We will be spending two weeks in Maine from 7/31 through 8/13. Our main goal is to see the sun rise on Cadillac Mtn and do lots of hiking. We are coming from NJ and expect to spend our first night around Kittery. From there we want to go to Bangor for a few days and arrive on Mt Desert 8/4.
I am hoping to rent a house for a week but have never done a house rental so am a little leary. Are these rentals usually reputable? I%26#39;ve been looking on the Home Away website. My experience is that after a whole day together, it%26#39;s nice to split up at the end of the day for some quiet time.
Is this a realistic plan? What time of day do people head for the mountain top? Does the free shuttle get anywhere near it? Are there any special hiking considerations in the predawn hours? Are there any bears or other wildlife to avoid? Any suggestions on what to do on our way back? We don%26#39;t have to be back until 8/18 and I was thinking of maybe hitting Salem, Mass.
I ask the bear question because we had an encounter in Yosemite and it was kinda scary.
Bar Harrbor and Cadillac Mtn
Sunrise on August 1st is at 5:18. On the days following it will be a minute or two later each day. It is about a 12 minute drive from the middle of the village of Bar Harbor to the top of Cadillac. It is best to get to the top 15 or 20 minutes before sunrise to watch the sky light up and color as sunrise approaches.
The free shuttle does not go to the top of Cadillac at any time of day and certainly not that early. It is possible to hike to the summit for sunrise, although driving is certainly easier. How early one should start a hike to the summit for sunrise would depend on one%26#39;s fitness level and the route one chooses to hike. There are many.
In ten years of living here, I%26#39;ve heard of no encounters with dangerous wildlife on Cadillac. My husband was once joined by a red fox who sat and watched sunrise with him at a safe distance. At any given time there might be a bear or two on the island. But they are rarely seen, a notable exception being one late autumn when a bear wandered into the village and climbed a tree behind the town offices to avoid a barking dog. The bear stayed there all day as word went around town and people came to watch and photograph. When the human and dog population went home for the day, the bear came down from the tree and left, never to be seen again.
I can%26#39;t speak for all the various rental homes that are available on the island and in Bar Harbor. I would trust that they are reputable. The three that I%26#39;ve personally been inside are quite nice.
I%26#39;d recommend a stop in Camden, Maine and in Portland on your way back to New Jersey.
Bar Harrbor and Cadillac MtnAll good suggestions from bonniemaev. We%26#39;ve rented houses in the area several times, with totally satisfying results. I%26#39;ve also rented houses from internet searches in London and L.A., and again, very satisfying.
When looking at houses on the web, keep in mind that they are being presented in their best light. Generate a list of questions about everything that you cannot tell for certain from the pix or description, and anything else that you can think of or that is important to you. If they are not helpful, don%26#39;t rent. If your gut is uncertain, don%26#39;t rent. If you fell you have scoped it out pretty well, you probably did. You can still end up with a sucky experience, but you have at least put the odds greatly in your favor.
Some other rentals sites:
vacation rentals by owner
www.vrbo.com
Vacation Home Rentals
www.vacationhomerentals.com
And, specifically for the Bar Harbor area:
The Down East Guide
www.downeastguide.com/Pages/lodging.html
You can also search Yahoo and/or Google for Bar Harbor Vacation Rentals.
One more tip. Bar Harbor will be the most expensive town on the the Island (Mount desert Island). Other towns on the island may be less costly.
Itinerary planning - rentals are usually Saturday to Saturday. So plan accordingly.
Twelve minutes from the village to the summit might be achievable IF one knows the road---I%26#39;d allow closer to 20.
There are two places to watch the sunrise. One is where nearly everyone goes---along the path that roughly circles the Cadillac sub-summit and which is accessible from the main part of the parking lot. The other place is closer to the true summit and is reached via the path that runs to it from the visitor%26#39;s center/concession building.
