Our Acadia

There are many ways to get to Thuya Garden. Visitors by sea can tie up at Asticou Terraces Landing and walk up Asticou Terrace Trail.  Drivers can park either at the landing or at the top of Thuya Drive.  But we preferred to hike. 

The path we chose was Little Harbor Brook Trail to the top of Eliot Mountain, visiting Thuya Garden on our descent as a slight – and very worthwhile – detour.  After all, even in the most enchanted of bucolic settings, which this trail is, it is rare to come upon a wooden fence with a door that opens onto such manicured beauty.

Thuya Garden was created by Charles K. Savage in 1956 on land that was formerly the orchard of Joseph H. Curtis, who built a home on this property in Northeast Harbor in 1912.  In the style of a semi-formal English garden, it features colorful annuals, perennials, expansive lawns, and indigenous eastern Maine woodlands.   (By the way, the name Thuya is derived from Thuya occidentalis, the northern white cedar, that grows abundantly in the area.)

A special aspect of the garden is that many of its original plants and garden ornaments are from the collection of Beatrix Farrand (1872-1959), the prominent landscape architect who designed gardens for private estates, botanic reservations, college campuses, and the White House.   She worked closely with John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and designed the landscaping around Mr. Rockefeller’s granite bridges in Acadia National Park.

Thuya Garden is a lovely place to rest, contemplate, and study plantings that thrive in eastern Maine.

Come by sea, car, or hiking trail – but be sure to come.

We emerged from the woods after a 5-hour bike/hike, with no energy to prepare either food or ourselves for dinner.  The idea to go directly to Knox Road for BBQ and beer was perfect.  The dress code was flexible, ranging from the basic (Red Sox t-shirts) to the high-end (Patagonia t-shirts), and the menu fit our appetites (big).

Knox Road Grill serves Mainely Meats BBQ and specialty ales and sodas from The Atlantic Brewing Company, where it’s located.  The 15 or so tables are mostly outside under a canopy and on a terrace, from which you can see the huge stainless vats in the brewery next door.

Lunches and dinners, all served with coleslaw, potato salad, and delicious baked beans, feature your choice of pulled pork, ribs, hot Italian sausage, chicken, or a combination.  On the table there’s both a traditional sweet BBQ sauce and a hot one.  We indulged in a dinner of pulled pork and a combination platter.

There are no napkins here.  Just a big roll of paper towels on each table.

Beer is seriously satisfying.  Diners get to experience The Atlantic Brewing Company’s full line of ales, as well as seasonal specialties.  They run the gamut from light and fruity to dark and rich, extracting flavors from malts and hops imported from England and water straight from the well in Town Hill, Maine.  I’m not the only blogger raving about the ales of this micro-brewery.

So, join the locals and visitors relaxing from a day of hiking and biking.  You’ll feel satisfied, not only because Knox Road Grill doesn’t pinch your pocketbook, but also because, thanks to The Atlantic Brewery, the second or third beer might be even better than the first.

Knox Road Grill is located at 15 Knox Road, Bar Harbor.  They are open seven days a week from Memorial Day to Columbus Day.  The Atlantic Brewing Company gives free tours of the brewhouse daily at 2:00, 3:00 and 4:00 throughout the summer season (Memorial Day to Columbus Day). They also have free tastings of all of the beers and rootbeer and blueberry sodas in the gift shop. No reservation is necessary.

For more ideas on where to eat during a trip to Acadia National Park, visit OUR ACADIA.

Do you love the great views only hikers get, but you’re worried about tackling something too ambitious?  Whether kids or bad knees are slowing you down, you don’t have to sacrifice scenery and fun when you hike in Acadia National Park.  Here are five easy hikes I’ve done that delight in different ways. 

Ship Harbor Trail: 1.3 mile figure-eight

This rocky coastline is your destination for the Ship Harbor Nature Trail.

You can alternate loops on this “figure 8” trail through an evergreen forest to the postcard-perfect shoreline.  David Patterson’s photos give you a sense of the well-groomed path.  Collecting sun-bleached shells along the way can easily turn this hike into an amble, with a picnic at the outermost point where a schooner ran aground in the 1600s.  Nearby is Bass Harbor Lighthouse, a sight not to be missed. This trail and lighthouse are where the Obamas spent time during their vacation to Bar Harbor.

