Bar Harbor, Maine and Acadia National Park

We drove over three hours along the coast to the Mt. Desert Narrows Campground in Bar Harbor, Maine.  This is our most eastern point on this trip across the country.

We worked on our Maine accent to pronounce the town correctly:  Bah Hahbah – Bar Harbor pronounced by a Mainah – you see “er” is pronounced ah… “r’s” dont get a lot of love in Maine.

 

 

 

Our site for four nights

The view from our campground to Mt. Desert Narrows which eventually goes to the Atlantic Ocean.

Our main (pun intended) reason for visiting this area was to see Acadia National Park.  

Acadia National Park is a 47,000-acre Atlantic coast recreation area primarily on Maine's Mount Desert Island. Its landscape is marked by woodland, rocky beaches and glacier-scoured granite peaks such as Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the United States’ East Coast.

We only visited the part of the park on the left side and never made it to the eastern section of the park.

Lucky for us our campground was on a shuttle bus route so we could leave the truck behind and not worry about parking.  The park was so crowded that finding parking for our truck at various stops would have been a major headache.

Our first visit to Acadia National Park was to drive up to Cadillac Summit.  Because of limited parking, we were required to purchase a $6 ticket to limit the traffic.  These were our first coastal views from the park.

Can you see Al?

 

 

John D. Rockefeller, Jr
1874 - 1960

These groves of spruce and fir, these granite ledges, this magnificent window on the sea, were given to the United States by John D. Rockefeller, Jr.  He was among the first to sense the need to preserve America's natural beauty and to set high standards of environmental quality.  This quiet, dedicated conservationist gave generously of his time, wisdom, and resources to help establish this park and others for the physical, cultural and spiritual benefit of the American people.

 

 

The line to get in to the Visitor's Center at the park.  Due to Covid they only set so many people inside at a time.  Needless to say we didn't make it inside.

After a few stops along the route to check the view from ground level, we started the drive up to Cadillac Summit.

 

 

At the top we parked in the lower lot since it had lots of open parking spots.  Then we walked up to upper lot and enjoyed the views.

 

 

The town of Bar Harbor was visible from Cadillac Summit.

After Cadillac Summit we went in to the town of Bar Harbor to get something to eat.  To say Bar Harbor was busy would be an understatement!  The camp hosts at our campground recommended a restaurant and we ended up running in to them there.

 

Look at the line to get in to this restaurant!

 

Lobster storage containers and buoys

Lobster Traps

 

 

A lobster fisherman packing up his catch for the day.

One day we took the shuttle bus in to the park and did a hike around Jordan Pond.  Some of the trail had us walking on these raised wooden planks.  Passing people was done on little pull out areas.

Within the park there are these big signs to help with navigation along the carriage roads which are great for biking.  Unfortunately we didn't have any bikes with us.

Enjoying some fall colors

Another day, Al wanted to do the Beehive Trail hike and I wanted to see lighthouses so we each did our own thing.  Being together 24/7 in an RV it's nice to do separate things once in a while.

Lobster boat

I boarded the Edan Star for a half day of seeing Acadia National Park from the water and viewing lighthouses.

There were some beautiful homes along the shore.

Beautiful fall colors

People waiting for the tide to see Thunder Hole

One of Martha Stewart's homes is high up on the hill towards the left and named Skylands.  Completed in 1925 for the visionary automotive executive Edsel Ford by architect Duncan Candler, the broad-shouldered house sits high on a hill that looks over Seal Harbor.

Little has changed at Skylands since Candler and Danish-born landscape designer Jens Jensen created the 63-acre retreat for Ford and his wife, Eleanor. The Detroit-area couple and their four children summered here until another family acquired the estate in 1980, after Eleanor Ford’s death; they, in turn, sold Skylands to Martha in 1997. Sold, mind you, with nearly everything included, right down to cabinets and shelves filled with the Fords’ silver, glassware, china, and linens—which, as an interior designer fascinated by family legacies, I find gives the place an incredible sense of authenticity. “I didn’t have to buy a plate,” Martha says, “although I’ve certainly added my fair share.”

