Acadia National Park
Gorham Mountain summit
Great Ocean walk
Precipice trail
Acadia Mountain
Schoodic Peninsula
Great Wass Island Preserve
In early October I set up camp at Hadley’s Point for five nights and did a number of dayhikes in Acadia National Park
The park is setup for doing loops with frequent trailheads along the roads and a bus shuttle system for one way hikes. A good trail map will suffice for the area as the trails are marked at every junction
The hiking highlights for the week were the following:
-Acadia Mtn/St Sauveur Mtn/Valley Peak loop (4 miles, 1000ft gain)
-Pemetic Mtn/Jordan Pond/Bubbles loop (6 miles, 1800ft gain)
-Precipice trail up Champlain Mtn/Orange & Black trail return (3 miles, 900ft gain)
-Gorham Mountain/Beehive/Great Ocean Walk loop (6 miles, 1000ft gain)
How you complete these loops will likely be dependent upon parking availability
Going up the sometimes vertical Precipice trail, which has iron rungs and ladders bolted into the face of Champlain Mountain
Acadia Mountain summit and Somes Sound
My greatest memories from the park were the early morning walks in the dark for sunrise. I would typically be finished with the morning hike by 9am and go to town for breakfast at Everyday Joe's
On the weekend I escaped the crowds by driving north to the Schoodic Peninsula and walked along the western coastline (no trail)
The cliffs in the Raven's Nest area at the end of day with the sun setting behind Cadillac Mountain in the distance
On Sunday, I drove even further north to the Great Wass Island Preserve
I walked the Little Cape Point/Mudhole trail loop at the north of the reserve (5 miles)
Nearing Cape Point on the eastern side
A more isolated experience compared to Acadia with fallen down trees and seaweed-lined beaches
Mushrooms in the woods section of the walk in early October
The Little Cape trail had boardwalks when necessary and was well kept
On Monday I returned to Acadia to climb Pemetic mountain. One of the best views in the park, with Eagle Lake, Jordan Pond, the Cranberry Isles, and the entire western half of the park in sight from the summit
Walking alongside Jordan Pond towards the Bubbles
Bubble Rock on the edge of the South Bubble peak