Bubble Rock Trail: 1 mile roundtrip

This trail, which passes through a mixed forest, is popular with families because of the photo opp at giant Bubble Rock.  What’s also great is that you get a big pay-off for a relatively easy hike.  The summit of South Bubble, at 768 feet, provides dramatic views of Jordan Pond — yet the trail’s series of crib box surfaces make it much easier than hiking over rocks or roots. 

Jordan Pond Shore Trail: 3.2 mile loop

This walk around Jordan Pond starts with a great view of The Bubbles.

Just about all of the circuit is close to the water, which can be 100 feet deep near the shoreline.  Although the terrain is flat, this hike engages my imagination because of its many charming features: a bridge of flat stones, rock-to-rock scrambling, a birch suspension foot-bridge, a section where you tiptoe over elaborate tree roots, and bogwalks.  “Chronicles of A Country Girl” offers many wonderful photos of this circuit.  Reward yourself with lemonade and popovers at Jordan Pond House when you finish.

Flying Mountain:  1.5 mile loop

Of all the trails listed here, this one probably feels the most like a “real hike.”  It’s relatively short, but there is a bit of climbing and elevation at the beginning.  The views of Somes Sound, Sargent Drive, and Norumbega and Sargent Mountains are stunning, as are  the spacious homes and lawns across the sound in Northeast Harbor. The return to the car is easy along a fire road.

Ocean Path: 4 miles round trip

Ocean Path lies in the most popular area of Acadia.

From Sand Beach to Otter Point, this flat trail takes you alongside the ocean with breathtaking views of Maine’s rocky cliffs and pink granite shoreline.  At the halfway point is Thunder Hole, a National Park attraction where the surf crashes through rock chasms.  At Otter Cliffs rock climbers rappel down the 60-foot wall with pounding waves below.  No wonder this hike is so popular! 

Want other ideas?  Kayaking trips also provide wonderful sights in close proximity to the environment.  Acadia National Park is home to several excellent kayaking touring companies that focus on different part of the islands.  Include both hiking and kayaking on your itinerary to Acadia National Park, and you’ll never be satisfied seeing a national park from inside a car again!  Read reviews of Mount Desert Island’s best kayaking tours here.

How long does it take to see Acadia?

That’s a common question among tourists and one that’s tough to answer.  You can drive the Park Loop Road, walk around the top of Cadillac Mountain, relax on Sand Beach, and visit Thunderhole in two or three days.  If you spend a week, you can see “inside” the island by biking its carriage roads and from the “outside” by taking a kayaking trip. 

But if you have a little more time, bring your imagination along and see Acadia from the vantage point of its history. 

I’m in my eighth summer now of walking and biking in the park.  Although I’ve whizzed over the carriage roads and bridges many times, I recently constructed a little tour and saw them in a completely new way.

Acadia National Park boasts 17 stone bridges, 16 of which were built by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. between 1917 and 1933.  He oversaw every element of their design and set the guiding principles for their construction:  minimal disturbance to the surrounding areas, designs to take advantage of scenic vistas and conform to the natural landscape, and use of local materials with a commitment to restore the land after construction.

 In this plan to relate to and respect the natural environment, Rockefeller demonstrated his considerable personal talent and foresight in landscape design.  Rockefeller also directed granite be quarried for each bridge close to the site for cost efficiency.  Each granite block was rough cut at the quarry and then re-shaped by a mason at the site.  One stone per day per mason was the standard.

That’s just one of the things we were thinking about as we started our first of two days visiting Acadia’s bridges by bike.  We could have covered more bridges the first day, but we combined it with a hike starting at Gatepost 22 to Long Pond in Seal Harbor to see the view that Charles Eliot, a key figure in the creation of the national park, called the most beautiful on the island.

All together we spent time at 11 of the 17 bridges in the areas of Upper Hadlock and Jordan Ponds, beginning both days at the Brown Mountain Gatehouse.  The photos are in the sequence of our route in case you’d like to follow in our bike tracks.

And lest we get too carried away here with history and design, let’s remember that the purpose of a bridge is to get you from here to there by going over something.  In Acadia National Park, those “somethings” are bound to be beautiful. Whether a charming little brook, steep ravine, or stunning waterfall, we took our time appreciating them.

