2 Bucket List Items checked in Acadia National Park!

We arrived in Bar Harbor, Maine on August 30, 2023.  When I asked Barry what he would like me to say about driving in the Eastern U.S., he just said, “NOT FUN”!  We found the driving to be very aggressive, which is very stressful when you’re pulling a 38ft fifth wheel…our home!  We arrived safely so that’s all that mattered; however, we’ve since invested in a dashcam.

One of the biggest lessons we've learned while living this lifestyle is you need to be easily adaptable. It's a wonderful and rewarding lifestyle but it's not without its challenges. When we finally arrived at our campground to check in, we were advised that we had no sewer hookup and because there were only 2 Thousand Trails membership sites available in the park, we had no other option. We hadn't prepared the rv for no sewer, but we adapted with ease. However, when we got to our site it was literally a pool of mud and water.  Clearly Bar Harbour had a lot of rain recently and it was all running into our site.  We didn't see a maintenance person and the office was now closed, so spent the first couple of hours digging small drainage paths in several directions to drain the water off the site.  Needless to say, it was a Disaronno kind of evening!!

Other than our less than average site, we absolutely loved our time in Bar Harbor, Maine.  We had a 2 hikes on our bucket list, and we checked off both of them: Hike Acadia National Park's Beehive trail and a sunrise hike to the summit of Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the eastern seaboard of the U.S.. Trying a Maine lobster roll was also high on our list, and of course, just hang at the waterfront in Bar Harbor.

First, Beehive Trail.  This was such a cool hike.  We enjoy hikes where there’s a mix of terrain and therefore challenges, and Beehive Trail was certainly that.  We started on Bowl Trail through the trees and quickly the Beehive showed itself.  The first section we climbed up iron rungs on exposed steep cliff faces, traversing narrow ledges in between.  Although the rock was well-marked, if one had a fear of heights this hike would not be for you!! 

We climbed up the first section of rungs onto a narrow ledge where we were greeted by a porcupine.  No idea how the little guy got up there, but he quickly disappeared over a ledge. 

It was hard to resist the views we knew were behind us while we were climbing; however, once we climbed the 500 feet to the summit, we were rewarded with breathtaking views of Sand Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. 

After enjoying the views for a while it was time to descent down the backside returning to the Bowl Trail where we couldn’t help but stop again taking advantage of the relaxing scenery surrounding a small pond nestled behind The Beehive.  Then it was time to continue on the Bowl Trail back to the trailhead.  What a morning!

 One of the most fun things about this lifestyle is meeting up with friends living the same lifestyle.  We haven’t seen Doug and Darcie since we met up for lunch at the Gahan House on PEI.  PEI was on their bucket list and since we were there for the month ourselves it was perfect!  Darcie and I agreed, best chowder ever at Gahan House.  Who would have thought?  Such a yummy surprise.  I digress!  Anyway, we met up with Darcie and Doug again in Bar Harbour where we enjoyed a warm Maine lobster roll at the Travellin Lobster, which I ate too fast to get a picture of!  I was hesitant that it would be the best lobster roll I’ve ever had.  After all, PEI lobster is pretty great and the lobster roll we had in Peggy’s Cove last month would be hard to beat as well.  However, OH MY GOD, I’ve never had lobster that melted in your mouth.  AMAZING!  Even Barry was a fan.  Since Darcie and Doug enjoy breweries, we hit one!  Merlot was excited to see Darcie and Frejya, but Doug’s his real jam!!

Bar Harbor is such a quaint town.  Great food, drinks, shops and people watching.  We enjoyed our day just hanging out, walking the shorepath.  Highly recommend Lobstah for appies and then Eagles Nest for more appies!! 

 Did I mention Acadia National Park is my favorite National Park to date?  Mountains on one side, ocean on the other.  Perfection! We spent a day just enjoying the smells of the ocean, the mist and beauty of the fog and sounds of thunder hole which echoed throughout the area of the park we were in!  The thunder hole is a carved-out inlet along the eastern shoreline.  When a storm or the turning tide forces waves into this narrow channel, the air escapes with a thunderous reverberation that makes the whole cliff shake.  Unbelievably loud, wonderful and a great reminder of just how powerful, unforgiving and beautiful mother nature is.  We walked up to Otter cliffs where there was a group of rock climbers gathering.  We absolutely love watching rock climbing; however, we had to get back to Merlot, so we missed the actual climb.

 My last bucket list item for Acadia National Park (for now), hiking to the summit of Cadillac Mountain via North Ridge trail, to watch the sunrise. It didn’t disappoint.  We arrived at the trailhead at 4 a.m., headlamps in hand.  It was a very early start, but we were energized…until we got lost!  Okay, not really lost, just a bit side-tracked.  When we got to the treed section we lost the trail.  Thankfully, something in the trees, probably a deer, scared me back in a different direction.  Eventually we heard voices, which we calmly followed until we were back on the trail.  Just a small blip. The trail went from forested path to more exposed areas with granite stairs with about 1,300 feet of elevation.  Doesn’t seem that tough, but it was!  Could be because we were really pushing ourselves hard near the end to ensure we hit the summit before the sunrise.  However, even though in the end we could have made it in time, we found a perfect, more private spot to stop just short of the summit to have our breakfast and take in the incredible beauty of the sunrise and the red and orange morning sky over the ocean.  Such a peaceful high!!  We did continue to the summit after the sunrise, which was very busy, confirming our decision to stop short was a good one.

We hope to get back to Maine many times in our future, but for now it was time to move on to Salem, Massachusetts.

If you’d like to see more pictures of our time in Bar Harbor, click here!