The other thing that you might consider is sunset atop Cadillac. The best views are from the Blue Hill overlook atop Cadillac or from Sunset Point, which is accessed from parking areas along the road a little below the summit. Blue Hill can get very crowded (lots of photographers).
If not Bar Harbor, than which town would be a good choice? Does the free shuttle cover the whole island? We would like to keep our driving to a minimum and also want to be near the water. I read on another post about somebody named April that rents her place. Is this a good choice?
The Island Explorer shuttle pretty much covers the ';park'; part of the island as well as providing connections among the three main villages---Bar Harbor, Southwest Harbor, Northeast Harbor.
For routes, schedules and other details, check:
%26lt;www.exploreacadia.com%26gt;
Don%26#39;t worry if it%26#39;s still last year%26#39;s map and schedule---year to year changes are minor.
For the combination of a variety of lodging alternatives plus easy travel into the park via the Explorer (i.e., minimizing driving) Bar Harbor is your best bet.
If not Bar Harbor, then Southwest Harbor is a good choice. The free shuttle doesn%26#39;t cover the whole island. It doesn%26#39;t go to Bernard or Pretty Marsh or the top of Cadillac. The various routes all begin and end at the Village Green in Bar Harbor. So that, for example, if one wanted to get from Southwest Harbor to Sand Beach in Acadia, one would have to first take a bus from SWH to BH and then from BH to Sand Beach.
April%26#39;s rental house in Bar Harbor is nice. It%26#39;s right in the middle of the village of Bar Harbor, behind the Post Office. There is no water view but it is only about two blocks from the water. You could leave your car in the driveway and walk to all the restaurants and shops of Bar Harbor. It%26#39;s about four blocks from the Village Green where the Island Explorer bus routes start and end.
A good rental choice will really depend on your amenity requirements. You can rent a private, free-standing cottage that is part of a group and many will belong to the Chambers of Commerce or other associations - most of these establishments have been here for a long time and that may alleviate some of your concerns. On-site management can be a factor if there is a problem. acadiamagic is another resource. And yes, Bar Harbor will be the most pricey. The %26#39;quietside%26#39; - Bass Harbor (Tremont), Southwest will have more friendly rates but expect to pay a premium for high season waterfront. Last year, the Island Explorer went from Southwest to Bass Harbor (Swans Island Ferry terminal) to Bernard (Thurston%26#39;s Lobster Pound) and finally the Quietside Campground in W. Tremont. Everything on the Island is within close proximity so there shouldn%26#39;t be much driving and the Explorer stops running by 9:30 unless you are staying in a downtown Bar Harbor hotel or going to the Airport in Trenton. Have a great vacation.
The locals have given you a lot of good advice. I%26#39;ll just add a couple of amens and other points as an annual visitor from Pennsylvania.
First is a question regarding the drive up. Do you have specific reasons for stopping in Kittery and the several day stay in Bangor? I ask because you can make it to Bar Harbor in one day. We normally leave the Allentown/Bethlehem, Pa. area around 4am and pull into Bar Harbor around 2pm. That is pretty much driving straight through but it normally is not a bad drive at all. Kittery is about 5 1/2 hours from here. And Bangor may be a fine city but I%26#39;m not sure what I would do with several days there unless you are visiting someone, planning to spend some time at the Racino, stalking Stephen King or something like that.
Now as far as the Island Explorer shuttle is concerned, you can take the shuttle from Bar Harbor Village Green to anywhere it goes. You can only take the shuttle from the outlying areas to stops along its route back to the Village Green in Bar Harbor. So for example to get from Southwest Harbor to say the Jordan Pond House on the shuttle, you%26#39;d have to go Southwest Harbor to Bar Harbor Village Green and then change buses and go back out to the Jordan Pond House. In my estimation, if you want to rely on the shuttle, stay in Bar Harbor.
