From Freedom Trail to Carriage Roads

Part 3 – Acadia, Rockefeller’s Carriage Roads

We woke up on Friday, July 6th with cloudy weather, and reports of Cadillac Mountain crowned in fog. Early to rise, we once again found ourselves beating the crowds. Waking up in downtown Bar Harbor, the once bustling shops and lively restaurants turned watering holes were quite quiet compared to the night before. Grabbing some morning coffee and a decent continental breakfast at the Villager Inn, we said good bye to Bar Harbor and made the short drive to Acadia National Park.

Arriving at the Hulls Cove Visitors Center we walked our way up the path to get our weekly private vehicle pass. Everyone in the center was very helpful and friendly. As there are shuttle services, and most features can be driven to via the Park Loop Road, the park  provides real-time current conditions at the different stops. Still earlier in the morning, most of the stops were not crowded, but it was confirmed that we would not be able to see much from the top of Cadillac Mountain. We decided to hit the Park Loop Road and get in as many of the sites as possible before the potential chance of rain in the afternoon.

One of the first pull-off areas before the Park Loop Road provides an overview of  Frenchman Bay, the Mt. Desert Narrows, and glimpses of Bar Harbor. Even with the cloudy weather the views were definitely worth the stop. Once on the one-way Park Loop Road, we were eager to see Sand Beach and to touch the cold crisp Maine water of the Atlantic. We parked the car and made our way toward the beach. We were able to sneak a peak of what felt like a secret beach through the birch trees and berry bushes, perhaps it was still the morning hours and less than optimal weather that made it feel so secluded.

Once down on Sand Beach, we realized all the amazing beaches we have been able to walk along in our few years of traveling. This was another to add to the list, even without the sun shining. It is amazing how the Atlantic Ocean can feel so similar to the Pacific Ocean, but yet so different. While we enjoyed the moment and reflecting back on other travels, with the wind whipping up sand we did not linger long.

The next major stop on the Park Loop Road was Thunder Hole. We missed the tide coming in, which creates a thunderous roar when the waves fill a partially exposed cave in the rocks. With the weather kicking up more aggressive waves, we were able to hear a sample of the power of the ocean at Thunder Hole.

With some additional traffic and approaching mid-morning hours, we decided to skip Otter Point and several other stops, to make our way over to the Jordan Pond area of Acadia National Park. While there are numerous trails for walking and hiking from stop to stop along the Park Loop Road, as well as throughout Acadia, we knew we wanted to visit the historic Gatehouse and walk the Carriage Roads.

We parked at the Jordan Pond House, which we figured we would eventually circle back to after walking the carriage road and some of the Jordan Pond Path. Walking in the opposite direction of Jordan Pond, we were able to connect with one of the carriage roads. We loved taking in the historic architecture as we walked past the large stone gates to the Gatehouse, which included a mixture of materials that had a strong presence and yet blended in with the surrounding natural environment so well.

The philanthropic nature of the rustic carriage roads are the works of the Rockefeller family, and can be traced to their desire to escape the fast pace of the surrounding vehicular world. As we continued our walk along the carriage road the silence of leaving the bustling of our modern world behind set in. Being in nature has a way of cleansing, and healing. Perhaps its the fresh crisp air, found even during humid summer days.

While on the carriage roads we not only had a “baby carriage”, but we also saw several horse drawn carriages.

After enjoying the carriage roads we made our way toward Jordan Pond. The clean water and mountain tops in the distance made for some great photo opportunities. We enjoyed the family time, and being able to experience the great outdoors that this country has to offer. What a way to spend our Fourth of July vacation, and thanks to the National Park Service that allows it to be so accessible. After hiking around the Jordan Pond Path, we started to make our way back to the Jordan Pond House.

The way back led us through an open field of blueberry bushes, although the berries were not quite ready for the picking and still needed a couple more weeks. But no worries, as we found ourselves at the Jordan Pond House Restaurant in perfect time for lunch. The crowds were definitely starting to pick up by now, but we were able to have a short wait for a table for two and a highchair. Once seated at a window seat with views of the blueberry fields and Jordan Pond, we watched the sky open up and the rain start to pour down. We were nice and dry inside, and were ready for some traditional popovers with Maine strawberry jam. We also shared an appetizer of lobster and crab cakes, as we discussed how satisfied we were with what able to experience at Acadia with the poor weather, but how much more we probably would have wanted to hike and explore if the weather was in our favor. Maybe next visit we will even check out a sunrise from Cadillac Mountain.

After lunch, we knew to keep up with our Maine tour as planned we would have to leave the carriage roads behind and hit the interstate to make our way back south. Next stop . . . Portland, and the final highlights of Fourth of July holiday in Boston and Maine.