Our starting point: Brown's Mountain Gatehouse

Hadlock Brook Bridge, 1926, which is only 40 feet long, was modeled after a bridge in Central Park NYC that Rockefeller favored

Hemlock Bridge 1924, lets bikers cross Maple Spring Brook across its 185-foot expanse and hikers pass under its 30-foot Gothic arch

The contours of Hemlock Bridge illustrate how Rockefeller's bridges conform to the natural landscape

Many larger bridges feature viewing platforms, such as this one on Waterfall Bridge, 1925

Stairs help you get down closer to the waterfall

Little Harbor Brook Bridge, 1919, provided a charming place to picnic alongside its 20-foot arch

Cobblestone Bridge, the first bridge to be built in 1917, is the only one with cobblestone facings, the idea not of the architect, but the carriage road engineer

Cobblestone Bridge is a popular attraction, including one of the tours by Carriages of Acadia

We then hiked to Long Pond in Seal Harbor. This is the view Charles Eliot thought to be the most beautiful on the island.

Looking south towards the ocean across "Little" Long Pond

Amphitheatre Bridge, 1928, is a 236-foot structure that features a flared entrance and dramatic viewing platforms

Amphitheatre Bridge's viewing platforms feel like parapets on a castle

Cliffside Bridge, 1932, is 232 feet long and with its crenulated railing resembles a medieval battlement

Even on a misty day the tall, narrow arch of West Branch Bridge, 1920, is the dramatic feature of this 170-foot bridge

Jordan Pond Bridge, 1920, 40 feet long, is at the popular point where Jordan Pond and Jordan Stream meet

Stunning triple-arched Stanley Brook Bridge, 1933, encapsulates much of what was learned in prior bridge design and construction

Jordan Pond Road Bridge, 1932, facilitates a Seal Harbor road above and carriage road underneath

The Triad-Day Mountain Bridge provided passage on our way home after our bike tour of Acadia's bridges.

In this my eighth summer on Mount Desert Island, I decided to start exploring some of the smaller islands around MDI.  On a Saturday morning Fred and I took our bikes on the 9 o’clock ferry from Bass Harbor to Swan’s Island.

You wouldn’t like it.

The island is hilly for biking.  There are no restaurants to speak of, only two or three take-out shacks.  And we were told the islanders don’t like cyclists.  That’s why the ferry service charges $16.50 per bicycle, in addition to $17.50 per passenger.

Still, you might like the ferry trip.  Packed in with some pick-ups, a lobster bait truck, and a few SUVs loaded with kayaks and vacation gear, we spent the 40-minute crossing both on deck and above, marveling at Acadia’s mountains as they became more and more distant, then turning our attention to Swan’s as it emerged to the south.  Ferry rides are exciting, and this one passed quickly.

Then we arrived, and something surprising happened.  Every time we pedaled past a motorist, he waved.  Sometimes it was a full-fledged wave, sometimes merely a finger off the steering wheel.  But it was nearly universal.

We biked past freshly painted white Victorian farmhouses and the Methodist Church (1891) on our way to our first destination: the Burnt Coat Harbor Lighthouse on Hockamock Head.  It marks the entrance to Burnt Coat Harbor, a curious name that seems to have come from the explorer Samuel de Champlain, who in 1604 called the island Brule-Cote or “Burnt Coast.”

(Speaking of the origin of place names, don’t look for swans on Swan’s Island.  It’s named after James Swan, one of the Sons of Liberty and participant in the Boston Party, who purchased the island in 1786.)

The Burnt Coat light station, built in 1872, was operated manually until 1974 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.  The lighthouse and the keeper’s house are pristine white forms, topped in black and red, handsome geometry straight out of a Hopper painting.

A man on the ferry had kindly mentioned to us that there’s a hiking path at the top of the hill leading down to the lighthouse.  We found it past a huge outcropping of raspberry bushes and followed it among moss-covered boulders and stunning silvery birches down to Burnt Coat Harbor.  And there was the second surprise of the day, a lobster pound.

You’re thinking, “She said there were no restaurants.”  Such lobster pounds (aka lobster shacks) derive their name from the holding tanks where restaurateurs keep the live lobsters.  But this lobster pound in Burnt Coat Harbor, created by wood fencing and pilings with netting, is where lobstermen hold their catch until pricing is favorable for them to bring it to market.  It wasn’t in use, perhaps reflecting the low price of lobster.

