Our third day at the park included the full drive around Park Loop Road. We once again purchased and downloaded the Acadia Tour from the GuideAlong app. I highly recommend the app and the audio guides they provide. The narrator, who we named “Alfred”, is fantastic. The app’s ability to know exactly where you are and which direction you are heading is great and a little creepy. Anyways, Alfred guided us along Park Loop Road and we were glad he did. There are several “secret” places that without Alfred to tell us to stop, we would have missed bc there are no signs nor designated parking areas.
Precipice Mountain is one of THE mountains to hike in the park. However, May – August the area is closed because the Peregrine Falcons are nesting. In the 1950s the Peregrine population was almost extinct because of the chemical DDT. The endangered species act, banning of DDT, and a dedicated effort by park officials has helped the Peregrine Falcon population soar in Acadia.
The other main mountain people seek to hike is Bee Hive. From the reviews I read, its sounds like a great hike with all of the thousands of tourists. It was described as a “conga line” by one review. We honestly have been kindof surprised by the amount of tourists. And so, knowing it’s going to be crowded, we passed. plus, the parking lot was a zoo when we passed so we felt confident in our decision.
Instead, we walked along the Ocean Path and enjoyed spectacular views of the Harbor and rocky Maine coastline. Another item on my list completed. Explore the coast. ✔️ And it was beautiful!
Our first stopping point was Thunder Hole. I read mixed reviews about Thunder Hole, some calling it Thunder-less Hole if there were no storms or tidal changes. We were pleasantly surprised for a calm morning.
How about a video for sound and understanding of the force!
So what’s going on? the ocean has carved a cave at water level. When the water runs out airs fills in. Water rushes in with the waves and creates a thundering sound as the air is forced out.
One more video… the shadows give perspective on size.
Our next stop was to park and stroll along the Ocean Path.
Caught another item on my Maine list – see a working Lobster 🦞Boat.
We reached the end of the path and doubled back to the car. Still so beautiful.
We jumped back in the car and Alfred encouraged us to stop and observe the bridge. Much of the park was a gift from John D. Rockefeller. This bridge is one example of how Rockefeller took advice from knowledgeable engineers. Instead of creating a straight road, the engineer advised Rockefeller – a curved bridge that mirrored the sand bar would be a better option. We agreed.
Our next stop was at Little Hunters Beach. An unmarked yet easily accessible beach with lovely round stones. Alfred encouraged this stop as well. Years and years of waves have rolled these stones smooth and round.
That was our final stop for the day and completed our tour of Park Loop Road. We did the other part yesterday. We headed back to Bar Harbor for lunch. On the menu, lobster bisque and clam chowder. The lobster claw at the bottom of my bisque was a fun surprise.
The final part of our day was to watch the sunset from Cadillac Mountain. We took a small picnic and found a spot away from the huge crowd. All was lovely. However, we both agreed the warm temperatures gave it a bit of a haze. Beautiful regardless.
We also agreed sunrise the day before was more spectacular. Thanks for reading!
