Destinations & TraVel
Acadia National Park is a gem on the Maine coast
Publisher’s is
the of two stories
on my to Maine.
By David Sasser
Journal Publisher
Mount Desert Island
(MDI) is the largest island
off the coast of Maine and
the second largest behind
Long Island, New York
off the eastern seaboard of
the United States. Widely
known as the home of
Acadia National Park and
the town of Bar Harbor, it
draws millions of visitors
each year but only has a
year-round population of
about 10,615.
Acadia National Park
(nps.g0v/acad) protects
the natural beauty of the
highest rocky headlands
along the Atlantic coastline
of the United States, has
an abundance of habitats,
and a rich cultural heri-
tage. At 3.5 million visits
a year, it’s one of the top
10 most-Visited national
parks in the United States.
Visitors enjoy 27 miles of
historic roads, 158 miles of
hiking trails, and 45 miles
of carriage roads.
Acadia was first estab—
lished as Sieur de Monts
National Monument in
July 1916 by President
Woodrow Wilson but then
was changed to Lafayette
National Park in February
1919 when it became the
first national park east of
the Mississippi. It was not
until January 1929 that
it officially was named
Acadia National Park.
The 27-mile Park Loop
Road leads to many scenic
viewpoints along the coast,
through forests and to the
top of Cadillac Moun—
tain. The road traverses
the eastern side of Mount
Desert Island in a one-way,
clockwise direction from
Bar Harbor to Seal Harbor
connecting the park’s
lakes, mountains, forests
and rocky shores for easy
exploration.
Sand Beach is a gorgeous
little beach, about 300
yards long, nestled between
mountains and rocky shores
on the east side of Mount
Desert Island. The beach is
largely comprised of unique
sand of shell fragments cre-
ated by the pounding surf.
The waterline can vary
quite a bit because of the
difference between high
and low tide. The ocean
temperature rarely exceeds
55 degrees in the summer.
Although this is a family
beach, no pets are allowed
from May 15 to September
15. Changing rooms and
restrooms are located next
to the parking area. The
Island Explorer Shuttle Bus
stops there about every half
hour during normal sea—
sonal daytime hours.
The beautiful Ocean
Path is a 1.5 mile long
(about 3 miles round-trip)
ocean side walking trail
that begins at the Sand
Beach parking lot and fol-
lows the eastern coastline
of Mount Desert Island in
a southerly direction past
Thunder Hole and then
continues until it reaches
Otter Cliff to the south. If
you would like a leisurely
stroll in a spectacular rocky
Maine coast setting, it does
not get any better than this.
The Park Loop Road fol-
lows in this same direction
but it is one—way.
Thunder Hole is the
place to experience the
thunder of the sea against
the rocky shores of Maine.
Thunder Hole is a small
inlet, naturally carved out
of the rocks, where the
waves roll into. At the end
of this inlet, down low, is a
small cavern where, when
the rush of the wave arrives,
air and water is forced .
out like a clap of distant
thunder. Water may spout
as high as 40 feet with a
thunderous roar.
At 1,530 feet, Cadil-
lac Mountain is the tall-
est mountain along the
eastern coastline of the
United States. It was named
after the French explorer
Antoine de la Mothe Cadil—
lac. He went on to help
found Detroit, where the
Cadillac was named after
him. The lichen-covered,
pink granite summit of
Cadillac is the first place in
the United States where one
may watch the sunrise from
October 7 through March 6,
due to its eastern location
and height. From May 26
through Oct 19, vehicle
reservations are required
for Cadillac Summit Road
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse was commissioned by Presi-
dent John Quincy Adams in 1827.
Emerson, Karlie and Kolby taking in the breathtaking views
of the surrounding seascape from the Pemaquid Point Light.
«V
I This is one of only six Fresnel lenses still in service in Maine.
(recreation.gov/timed-en-
try/400000). It is one of 26
significant mountains on
Mount Desert Island that
were pushed up by earth’s
tectonic and volcanic forces
millions of years ago. Were
it not for the once enormous
glaciers that sheared off
their tops, they would be
even higher than what we
see today.
From 1915 to 1940,
wealthy philanthropist
John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
financed, designed, and
directed the construction of
about 57 miles of Carriage
Roads on Mount Desert
Island. A “hands on” type
of project manager, Rocke-
feller paid close attention
to the smallest of details
in the road’s construction
as well as the landscaping.
Granite from Hall Quarry
on Mount Desert Island was
quarried and transported by
the construction crews for
road material and bridge
facing. Native vegetation
such as fern and wild blue-
berries was tastefully used
throughout to landscape the
roadside. ,
Lunch at the Jordan Pond
House (thejordanpond-
housecom) shouldn’t be
missed, with views across
the park’s Jordan Pond
to the Bubble Mountains.
Popovers are a specialty.