This focus on lobster made us hungry.  We biked back past the Post Office, the busiest spot on the island from what I could see. During the 2000 Census, the population of Swan’s Island was 327, and a good percentage of them seemed to be at the Post Office on Saturday morning.  We headed to the Carrying Place, a beautiful narrow spit of land between Toothacher Cove and Back Cove, so named because it is where the Indians carried their canoes from one body of water to the next.  At the Carrying Place Take-out (40 North Road, 526-4043) we ate lobster rolls and curly French Fries at a picnic table beside a meadow.  (They had a Shrimp Basket with French Fries for $10.35, a Clam Basket for $13.95, and an entire lobster dinner for $10.95, not surprising considering the island’s primary industry.)  Then we headed for Sand Beach.

There’s also a Sand Beach on Mount Desert Island and, as beach lovers, we recognize that “sand” is a relative term when it comes to the coast of Maine.  We were somewhat skeptical.  We cycled north on the paved road 0.4 mile and took the second gravel road on the left.  Over several hills and around bends, we pedaled another 0.7 mile, whirling in dust as a couple of cars passed on the loose gravel.  We stopped where four or five cars were parked and took another left almost missing a rather unpretentious sign to the beach.  We walked another half mile on a pine-needle path, sporadically overtaken by roots or mud. 

When we emerged, it was paradise. 

We discovered a perfect crescent of fine sand beach with only a few appreciative people playing lacrosse and building sandcastles with their children.  It looked more like the Caribbean than Maine.  We waded in the water, quite warm by Maine standards, and sunbathed on towels that had been squeezed into our backpacks.

I had wanted to visit Quarry Pond, from which granite was mined and taken out on ships for cobblestones in major eastern cities.  But we had lingered at the lighthouse and lobster pound and beach.  The last ferry returning to Mount Desert Island was at 4:30pm. 

On the way back I noticed a woman taking in laundry that had been drying all day in the sunshine.  The stretch to the dock seemed longer than when we had arrived.  The fragrance of the rosa rugosa intoxicated us with the idea of finding a B&B for the night, or buying a farmhouse and staying forever.

Thank you to Fred Stern for his help with the photographs for this post. 

In the movies the harried corporate executive buys a B&B in New England, starts a successful mail order business, and lives happily ever after. 

If you have ever visited a B&B on the Maine coast – or plan to this summer – you may wonder if innkeepers’ lives are as sweet as the chocolate-drizzled banana French toast they serve for breakfast.  For one couple, the route to Mount Desert Island, which annually lures over two million visitors to Acadia National Park, had as many switchbacks as a park hiking trail.

Alan Feuer, who today owns Ann’s Point Inn on Bass Harbor, says, “I taught computer science at Northeastern and ran a company that offers specialized search engines.  My wife Jeannette worked at the Museum of Science in Boston.  When our youngest finished college, we decided it was time to sell our 120-year-old Victorian in the city and try something different.” 

The couple commenced a nationwide search to meet an exacting set of standards for a property.  According to Alan, they wanted a spectacular setting in an interesting community with high-quality amenities like excellent grocers and restaurants.  Because they had already had an old house in Boston, they decided to look for a property of contemporary design and construction.  They focused on inns with fewer than five rooms so that they could really meet their guests.  And they wanted a seasonal enterprise that would give them time to themselves. 

The search for the ideal property took the Feuers to the central California coast, the Southwest, islands off the Southeast, and Cape Cod.  They spent a year looking, then they saw Ann’s Point Inn on Mount Desert Island.  

Sitting on two acres at the end of a peninsula on Bass Harbor, this lovely B&B had four luxurious guest rooms with water views, an indoor heated pool, a Finnish sauna, a jet-filled hot tub, and nearly 700 feet of private shoreline.  And there wasn’t a fussy Victorian wreath or lace pillow in sight.

 Not only did it meet all of their criteria, but, as Alan said, “MDI had always been in the back of our minds.  We’d been going there on and off for 30 years.  Acadia is one of our favorite places.” 

Finding the property was only the beginning.  Alan’s dream was “luxury with a low-carbon footprint.”  That meant adding a solar pool heater and 3500 watts of electricity generation using solar panels.  They also redesigned their central courtyard and built three new decks and patios. 

