Acadia National Park is located on the northern coast of Maine. It is well known for whale watching, puffins, and of course… Lobsta rolls.

I picked up Brittany at the airport on Friday and we headed south to spend the night in Old Orchard Beach. After breakfast the next morning, we headed up the coast towards Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. En route, we stopped for Lobsta rolls at a place called Red’s. We waited in line for 60 minutes before ordering (the line wraps around the building and down the road), but it was worth the wait. Red’s serves a roll that contains more than a full lobsta (for $24.05) with a side of Maine butter. Fantastic.

We drove up Highway 1 along the coast. It’s a beautiful drive. After a few stops for coffee and the like, we reached Acadia National Park.

What makes the Maine coast so amazing (in my opinion) is the combination of mountains and water. Acadia National Park is on an island called “Mount Desert Island, and it is topped by Cadillac Mountain. That was our first stop in the park for a nice 4.4 mile hike with fantastic views of the surrounding islands and ocean.

After the hike and wondering around the town a little, we had a fantastic dinner in Bar Harbor at La Bella Vita.

The next day we headed back into the park and visited the Otter Cliffs. We scrambled around on the walks, climbed some boulders, and walked the trail to get a sense of the area. The tide appeared to be out, but there were some neat places where the waves crashed against the rocks and made some neat waterfalls.

After the Otter Cliffs, we drove the park loop and went for a hike at Jordan Pond. The hike to get down to the lake is extremely steep!

We had planned to ride bikes in the park on the large network of carriage roads, but the weather on Sunday combined with limited bike shop hours prevented it on this trip. That just means a future return!

Monday we had to drive back to Portland to fly out, and that took most of the day. We did hit one other highlight… timbits from Tim Hortons! Always have to stop here when possible.

I definitely recommend visiting Acadia and Bar Harbor if you can make it, even if its just as a stop on a New England cruise. Its slightly touristy, but it is beautiful and fun, and its proximity to town makes it remarkably accessible.

Brittany got me a t-shirt in town that summarizes my life really well. Below a picture of a hiking boot, it says “not all who wonder are lost”. Whether literally or as a metaphor for life, I couldn’t possibly agree more.