River, established in 1919. An area of granite peaks and rocky shorelines, the highlight of the park (both literally and figuratively) is Cadillac Mountain, the highest U.S. point on the Atlantic Ocean (elev. 1,528 feet), making it one of the first parts of the U.S. to see sunrise each day. The weather was absolutely perfect, with a high in the upper 70s and clear skies, with little wind (the first day I've worn shorts in quite awhile). Visibility was excellent, although there was some haze from the humidity later in the afternoon and early evening (typical of this climate). The park was plenty busy, although July and August are peak season. I think I took more photos today (505 altogether, including a few videos) than I have any other day of this trip. Every bend in the 27 mile park loop road seemed to reveal another photo opp. It was a photographer's dream! Days like this make me wish I had invested in more expensive camera equipment (I spent about $750 total for my two cameras, camcorder, and Samsung Galaxy S5 phone, and all the best shots I post are from my phone, including all of the panoramas!).

The drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain was the climax of the day (a piece of cake compared to the Mt. Washington Auto Road!), and the early evening light was great for photos, with most of the best views being to the east. The summit is mostly pink granite, tinted green from lichens, treeless, and provides nearly 360 degree views. Interestingly, I learned that from 1883 to 1893, a cog railway operated to bring visitors to a hotel on the summit. The hotel burned down, and the cog railway was sold and moved to Mt. Washington in New Hampshire (which I saw operating just days ago).

I drove 50 miles on Mount Desert Island today. 4,379 miles total now.

East face of Champlain Mountain, Acadia National Park.

Warning sign for Precipice Trail up Champlain Mountain's east face. The trail climbs 930 feet, almost straight up.

Notice climbers near middle of photo, about 850 feet up.

Private residence on Schooner Head. A nice little fixer-upper!

The Atlantic Ocean.

Tide pool at low tide.

Tour boat.

Near Otter Cliff (the cliff itself is 110 feet high, making it the highest headland along the U.S. Atlantic Coast).

Even the road is impressive.

Cadillac Mountain, as seen from near Otter Point.

Cadillac Mountain.

Boulders near Otter Point.

Rocks smoothed by glaciers.

BWBs and BBBs (Big White Birds and Big Black Birds -- I'm a geographer, not an ornithologist).

Cruise ship. Three were in the area today. Ships sail regularly between Portland, ME and Nova Scotia.

Small boats are just offshore of Northeast Harbor.

View from atop Cadillac Mountain.

Maine Sea Coast Mission in Bar Harbor.