If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a picture of Acadia a day for 100 days is worth 100,000 words – or maybe 1 million, since we are talking about Acadia National Park.
The official Acadia Centennial logo
Happy 100th Birthday Acadia! We celebrate all the hard work and dedication that led to its founding 100 years ago as Sieur de Monts National Monument on July 8. We appreciate all the efforts today and into the future of those who help to preserve this special place, especially during this Acadia Centennial year.
At the Friends of Acadia annual meeting today at the Bar Harbor Club, big news is expected to be announced to mark the Acadia Centennial. It’s part of the year-long celebration that has included more than 400 Acadia Centennial Partners coming together, including Acadia on My Mind, to plan hundreds of events and help raise funds for the park.
While we won’t be there for that official Centennial celebration, we’ll be commemorating the occasion in our own small way. We’ll hike a trail in Acadia, and get our Passport to the Parks(R) stamped with an Acadia Centennial stamp by our favorite Acadia ranger.
We’ll be getting this stamp in our Passport(R) to Your National Parks from our favorite Acadia Ranger on the actual day of Acadia’s 100th. (Image courtesy Eastern National)
We’ll be working on our Acadia Centennial Partnership projects, like the free year-long virtual 100-mile Acadia Centennial Trek, to celebrate the park and help raise funds for it with an optional finisher’s medal.
Years into the future, we will remember what we were doing on July 8, 2016, the day of the Acadia Centennial. If you don’t happen to be visiting Acadia today or at any other time this year, may this one-a-day-photo-of-Acadia project be our way of sharing this special place with you. We’re not professional photographers, but thankfully Acadia’s beauty makes the picture.
We’ll also be posting each new photo on our Facebook page, and updating the featured image daily on the home page of this blog. Feel free to share your own favorite photos of Acadia on our Facebook page as well. Many of these photos have been featured in our Hiking Acadia National Park guide published by Falcon.
Happy 100th Birthday, Acadia!
Day 57 – Jesup Path
In springtime in Acadia, apple blossoms frame the view of Huguenot Head and Great Meadow from Jesup Path.
Day 56 – Hemlock Path
Hemlock Path makes for a pleasant woods walk. The well-graded trail near Sieur de Monts allows for many loop possibilities, up Kebo or Dorr Mountains, or along Great Meadow.
Day 55 – A. Murray Young Path
The sound of cascades and birdsong may be the only thing breaking the silence along the A. Murray Young Path. It’s a less-traveled trail to the gorge between Cadillac and Dorr.
Day 54 – Canon Brook Trail
This section of the Canon Brook Trail, just west of the mountain pond known as the Featherbed, looks a bit like Zion.
Day 53 – Ladder Trail
Near the top of the Ladder Trail is this boulder that rivals Bubble Rock in stature.
Day 52 – Kane Path
You can reach Kane Path by stepping across the outlet of the Tarn, along the pink granite rocks set perfectly flat.
Day 51 – Kurt Diederich’s Climb
From Kurt Diederich’s Climb, you get this view of Huguenot Head.
Day 50 – Emery Path
Sun filtering through the trees casts a soft light on the stone steps of Emery Path.
Day 49 – Homans Path
From Homans Path, you get an expansive view of Great Meadow and the Porcupine Islands, as you head up the side of Dorr Mountain.
Day 48 – Kebo Mountain
Views are limited at the top of Kebo Mountain, but you still feel up close and personal with the Porcupine Islands. For some reason, Kebo is not on the list of 26 Acadia peaks that the park used to have on its Web site.
Day 47 – Otter Cove
Otter Cove, once a busy waterfront for the village of Otter Creek, is now where Acadia National Park’s Quarry and Otter Cove Trails meet.
Day 46 – Gorham Mountain Trail
At the junction of Gorham Mountain and Cadillac Cliffs Trails, this memorial plaque to Waldron Bates can be found. Chair of the Roads and Paths Committee of the Bar Harbor Village Improvement Association from 1900 to 1909, Bates developed a style of cairn, or stone trail marker, that’s still used on many Acadia trails.
Day 45 – The Beehive Trail
The Beehive Trail is not for the faint of heart, with iron rungs taking you up the nearly vertical rock face.
Day 44 – The Bowl Trail
The evening sky glows pink above the Bowl, a mountain pond northwest of the Beehive.
Day 43 – Ocean Path
A plaque marking John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s contributions to Acadia National Park is located on a rockface not too far from this spot on Ocean Path.
