“There are two aspects of Acadia National Park that make it wonderfully appealing to hikers, and unique among other parks,” longtime National Park Service executive Sheridan Steele began. “First, there’s the tremendous variety of hiking opportunities available within the confines of a relatively small space. Acadia has 120 miles of trails, not including the carriage roads, and they take you along mountain summits, along lakes, above the rugged coastline—even across tidal flats. The diversity of vistas of this lovely stretch of coastal land is staggering. The second thing that’s distinctive about Acadia is the rich history of the trail system. Many were built by groups of local citizens under the auspices of “village-improvement societies” years before Acadia received its National Park designation. The citizens’ goal was to give visitors more opportunities to interact with the natural world. Many of the trails that were built would not be built today, as they’d never meet safety and environmental protection criteria. Where modern trails would switchback through steeper areas, these trails go straight up; you climb on iron rungs and walk around exposed cliffs, holding on to iron railings. You have wonderful vistas when you get to the top of these trails, but the experience of climbing itself is very rewarding.”
Most of Acadia National Park’s granite headlands, rocky beaches, and spruce-fir forests are contained on Mount Desert Island, approximately three quarters of the way up Maine’s sprawling coastline, and about an hour’s drive southeast from the city of Bangor. Acadia was the first national park established east of the Mississippi River, and its millions of annual visitors have the painters of the Hudson River School, at least in part, to thank. The painters Frederic Church and Thomas Cole (among others) captured the region’s beauty for city dwellers in the south, helping to draw the then-developing leisure class up north from Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. The affluent of the Gay Nineties (including the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, and Carnegies) built grand estates on the island, decamping there for a portion of each summer. While the robber barons changed the social face of Mount Desert Island, they were instrumental in setting aside the land that would eventually become a national park in 1919. Fearing the onslaught the surrounding woodlands would face with the development of a mobile gasoline-powered sawmill, the summer citizenry was galvanized under the leadership of Charles Eliot and George B. Dorr, who spearheaded preservation efforts; Dorr and would become the park’s first superintendent. (John D. Rockefeller contributed another signature facet of the park: its forty-five miles of broken-stone carriage roads, so popular with equestrians and bicyclists.)
Many visitors to Acadia will take in Cadillac Mountain (named for an early French settler, not the automobile), one of the first points in the United States to be touched by the sun’s rays each morning, or Somes Sound, a fjordlike bay cut into the granite on Mount Desert’s south-central coast. Hikers will also want to take in a few of the park’s historic rung-and-railing trails. “One I will recommend to people is Jordan Cliffs Trail,” Sheridan continued. “It’s a steep climb that brings you to the top of Penobscot Mountain; one of the ladders is cut right out of a tree. There’s an iron-rung ladder as you make your way toward the top. On the cliff sides you’re above tree line, and there are sweeping views of the island, including Jordan Pond below. Acadia’s most famous trail is Precipice. It’s short—only about a mile—but straight up 1,058 feet to the top of Champlain Mountain. The Precipice Trail has the most iron rungs and cliff exposure, and the view from the top is down on Frenchman’s Bay, including the Porcupine Islands. It’s great fun for me to get up on Mount Champlain and talk to other hikers as they reach the top of Precipice. Most everyone says that it was scary, but was also the greatest hike of their life—a real ‘Wow!’ experience. For years after, they’ll bring back other friends and family members to share the experience and sense of accomplishment. One of my fondest memories of Acadia is the first time I did the Precipice Trail with my wife. Though she’s an avid hiker, she’s not particularly crazy about exposed walks and cliffs. Understandably, she was apprehensive about tackling Precipice, but when my daughter and son-in-law visited, she was game to try it. Like so many who make the climb, she felt a great sense of achievement in reaching the top; it’s not an experience that she’ll ever forget.” (Note that Precipice, Jordan Cliffs, and most of the other “cliff” trails in the park are closed from spring to mid-August to protect nesting peregrine falcons.)
It would be a shame to visit Acadia and not experience a bit of life on the smaller islands within the park’s boundaries. You can visit by foot or by boat, as Sheridan explains. “There’s a shorter hike that we don’t always promote that takes you from Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island out to Bar Island, then around the island. Of course, you have to do it at low tide, and make sure that you make it back to Bar Harbor in the four-hour window before the tide comes in. Kids love the idea that they’ve walked to an island. Another option is to take a half-day boat trip out to Baker Island, accompanied by a park ranger. The ranger points out any avian or marine mammal life encountered en route, and leads an easy-moderate hike around the island. From here, you can enjoy a great ocean view of Mount Desert Island.”
For many visitors to down east Maine, the trip is not complete without at least one opportunity to tie on a bib and tuck into a fresh lobster. In 2007 (the most recent year for which statistics are available as of this writing), more than 62,000,000 pounds of lobster were harvested from Maine waters, with many coming from the cold, nutrient-rich area off Mount Desert Island. Plated, Homarus americanus can take infinite forms, but in these parts, locals prefer it simple—that is, steamed in its shell, with sides of melted butter and lemon. Most eateries in nearby Bar Harbor feature lobster, but you needn’t stray far from the trails, as lobster is on the menu at Jordan Pond House, right in the park. “The original Jordan Pond House goes back more than 100 years,” Sheridan said. “The present restaurant is set up as a teahouse, right on the shores of Jordan Pond. There’s a big lawn in front of the house rolling down to the pond, and people can eat outside at picnic tables. Jordan Pond House is known for its popovers, which are served with strawberry jam and butter. A nice plus is that you can hike in any number of directions from the restaurant or make it the end of your walk.”
How’s that for positive reinforcement?
SHERIDAN STEELE is superintendent of Acadia National Park, a post he’s held since May 2003. He has worked in the National Park Service for over thirty years and has held management positions at Rocky Mountain National Park (assistant superintendent), Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (superintendent), Curecanti National Recreation Area (superintendent), Fort Scott National Historic Site (superintendent), and Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area (management assistant). Sheridan has extensive experience dealing with public- and private-land issues related to national parks, including the partnering with a variety of nonprofit and local community organizations to accomplish the National Park Service mission, which is to preserve nationally significant resources while promoting their use and enjoyment. He has a BS in business administration with a minor in public relations and an MS in resources management from Ohio State University.
► Getting There: Acadia is approximately 150 miles north of Portland, Maine, which is served by many major carriers, including Continental, Delta, and United Airlines. It’s about fifty miles from Bangor, which is served by American, Continental, and Delta.
► Best Time to Visit: July and August are major tourist times and offer fairly consistent weather. June and September can also be excellent times to visit.
► Accommodations: There are several campgrounds in Acadia. Nearby Bar Harbor offers many lodging options. The Maine Office of Tourism (888-624-6345; www.visitmaine.com) has a comprehensive list.