Acadia National Park

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False summit of Gorham Mountain at sunrise

In early October I set up camp at Hadleys Point for five nights and did a number of dayhikes in Acadia National Park

View from Gorham Mountain looking east towards the Great Head

The park is setup for doing loops with frequent trailheads along the road 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

Monument Cove, part of the Great Ocean Walk

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

Looking out over the Mt Desert Narrows towards Winter Harbor from the Precipice trail

Acadia Mountain summit and Somes Sound

My greatest memories from the park were the early morning walks in the dark for sunrise

St Sauveur summit viewpoint

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 and visited the Otter Cliffs area in the morning

Pemetic mountain has the best view 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

I arrived at the North Bubble late in the day, which looks out towards Eagle Lake

The North Bubble summit also has a great view over Jordan Pond when looking south

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Resources: NatGeo Map