Acadia
National Park is a place made up of dozens of beautiful natural locations each
worthy of its own article. I spent a day
there and only scratched the surface of what there was to see. If at all possible one should set aside
several days to truly experience this wonderful area. If that is not feasible there is one spot
that must be placed at the top of any visitor’s list: Cadillac Mountain.
The summit
is 1,528 feet making it the highest point within 25 miles of the water along
the U.S. East Coast. Needless to say the
views from the summit are some of the most incredible you will find in New
England and perhaps the country.
Originally
called Green Mountain it was renamed in 1918 after French explorer Antoine
Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac. He
was given the parcel of land consisting of Mount Desert Island in Maine when
the area was known as New France.
My time at
Acadia was planned around making it to the summit of Cadillac Mountain to watch
the sunset. I had stayed a week in Maine
in October and this particular day was warmest, nearly 70 degrees. It must have slipped my mind that I was
driving up a mountain and it might be cooler up there.
The 3 ½
mile long summit road is beautiful but also slightly dangerous. There are several points along the steep
incline where the only things between your vehicle and a sharp drop are well
placed boulders. As much as I enjoyed
taking a gander down toward the nearby town of Bar Harbor I knew that it would
be much smarter for me to keep my eyes on the road.
Though
technically not the summit I stopped and parked at the Blue Hill Overlook very
near the top. The first thing I noticed
was just how many other people had the same idea as me to go watch the sunset. The overlook is magnificent. It is a gently sloping smooth rockface. Obviously being up as high as it is there is
nothing blocking the view of the surroundings, and what a view it is.
There were
many people scattered along the rockface, some sitting on chairs, others on
blankets. Many more people were standing
at the edge of the parking lot with cameras and binoculars. The next thing I noticed after the people was
the cold. It had been in the upper-60’s
during the day at ground level, it was about 30 degrees on top of Cadillac
Mountain. I was not fully prepared; my
hands were freezing cold pretty quickly.
To keep my
mind off of the cold I focused on the vast expanse of scenery in all
directions. To my right was Bar Harbor
where I had spent the earlier part of the day.
I started taking photos of everything.
In a neat twist I kept trying to line up the horizon on my camera, to
keep it straight. It wouldn’t happen
since at that height I could actually make out the curve of the Earth. That was just another small part of a remarkable
sunset.
I was lucky
as well that it ended up being a partly cloudy evening, perfect for catching
colors. It would have been a shame to
scale the mountain only for the weather to get cloudy. It’s not as if I could simply drive up there
again night after night, this was a one shot deal.
It ended up
being a nearly perfect sunset, complete with lots of photos and a video. I stayed for a while after the sun went down
to enjoy the view of Bar Harbor’s lights and the unlimited number of stars
overhead. I would have stayed longer but
it was getting colder. I cannot recommend
spending an evening watching the sunset atop Cadillac Mountain. Of course, weather determines just what you
will see. Plan accordingly, but prepare
to be dazzled, it is worth the trip in almost any conditions. Have fun and happy traveling.
Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park: Cadillac Mountain Summit Road – Take I-295 N
to Exit 49, turn right onto Rt. 201 N. Follow
4.4 miles, turn left onto Brunswick Ave, continue onto Rt. 9 E, after ½ mile turn left to
stay onto Rt. 9 E. Follow to traffic
circle, continue straight onto Bangor Street, .6 miles turn right onto N
Belfast Ave. After a mile turn right
onto Rt. 3 E, follow it 100 miles into Bar Harbor. Turn right onto Eagle Lake Rd, follow a mile
turn right onto Paradise Hill Rd., take 1st left to stay on
road. Turn left onto Park Loop Rd.,
follow it a mile, turn left onto the mountain road.
as the photographer I would most like to emulate. I saw his photos from Schoodic Point in 1949 at Acadia and hoped that someday I could make the trip to see these same natural wonders. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined how life-changing this trip would be.
. who I previously had discovered as the designer of the unique Rockery in 
.’ This 520-foot mountain is very popular with hikers as it is not nearly as difficult to navigate as Cadillac Mountain. As I said before though, it is nearly impossible to get to see everything at Acadia in one day and so the Beehive is a spot that will remain for another day.
were splashed with one of these waves. After a while it becomes a sort of game to see when the next loud crashing wave will hit, or when the next wave will spray high enough into the air to soak onlookers. I had to dive out of the way of one rogue wave but was lucky enough to escape this spot virtually dry. I could have stayed and listened to the sounds of thunder forever but there was a spot I had been waiting to see for many years and I needed to get there before dark.
, however this article will attempt to showcase what else this place of natural beauty has to offer.
is a can’t miss. 
are scattered among the trees with one spot having a roof over the table. There is a steep path which leads to the water as well. It is sort of like getting a taste of Acadia before visiting it.
’ scene with the towering Cadillac Mountain dominating the horizon. The rapidly changing foliage on either side of the pond caught my eye and led me toward the middle where the mountain stood. The pond is very narrow at this end and the mountain seemed to sit in the perfect spot where the majority of it could be seen. I felt like I could have stayed at the end of that dock for the rest of the day but there were more places to be seen on Mount Desert Island.
but that spot is worthy of its own article.
logo and Debbah Gifts with its lobster logo and Bar Harbor spelled out ‘Baa-Haa-Baa.’ A walk along these streets, even in October, was a great experience even if they were tremendously crowded. I found out why later in my trip.
in the center filled with some colorful rocks. I took a walk up the stairs and got an unbelievable view of Agamont Park down at the water. Before heading that way I snapped some photos of the old buildings on Main Street. Sherman’s Book Store was a place that I knew must have some history to it and I was right. It was originally opened by Bill Sherman in 1886 and back then it actually printed the local newspaper on its premises. Nowadays the paper is no longer printed there but Sherman’s does have a total of four locations in the mid-coast area so I think it is safe to say that not printing the newspaper has not hurt their business.
’ scene; one of many that I saw during my trip. There is also the Shore Path which is exactly what it says. The nearly mile long walk along the rocky Maine coast is breathtaking. Originally created in 1880 it begins at Agamont Park with connections at a few streets which allow you to travel back into town or continue the full distance. It reminded me a lot of the Cliff Walk in 
by the Boston Opera Company.
Inn, known as Maine’s ‘Castle by the Sea.’ It is named for an alleged wondrous 16th century city which resided on the banks of the Penobscot River. The stories of this city were supposedly told by European explorers after they returned home. The castle itself was built in 1886 for Joseph Sterns who used money he had amassed by inventing a duplex telegraphy system in the 1860’s. The design was the brainchild of famed New York City architect Arthur Bates Jennings. The home became a Bed & Breakfast in 1984.
meant that I was still able to clearly make out homes and buildings in the surrounding area below; this made for a series of amazing photos.
