Acadia National Park in Maine a true national treasure

MT. DESERT ISLAND, MAINE -From the heights of Cadillac Mountain, to the aqua blues of Sand Beach, with camping, hiking, biking, kayaking, rock climbing and more, Acadia National Park surely must be the vacationland capitol of Maine.

Founded in 1901 by President Woodrow Wilson, the 6,000 acres of parkland was at first called Sieur de Monts National Monument when in 1919 the United States Congress changed its designation to a national park, the first established east of the Mississippi River.

The only trouble with visiting Acadia National Park on the gorgeous, if somewhat misnamed, Mt. Desert Island is that there is too much to see with too little time to explore it all, even in a week.

Thanks to the efforts of many volunteers over 100 years ago, withmajor funding from John D. Rockefeller Jr., Waldron Bates, and one of the park’s founders, George B. Dorr, 125 miles of hiking trails of varying degrees of difficulty were constructed.

Flat, easy trails such as Wonderland, Jordan Nature Trail, and the Bar Harbor Shore Path are available, along with steep-grade rigorous climbs for the more adventurous, including the Acadia Mountain Trail with views of the Somes Sound, and the Cadillac South Ridge Trail.

The aptly name Perpendicular Trail and Precipice Trail have such steep inclines that iron rungs and ladders have been provided along some portions of the trails. They also have 45 miles of carriage roads for biking and hiking over 17 hand-hewn stone bridges.

To fully experience the romance of abygone era, horse draw carriage rides are available. For those less athletically inclined there are plenty of scenic roads for vehicles to traverse, with many turnouts along the way, including the 3.5 mile Park Loop Road that leads to the top of CadillacMountain, which at 1,532 feet is the highest peak along the Eastern seaboard.

For part of the year this mountaintop is the first point in the United States that the sunrise is visible. French explorer Samuel Champlain claimed the island in 1604 and named it "Isle des Monts Deserts" or Desert Island, while Cadillac Mountain was named after explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac.

Cadillac Mountain along with the other mountains on the island all derive their distinct barren appearance from glaciers that scraped and polished the distinctive pink granite surfaces over the eons, leaving few trees and little soil behind.

Access to the whole park costs $20 per week in the high season, and passes are available at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center, at the start ofPark Loop Road-a perfect place to get acclimated to all the park has to offer.

Since it’s about a seven hour drive from Connecticut, finding a placeto stay overnight on Mount Desert Island is a must.Fortunately there are a plethora of motels, hotels, cottages, bed and breakfast inns, and campgrounds to choose from on the island, with a place for every budget, but do call ahead, particularly in the summer.

In addition to the numerous privately owned and operated campgrounds, the United States Park Service runs two on the island, Blackwoods and Seawall, which are definitely the cheapest way to go at $20 per night for tent sites. Reservations and information are available at:www.nps.gov/acad

Seawall and Blackwoods campgrounds offer campsites for tents and recreational vehicles, which include clean, well-lighted central bathrooms, but keep in mind that there is no electricity, hot water, or showers provided.

While you can always have an "Out of Africa" experience and wash your hair in a basin with water heated on your camp stove, fortunately coin-operatedshowers are available at two locations on the island. Relying on pay-per-use showers for the week gives one a whole new appreciation of indoor plumbing.

As fun as tent camping can be, keep in mind that mosquitoes love it too, so be sure to bring massive quantities of bug spray, which you will practically bathe in religiously. And not only are their mosquitoes to contend with, but there are also stinging horseflies and blood-sucking deer flies that are so large they should probably be regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Campfires are allowed at designated areas within each campsite, weather permitting, and strangely, firewood costs less the closer you get to the park.

The opposite is true for lobster, however. Even though this is a banner year for lobster and an army of lobster pot buoys bob on the waters surrounding the island, lobster is no bargain, at about $12 a pound on the island, while lobster rolls start at $13.

A must-see is the historic Jordan Pond House, located along the scenic Park Loop Road that overlooks the comically named Bubble Mountains and Bubble Pond, where they serve lunch, tea, and dinner. They offer entrees, but are best known for their popovers. An order of two with strawberry jam, and butter with a beverage cost$11-Not cheap, but worth it. They serve them one at a time to assure that they are piping hot when they arrive at the table.

The distinctive rocky terrain that make for dramatic and picturesque cliffs and rocky coastlines allow for few sand beaches. One of the most beautiful is the small and popular Sand Beach located in the park along the Park Loop Road. On sunny summer days the beach draws large crowds, while a few intrepid souls even brave the icy 50-degree Atlantic waters.

Because of the unique geology along the Northeastern seafloor with it’s close proximity to the Bay of Fundy, the island has some of the most extreme tides in the world, changing up to 12 feet every 12 hours.

Nature and artifice strike a perfect balance in the vibrant, dynamic, and endlessly dramatic Acadia National Park-truly a national treasure that everyone should visit.