Bear Island Lighthouse

Bear Island

Bear Island Light is a lighthouse on Bear Island near Mt. Desert Island, at the entrance to Northeast Harbor, Maine. It was first established in 1839. The present structure was built in 1889. It was deactivated in 1981 and relit as a private aid to navigation by the Friends of Acadia National Park in 1989.

Lobster fisherman on his way home after emptying his traps.

One more "summer cottage" along the coast.

Previously the US Lifesaving Station in Acadia National Park

The Station was once a U.S. Life Saving Station, now a spectacularly renovated vacation home on Islesford (or Little Cranberry Island).  Here are the rental rates if interested!

2022 RATES      
June 18-Sept 3     $4300/week
Sept 3-Sept 17     $3300/week
Security Deposit     $500

 

Baker Island Lighthouse

Lobster buoys with traps below.  Each fisherman has their own color and shaped buoy to identify their traps.

Winter Harbor Light is a lighthouse in Winter Harbor, Maine. It is located on Mark Island, a small island between the Schoodic Peninsula and Turtle Island, near the entry to the town's main harbor. The light was built in 1856 and was deactivated in 1933; it is no longer an aid to navigation, and is privately owned.

Egg Rock Lighthouse

Egg Rock Light is a lighthouse on Frenchman Bay, Maine. Built in 1875, it is one of coastal Maine's architecturally unique lighthouses, with a square tower projecting through the square keeper's house.

A few of the many island in Mt. Desert Narrows.

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I thoroughly enjoyed the boat trip!  It was cold sitting on the top deck but I toughed it out wearing my new Bar Harbor rain coat which I got cheap and it blocked out the wind just perfectly.

Another hike we did was the Great Head Trail which was less than 2 miles.  We were not alone on this hike!

 

 

Acadia National Park was another thing I got to check off my bucket list.  The park was beautiful and we were so thankful for the free shuttle because without it we would not have had as good a time trying to park our huge truck everywhere we wanted to go.  The park and the town of Bar Harbor were so busy!

 

If not for Covid, we would have loved to go in to Canada to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island but it was difficult so that will have to be saved for another trip.

 

We had to leave the campground as we stayed up until it shut down for winter.  The day we left there were about 300 other people also leaving.  We were worried about waiting in long lines to dump our tanks so we got moving before 8 am.  The camp hosts instructed us to just use any open site that had a sewer connection so that's what we did and had no problems getting out of the park.  

 

This was our most eastern point for this trip and it was now time to start making our way back west.

We did have one issue with the trailer that was giving us hints but finally stopped working the day we left the Bar Harbor area.  The problem was our motorized jack.  It finally died.  Luckily it died in the up position so we were able to tow the trailer but it needed to be addressed that day.  There wasn't much in the Bar Harbor area so we headed to Bangor, Maine to search for an RV dealer to get it repaired or replaced.

As Al was driving us to Bangor, I was on my phone searching and calling RV centers trying to find a place where we could get it fixed.  We ended up at Webb's RV Center and they took care of us.  Even calling in a tech who was out sick to install a new jack for us.

 

 

After just a few hours, we were on our way to the Elks Lodge in Rockland, Maine for the night.  My friend, Linda, told me that it was supposed to be really nice so we made a point to stop there and see for ourselves.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was room for a lot of RVs.

Tried a local beer at the Elks bar - Storm Surge

With recommendations for a place to eat dinner, we went to Claws in town.  Cute place!  There was a line to order food so that's a good sign.

The next day we traveled further south in Maine and stopped off at the mega LL Bean campus in Freeport, Maine.  I called in advance and they even had RV parking!  I was in heaven!

 

 

After a few hours of shopping and yummy mussels for lunch we drove to a church property that hosted us for the night in Biddeford, Maine.  It was a Tuesday night and we never did see the pastor or anyone else with the church but enjoyed a quiet night's sleep.

And that was our last night in Maine.  Our next stop was in Massachusetts as we make our way to Cape Cod.  

 Here is our route since leaving the Bar Harbor area.

 

Thanks for following along.......