And finally a note on climbing Cadillac. If you want to see the sunrise, drive. And prepare for it be be chilly up there. Easier to shed a layer if its too warm than to try to stand up there in shorts and tee and freezing your butt off. Now as far as hiking Cadillac is concerned, here is where Island Explorer can be real handy. Two years ago, we drove to the Cadillac South Ridge trailhead and hiked to the summit and back down - a very nice hike. Last year we took the Island Explorer and were dropped off at the Cadillac North Ridge trailhead. We hiked up the North Ridge and down the South Ridge where we crossed Route 3 to entrance to Blackwood%26#39;s Campground and waited for the Island Explorer, which has a run to Blackwood%26#39;s, to come by and pick us up for the ride back in to the Village Green. So you have much more flexibility with the bus. We are morning people so we like to catch the first bus out around 8:00am or so. When we get an early start, we see very few people out on the trail (this is always in Sept; July/Aug may be different) until we are on our descent. Then we start to seeing the late risers on their way up the mountain. So as far as I am concerned, earlier is better.
Hope some of this helps.
Straight through is too long a ride for me. After 5 or 6 hours in the car, I need to get out and we don%26#39;t want to drive in the dark. Why Kittery? Why not? It%26#39;s as good a place as any to stop. Most of the house rentals are Sat-Sat so we need to lay over somewhere. We were thinking of Bangor or Orono so we could drive to one of the state parks in that area. Maybe even see a moose.
We would not rely exclusively on the shuttes but I know they are a good alternative to driving and parking over and over. It%26#39;s also better for the island. On Isle Au Haut we had no car and hiked everywhere. In Yosemite we parked centrally and relied on the shuttles which ran every 20 mins.
Which are the more memorable hikes in Acadia? Is the Jordan Pond Trail safe for children? If you pull yourself up the rungs, is there another way down? In the course of a week, we would like to go from simplest to most challenging so how would you rate these?
Thanks to everyone for their input. It really helps.
If you go to community.webshots.com/user/paflyfisher you will find some photos grouped by hike. That should give you a feel for some of the hikes. If you look at the Perpendicular Trail hike (billed as one of the more challenging in Acadia) you will come across a photo of the rungs and ladder (not really anything to fear there).
For easy ones with kids (how young?), consider Shore Path right in Bar Harbor; Bar Island across the sand bar exposed at low tide that connects Bar Harbor to Bar Island; the Ocean Drive Trail from Sand Beach to Otter Point; Compass Harbor; and yes the Jordan Pond Trail should be doable for a child. One side is easy and the other has you walking across a number of ';two plank'; boardwalks but it is not difficult. In addition Ship Harbor and Wonderland over on the SWHarbor/Bass Harbor side of the island are also easy hikes and kids would love to explore the tidal pools at Wonderland. The Great (Long) Pond Trail also on the SWHarbor side of the island is another easy hike for the part that parallels to pond. That is an out and back hike if you are aiming to keep it easy.
The most challenging hike in Acadia is the Precipice which is pretty much straight up on rungs and ladders. But you won%26#39;t have to worry about that one since the trail is closed due to earthquake damage and probably will not be reopened until 2008 at the earliest. There are a number of other realtively challenging hikes depending on what you like. If you haven%26#39;t already gotten it, get a copy of Tom St.Germain%26#39;s ';A Walk in the Park'; which is probably the best book on hikes in the park.
Understand your reasoning for Kittery. We%26#39;re just ';put your head down and drive'; kind of folks so we do as I said - up and on the road at 4am, in Bar Harbor by 2pm; a little late lunch and a walk in the park before dark.
Just a suggestion but you might want to think about heading to Moosehead Lake/Greenville area after Kittery. Spend a couple of nights there. Look for moose, hike some of the trails there, etc. and then its about 3 hours, I think, into Bar Harbor. Just a thought.
Isn%26#39;t Isle au Haut great? We stayed at the Keeper%26#39;s House there. Wonderful place to just chill.
And while we will be in Bar Harbor/Acadia again the end of September. Late July will find us in Yosemite (as well as Monterey and Big Sur). Now what about those bears???
Again hope this helps.
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