Day 42 – Sand Beach and Great Head
Fog lifts to reveal the wonder of Sand Beach and Beehive, as seen from the Great Head Trail. The ruins of a tea house can be seen on Great Head.
Day 41 – Schooner Head Overlook
Recent restoration of the historic vista at Schooner Head Overlook opens up the view to Egg Rock and its lighthouse, across Frenchman Bay to Schoodic Peninsula.
Day 40 – Precipice Trail
Climbng more than 900 feet in less than a mile, the Precipice Trail is not for the faint of heart, out of shape or people afraid of heights.
Day 39 – Orange & Black Path
A hiker ascends Orange & Black Path. A century ago, trailblazer and Princeton professor Rudolph E. Brunnow named the path after his school’s colors.ends Orange & Black Path. A century ago, trailblazer and Princeton professor Rudolph E. Brunnow named the path after his school’s colors.
Day 38 – Champlain South Ridge Trail
The views from the Champlain South Ridge Trail are toward Sand Beach, Beehive and Otter Cliff with Baker Island in distance.
Day 37 – Beachcroft Path
Beachcroft Path is garden-like with its stepping stones.
Day 36 – Compass Harbor Trail
Former Acadia National Park volunteer Jim Allen, standing to the far right, leads a tour of George Dorr’s “Missing Mansion” on the Compass Harbor trail. A cruise ship and Bald Porcupine Island are in the background.
Day 35 – Bar Island Trail
Only at low tide can you walk across the sand bar to Bar Island. It’s safe up to 1-1/2 to 2 hours on either side of the tide; otherwise you risk getting stranded.
Day 34 – Goat Trail on Isle au Haut
The contrasts are dramatic along the Goat Trail on Isle au Haut. There’s another Goat Trail in Acadia, up Norumbega Mountain, but it doesn’t offer the same contrast between white volcanic rock, pink granite, evergreens and deep blue sea as this version.
Day 33 – Eben’s Head on Isle au Haut
Eben’s Head, a rocky promontory, can easily be climbed and is great for watching a sunset on Isle au Haut.
Day 32 – Bowditch Mountain
On the other side of this field of ferns is wooded Bowditch Mountain, on Isle au Haut, the most remote part of Acadia National Park, reachable only by mailboat.
Day 31 – Duck Harbor Mountain
Duck Harbor Mountain is on Isle au Haut, the most remote part of Acadia, reachable only by mailboat. Strange rocky knobs known as the Puddings can be found on its south ridge.
Day 30 – Buck Cove Mountain Trail
Spruce grouse on Buck Cove Mountain Trail, which leads from Schoodic Woods Campground to Schoodic Head.
Day 29 – Blueberry Hill
Blueberry Hill offers fine ocean views from the Schoodic Peninsula in Acadia National Park. The Alder Trail, which leads to the Schoodic Head Trail, starts across from the Blueberry Hill parking lot, off the one-way Schoodic Park Loop Road.
Day 28 – Sundew Trail
Sundew Trail offers spectacular views, seaside benches and solitude. Located on the Schoodic Education and Research Center campus and featured in our book, “Hiking Acadia National Park.”
Day 27 – Schoodic Head
The view from Schoodic Head, elevation 440 feet, in the only part of Acadia on the mainland. A network of trails leads to the top, some starting at the 1-way Park Loop Road, and 1 from the new Schoodic Woods Campground.
Day 26 – Flying Mountain
From Flying Mountain, you can see the mouth of Somes Sound and the Cranberry Isles. It’s the lowest of 26 peaks on Mount Desert Island, at 284 feet.
Day 25 – The Beehive
Early morning is the best time to hike the Beehive Trail if you want to avoid the crowds in summer. It’s a most difficult trail, so hike it only if you are well-prepared, not afraid of heights and comfortable climbing a nearly vertical trail featuring iron rungs.
Day 24 – Gorham Mountain
On the closest mountain ridge to Frenchman Bay, Gorham offers breathtaking views, south to Otter Cliff, Baker Island and beyond. At 525 feet, it is the 24th highest peak on Mount Desert Island.
Day 23 – Day Mountain
The only summit with a carriage road up to the top, Day Mountain offers the closest views of the Cranberry Isles. You may also find passengers on a horse-drawn carriage or bicyclists at the peak.
Day 22 – St. Sauveur Mountain
On the way to St. Sauveur Mountain, and even atop the summit, there are limited views. Formerly known as Dog Mountain, it is the 22nd highest peak on Mount Desert Island.