The Feuers approached innkeeping with confidence because they’d always done a lot of entertaining.  Alan hooked up a Quickmill espresso machine to perfect his cappucino technique.  Jeannette began preparing breakfast not once, but three times a day to test recipes. 

Foodies flock to Mount Desert Island because of its inventive restaurants that focus on seasonal ingredients, seafood, and local produce. Jeannette started experimenting with some of these for her three-course breakfasts, which include herbs and produce from her garden as well as local eggs and seafood. Alan has added a refreshment hour in the late afternoon featuring Seal Cove goat cheese, a favorite mead from Bartlett Winery he pairs with roasted apricots, and honey ale from Atlantic Brewing.   

Does Ann’s Point Inn attract any particular type of visitor?  “Many are celebrating some special occasion.  That puts them in a wonderful state-of-mind.  I think everyone is enchanted by the beauty of the island. Hiking, kayaking, and eating lobster are among the most popular activities.” 

With satisfied guests and the perfect setting, it seems the one final element of the equation for innkeeper happiness is the mail order business.  “I still run the search engine business that I started in Boston,” Alan grins, “I guess that qualifies as Web mail order.”

To learn more about things to do in Acadia National Park and the best times to visit Mount Desert Island, visit OUR ACADIA.

I’m a lobster fanatic.  I do side-by-side taste tests in search of the perfect lobster roll.  I comb scientific research to find a hypothesis for why soft shell lobsters are sweeter than hard shell.  And every New Year’s Eve I pay four times the market price in New York City to get lobsters shipped overnight from Maine.

That’s why I was so interested in New York Magazine’s recent feature “On a Roll” about how a lobster glut in Maine has spawned a new class of New York entrepreneurs selling lobster rolls out of their apartments and at flea markets, pop-up stands, and storefronts.  As a business venture, it’s seems particularly to have caught the attention of frustrated young lawyers and i-bankers who see a new “buy low-sell high” opportunity here.

Their business case centers on how two “E’s” – environment and economy – dramatically impacted the supply of and demand for Maine lobster.  As New York Magazine writer Benjamin Wallace aptly explains, an over-fishing of cod diminished one of young lobsters’ key predators and strict fishing limits on the size of each lobster taken defeated another. 

As the supply of lobster reached historic levels, demand for it was dealt a double blow.  The first hit is easy to guess – diminished orders from recession-hit restaurants.  But what Wallace also tells us is that more than half of Maine’s catch had been sold to Canadian processors who lost their credit lines in 2008 when the Icelandic banking system crashed.  According to New York Magazine, “The price of Maine lobster at the dock dropped from $5 to $2.50 a pound.”

In stepped the NYC lobster roll entrepreneurs.  They saw the opportunity to buy lobster meat at affordable prices and then sell it in sumptuous rolls that appeal “to the foodie trend of wanting to get back to artisanal food and its source.”

Now here’s the sad truth. 

New York foodies love the lobster roll debate: what type of roll, should it be toasted, the merits of celery, how much mayonnaise, the sinful deception of using lettuce as a filler.

But it’s all about the flavor of the lobster meat.  And lobster never tastes as good in New York as it does in Maine.

Talk to Dane Somers, Executive Director of the Lobster Council of Maine about why even live lobster from, say, Fairway doesn’t taste as good as what you get in Maine. “Everyone thinks that if it’s alive, you can’t get any fresher than that.  But there is a subtle difference.  It’s like fresh-cut flowers.  One-day-old flowers are not as fresh as those cut this morning.”

I don’t want to sound like rotten tomatoes, but that’s the analogy that comes to my mind: the flavor of tomatoes shipped from another continent versus picked from your garden. 

Before you agree with the “artisanal food” label, you have to ask how the lobster roll entrepreneurs get their lobster from Maine to New York.  One cooks the lobster in Maine and ships it down in pre-portioned 4-ounce Saran-wrapped packets.  Another bought a van for better conduct of live lobsters that had been dying on the BQE during the weekly trips in the back of his Chevy Avalanche 

Even lobsters transported live for high-volume seafood enterprises deteriorate in flavor. In transit and then in tanks for two or three days, they are not fed and obviously under stress.  Believe me, it affects the flavor.