You cannot rent bikes
or canoes within the park,
but in Bar Harbor, Acadia
Bike, 48 Cottage Street
(acadiabike.com) rents
bikes for $33 a day, helmet
included. g
Bass Harbor Head Light
is situated atop a cliff on
the southernmost tip of
the west side of the island.
Baker Island Light and
Bear Island Light are the
other two lightiouses man-
aged by Acadia.
Located on the west bank
of the Penobscot River
in Prospect, Maine, Fort
Knox (fortknoxmaine .com)
is one of the best-preserved
military fortifications on
the New England seacoast.
The fort has many unique
architectural features, as
well as a rich history behind
its walls.
During the country’s
infancy, Maine was repeat-
edly involved in northeast
border disputes with British
Canada. In fact, the area
between Castine and the
rich lumber city of Bangor
was invaded and occupied
by the British during the
American Revolution and
the War of 1812. Fort Knox
was established in 1844 to
protect the Penobscot River
Valley against a possible
future British naval incur—
sion. The‘fort was named
for Major General Henry
Knox, America’s first Sec-
retary of War, who was
born in Boston but retired
to Thomastoh, Maine in
1796.
The fort garrisoned its
first troops from 1863 to
1866. These troops were
mostly volunteers under-
going training before being
sent to their active posts,
and included members of
the celebrated 20th Maine.
Troops were also briefly
stationed at the fort during
the Spanish-American war
in 1898, but never saw mil-
itary action.
Fort Knox is open May 1
to October 31, from 9 am.
to sunset, and the grounds
are open year round.
The adjacent Penob-
scot Narrows Bridge
and Observatory (maine.
gov/mdot/pnbo) spans the
Penobscot River, linking
the town' of Prospect with
Verona. The crowning
achievement of this struc—
ture is, of course, the obser-
vatory.
THE JOURNAL, Thursday, October 14, 2021 A7
Kolby, David and Emerson at the top of Cadillac Mountain. Bar Harbor is in
the background.
Located 420 feet in the
air at the top of the west-
ern pylon, it is the tallest
of only four bridge obser-
vatories in the world, the.
other three being in China,
Thailand and Slovakia. It
creates an experience that
gives visitors an extraordi-
nary 360—degree panoramic
View of the river, the bay
and the surrounding Maine
countryside.
The design of the Penob-
scot Narrows Bridge incor-
porates a granite theme
to honor the significance
that granite has in the local
economy. The Washington
Monument was partially
built with granite from
nearby Mt. Waldo, leading
to the design of the two
towers in the shape of the
Washington Monument.
The bridge spans 2,120
feet from the east shore to
the west shore, and rises
135 feet above the Penob-
scot River. The bridge was
planned, funded, designed,
permitted and built in only
42 months at a cost of $85
million.
A little farther south in th
town of Bristol, the beauti-
ful Pemaquid Point Light-
house (bristolmaineorgl
parks—recreation) is open
to the public for climbing
thanks to the American
Lighthouse Foundation and
.its dedicated chapter, the
Friends of Pemaquid Point
Lighthouse. Visitors to
the historic tower not only
are provided the opportu-
nity to retrace the steps of
bygone keepers, they are
also treated to a breathtak-
ing view of the surrounding
seascape atop the beacon.
Pemaquid Point Light--
house was commissioned
by President John Quincy
Adams in 1827. It was
built that same year, but
due to poor workmanship
using salt water in the
mortar mix, the lighthouse
quickly. began to fall apart.
It was replaced in 1835 by
a much better structure that
was made using only fresh
water.
In March- 1940, Bristol
residents voted to purchase
the lighthouse property,
minus the tower, .which '
was to remain with the
Coast Guard. The town
paid $1,639 to the govem-
ment over a period of four
years and renamed the site
nr
«.4...
n-n min
at.
David, Kolby, Karlie and Emerson at Sand Beach in Acadia
National Park.
Thunder Hole is a small inlet, naturally carved out of the
rocks, where the waves roll into. Water may spout as high
as 40 feet with a thunderous roar.
Bristol’s Lighthouse Park.
Today, the Pemaquid
Point Lighthouse is a
beloved landmark in Maine
— so much so that it was
chosen to be featured on the
state quarter by the United
States Mint. This historic
light also boasts one of only
six Fresnel lenses still in
service in Maine.
. In May 2000, the Coast
Guard licensed the tower to
the American Lighthouse
Foundation, which contin-
ues to regularly restore the
beacon so visitors from all
over the world can appreci-
ate its history and beauty for
years to come. '
The tower’s interior brick
veneer, which was added
along with the cast-iron
staircase during the mid-
to-late nineteenth century,
was restored in 2010. Resto—
ration funds were donated by
Lowe’s, the National Trust
for Historic Preservation, and
private individuals through
the efforts of the American
Lighthouse Foundation.
Fort Knox is one of the best-preserved military fortifications
on the New England seacoast.
Located 420 feet in the air at the‘top of the Western pylon, Pendbscot
Narrows Bridge
Observatory is the tallest bridge observatory in the world. Journal photos
by David Sasser
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