Gesen KingDuring our preliminary research about RV life we came across a couple of YouTube videos from Less Junk More Journey documenting their experience at Acadia National Park, we quickly added it to our bucket list! While it took over two years before we actually made it to Acadia, it definitely lived up to the hype.
We intended to be in the North East during the fall because we heard that it was one of the best places to watch the colors change. We arrived at the onset of the transformation and loved getting to witness such a vibrant display of fall beauty as the temperatures began to drop. We also wanted to avoid the peak season crowds since we had the flexibility to do so.
Adventures
Gorham Mountain trail: Our first day in Acadia we met up with our friends and rode the free tram to the Gorham Mountain trail head. Our crew included three adults, a 5 year old, two 3 year olds, a 2.5 year old and a 15 month old. The children loved climbing up the large rocks and stayed happily entertained for well over half of the hike. The youngest was carried for the majority of the hike but did enjoy getting to climb about for a while when we stopped for a picnic lunch. The 2.5 year old walked over half of the hike with minimal assistance. The older three walked the entire hike although there was some dragging feet and complaining near the end when exhaustion was really kicking in. While this is not rated as an easy family friendly hike, it was certainly enjoyable for our group.
Precipice Trail, Champlain South Ridge & The Beehive: Matt enjoyed this challenging and very rewarding hike while Gesen and the boys spent the morning exploring the Bar Harbor land bridge (Bar Island Trail). Check out his story from that adventure and his photos here.
Bar Island Trail: This trail was recommended to us by several friends and we were excited to check it out. The trail is only accessible for approximately 3 hours around low tide (1.5 hours before and after). We did not find any starfish, but apparently we were not looking correctly. We found out afterwards that you have to check underneath the rocks! The boys had a blast exploring and splashing through the water.
Sunrise at Cadillac Mountain: After seeing the sunrise at Haleakala Mountain in Maui multiple times, we decided we really should wake up early and give the Sunrise at Cadillac Mountain an opportunity to compete. While we were very thankful that the sky was clear for a beautiful sunrise, the wind was howling! Thankfully we were wearing layers, coats and hats, but the boys had a hard time keeping their mittens on and were pretty miserable. The views were great, but we remain a little partial to those from Haleakala. If you’re only going to wake up early for one sunrise in Maine, we recommend seeing the sunrise from a lighthouse instead (we particularly enjoyed Portland Head Light). If you are intent on seeing it from Cadillac Mountain, don’t forget to make your vehicle registration here.
Camping
We camped at Patten Pond Camping Resort in Ellsworth Maine. It was a 45 minute drive to Bar Harbor where the shuttle takes visitors to and from the most popular areas of Acadia. We would definitely be willing to camp there again next time we visit the area, but we might also try and check out some of the campgrounds a little closer to Bar Harbor.