Now we shouldn’t deny ourselves a good lobster roll here in NYC.  I’ll have mine at Pearl’s or the Mermaid Inn with a gin and tonic and praise the fries.  But I’ll recognize that, unfortunately, a lobster roll in New York is more about summoning summertime’s consummate symbol.  Not flavor.

If you are truly interested in food and want to taste the real thing, you have to haul yourself up to Maine.

It’s a long haul.  That’s why everyone defaults to the Hamptons or Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.  But those in search of the perfect lobster roll will go to Maine.

Right now you can get a round-trip ticket from JFK to Portland for about $300.  From Portland drive 3-hours-plus to Mount Desert Island, which has been ranked by both Travel and Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler as one of the most beautiful islands in the world.  About the same size as Martha’s Vineyard, but with 24 mountain peaks, it has the mesmerizing scenery of where the mountains meet the sea.  In addition to scouting your personal favorite among the lobster pounds, you can visit Acadia National Park.

Watch the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain, the first place from which to witness dawn in the United States.

Drive the Park Loop Road, the 27-mile masterful collaboration between John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.

Bike some of the 57 miles of car-free carriage roads…or explore them as originally intended, on a horse-drawn carriage.

Stroll, hike, or climb among the park’s 130 miles of hiking trails that present unsurpassed views of a fiord, glacial lakes, and mountain peaks that repeat to the horizon.

Visit Sand Beach, a sandy crescent with cliffs rising on each side.  The views won’t disappoint, even if the chilly water does. 

You may go to Maine with the intention of eating lobster rolls every day, but be prepared to be tempted otherwise.  A group of creative restaurateurs take true pride in their craft and will offer you the best in seafood, locally grown produce, and local cheeses.  You’ll also find French bistro, authentic Mexican, tapas and Cuban cuisine – all influenced by local ingredients.  Three award-winning micro-breweries, a shop featuring tastings of artisanal vinegars and olive oil, and an organic farm run by the local college round out the itinerary for foodies.

For the best places to eat on a visit to Mount Desert Island, the Web site OUR ACADIA offers detailed reviews.  You’ll also find tips on the best times to visit, the best kayaking guides, and eco-friendly inns.

But if you go, remember this warning: lobster in New York will never be the same.

From trip mementos for yourself to special gifts for others, from the simple to the spectacular, Bar Harbor and the neighboring villages on Mount Desert Island have lots to keep shoppers entertained…at least until the skies clear and we’re back on the hiking trails. 

Cool As A Moose^®
118 Main Street, Bar Harbor
288-3904

The iconic vacation souvenir is a T-shirt, and there are lots to choose from here.  Cool As A Moose even has its own line, reprieving a psychedelic design.  My favorites are downstairs in the Life is Good collection.  But why not branch out to, say, their Gluteus Maximoose boxers? 

Fiore
8 Rodick Place, Bar Harbor
801-2580

A relative newcomer to Bar Harbor, Fiore doesn’t have a shop; it’s a tasting room lined with mini stainless steel canisters of extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegars from which you sample blends and infusions of different flavors.  Then they pour and bottle it for you.  Although the traditional 18-year balsamic vinegar is most popular, I couldn’t pass up a fig-flavored balsamic.    

Spruce & Gussy
12 Mount Desert Street, Bar Harbor
669-5309

If your tastes run more toward the contemporary, you’ll want to check out this new shop run by two local women.  They’ve brought together the work of artisans from throughout the U.S. and Mexico that convey color, craftsmanship, and whimsy.  From leather-bound journals to bibs to hand towels, something will catch your eye as an “adornment for self or space.” 

Kimball Shop & Boutique
135 Main Street, Northeast Harbor
276-3043

I can never get enough of ferns and scallop shells, so the barware, table linens, and serving pieces at the Kimball Shop hold endless appeal for me.  Furnishings range from elegant tableware to rugs and floor cloths that epitomize traditional summer style.  Their tent sale in the fall allows me to afford some of it! 

Hatched on MDI
360 Main Street, Southwest Harbor
244-9800

A native of Mount Desert Island, Heather Brown has a flourishing shop, with expanded quarters, that is as much a community center for year-round parents as it is the perfect spot to find a baby gift.  From “super cute” bathing suits to toys and books to the best Anti Bug Balm Stick by Badger, you won’t be disappointed, especially if you then pop in next door at the Quiet Side Café for a piece of blueberry pie. 

Old Red Store
129 Bernard Road, Bernard
244-0240

This is what every antique shop in Maine should look like, but during my last visit I was equally delighted with what I found inside.  I bought a wonderful old watercolor of loggers loading cargo on to sailing ships for $36 framed, a fabulous tote bag made of recycled sail cloth, and very nice stationery.   Call before you make the trip and combine it with dinner at Thurston’s Lobster Pound. 

Judy Taylor Studio & Gallery
1517 Tremont Road, Seal Cove.
244-5545

The western side of Mount Desert Island is blissfully undeveloped, with beautiful ponds, rolling meadows, and deep coniferous forests.  Here you can visit the studio of Maine artist Judy Taylor – by chance or appointment.  She works in oils, gouache, watercolor, and oils.  Although some formats are smaller (24″ x 18”), there’s always an iconic strength in her work that makes her appealing Maine landscapes remarkably distinctive.

Imagine: 24 mountains on an island the size of Martha’s Vineyard.  That’s Mount Desert Island in Maine, and it should be your destination if you want to hike where the mountains meet the sea.

I’m now on my seventh summer of hiking Acadia National Park’s trails, marveling at each experience and recording it in my copy of A Walk in the Park by Tom St. Germain.  This small volume has been my indispensable guide and should be yours.

When I started hiking in Acadia, I’d always ask locals and people I’d meet on the trails, “What’s your favorite hike?”  Now that I’ve covered 32 of the 59 Tom St. Germain lists, I’ll share my favorites.

Jordan Cliffs & Bluffs to Penobscot Mountain

This 4.3 mile loop, sections of which were constructed before 1900, makes me feel like a kid.  Stone steps, iron rungs and railings, ladders, and bridges over ravines combine with great views of Jordan Pond on the ascent.  That alone would make this a spectacular hike, but the 360-degree views atop Penobscot deliver sheer bliss.

Giant Slide Trail & Grandgent to Sargent Mountain

Also in the Jordan Pond area, I like the Giant Slide Trail along Sargent Brook and the steep Grandgent climb.  You get two peaks for the price of one: first, spectacular views from Gilmore Peak and then from Sargent Mountain.  I make the 5.4 mile loop by descending on the North Ridge Trail, which Tom St. Germain recommends for its excellent views of Somes Sound.

The Precipice to Champlain Mountain

This short, but exhilarating hike deserves its notoriety.  It’s a 1,160 vertical gain or loss, depending on how you look at it, but I don’t recommend you look down.  After all, this trail takes you up the sheer east face of Champlain Mountain.  Rungs and ladders help, but some ledges have no protection.  At the top the views of the Atlantic and Frenchman Bay are equally breaktaking.

Acadia Mountain

I’ve done this hike again and again, not only because it is my favorite way to introduce new people to Acadia hiking, but I just love it.  Both on the trail and at the peaks (two of them), there are superior vistas.  In fact, the steep descent down the eastern side of Acadia Mountain offers some of our most-photographed views of Somes Sound.

Beech Mountain

Atop this 849’ mountain is a fire tower that boosts your viewing pleasure.  And at its base is wonderful Long Pond that affords the opportunity to combine this hike with a little kayaking.  My preferred route for this hike is to go up the West Ridge and descend on Valley Trail, which is thickly wooded and covered in moss and lichen.  Another option is to descend to Echo Lake Beach, where you can leave your bikes for the trip back to Long Pond, making this a hiking/biking/kayaking triathalon.

Next to water and great hiking boots, the necessity I also recommend for hiking in Acadia is the trail map of Mount Desert Island published by Map Adventures.  It clearly shows the 110 miles of hiking trails, as well as 57 miles of carriage roads, signpost numbers included.  Believe me, though Acadia’s trails are well marked, you can take wrong routes and end up well out of your way, exhausted.  Last weekend I was stopped twice by people with less detailed maps who were quite confused.

The five hikes I’ve recommended here are all moderate to challenging.  You’ll definitely get some exercise as well as spectaculars views of Acadia National Park’s mountains, lakes, islands, bays, and, of course, the Atlantic Ocean.  The good news is that you’ll be guilt-free when you indulge later in lobster and blueberry pie!  So, after you’ve planned your hike, take a look at the exciting array of restaurant possibilities on Mount Desert Island.