Day 21 – Youngs Mountain
Youngs Mountain in Acadia National Park is the 21st highest peak on Mount Desert Island. Without maintained trails, the summit can only be reached by experienced hikers who know how to bushwhack, use a map and compass or GPS – or by the infrequent and elusive moose.
Day 20 – Acadia Mountain
From the peak of Acadia Mountain, hikers can see Somes Sound and the Cranberry Islands. Acadia is the park’s only mountain on an east-west ridge.
Day 19 – The Triad
Solitude can often be found on The Triad. On the same ridge as Pemetic and Day Mountains, it’s 698 feet and the 19th highest peak on Mount Desert Island.
Day 18 – McFarland Mountain
Looking south from McFarland Mountain, a view toward Eagle Lake, with Cadillac on the left, Pemetic in the middle and the Bubbles on the right. There isn’t a maintained trail to the 724-foot mountain, although McFarland is near the park headquarters.
Day 17 – On the way to Huguenot Head
On the way to Huguenot Head, 731 feet elevation, you’ll pass this distinctive rock on Beachcroft Path. There’s an historic photo of George B. Dorr standing by this very same rock.
Day 16 – South Bubble
Atop South Bubble, you can see the higher North Bubble looming beyond. If you look to the south beyond Jordan Pond, you’ll see the glacial moraine that Jordan Pond House sits on. And just northeast of the summit off a spur trail, perches the famous Bubble Rock.
Day 15 – Beech Mountain
The only fire tower in Acadia National Park is on top of Beech Mountain, the 15th highest peak on Mount Desert Island at 839 feet. You can only get to the top platform during a fire tower open house.
Day 14 – Norumbega Mountain
The view from Norumbega, the 14th highest peak on Mount Desert Island, includes Somes Sound, Acadia Mountain and beyond.
Day 13 – North Bubble and Jordan Pond
At 872 feet, North Bubble is the higher of the twin mountains known as the Bubbles. That view of Jordan Pond is quintessential Acadia.
Day 12 – Parkman overlooking Bald
Parkman Mountain overlooks Bald Peak. At 941 feet, Parkman is a tad shorter than Bald, and is the 12th highest peak on Mount Desert Island.
Day 11 – Cedar Swamp Mountain
A spur off the Sargent South Ridge Trail, Cedar Swamp is the 11th highest peak on Mount Desert Island.
Day 10 – Mansell Mountain
Mansell of Western Mountain is a wooded summit, but there is this nearby viewpoint looking down on Long Pond and beyond.
Day 9 – Bald Peak
Bald Peak, the 9th highest on Mount Desert Island at 974 feet, overlooks Upper and Lower Hadlock Ponds and beyond.
Day 8 – Gilmore Peak
In the shadow of Sargent, east of Parkman and Bald, lies the quiet 1,036-foot Gilmore Peak, 8th highest summit on Mount Desert Island.
Day 7 – Atop Champlain Mountain
A Bates-style cairn, located on the Champlain North Ridge Trail, overlooks tiny Egg Rock with its lighthouse, and the Schoodic Peninsula. Don’t be tempted to add to or take away from the historic trail markers, or randomly pile rocks yourself. That would be contrary to Leave No Trace(R) principles amd park rules. Champlain, the 7th highest peak in Acadia, is at the top of the Precipice Trail.
Day 6 – Limited view, solitude on Bernard
The overlook is grown in at Bernard, the 6th highest peak in Acadia at 1,071 feet, and part of what’s known as Western Mountain.
Day 5 – View from Penobscot
Eagle Lake can be seen in the distance, looking northeast from Penobscot Mountain.
Day 4 – From Pemetic, you can see forever
The 4th highest mountain in Acadia at 1,248 feet, Pemetic provides a spectacular view of the Cranberry Isles and beyond from its south ridge. We like this photo so much, we picked it for the cover of the 3rd edition of our book, “Hiking Acadia National Park.”
Day 3 – Dorr, named after George B. Dorr
Atop Dorr Mountain, you can see the Porcupine Islands, and examples of the historic Bates-style cairn, a stone trail marker unique to Acadia. Do not add to or take away from the cairns, or pile rocks randomly yourself. That would violate the Leave No Trace(R) principles that help protect the park, and wreak havoc for other hikers and trail crew.
Day 2 – Pretty in pink, rhodora on Sargent
In late May, early June, the pink blooms of rhodora complement the pink granite of Sargent, the 2nd highest peak in Acadia.
Day 1 – Rainbow beyond Cadillac
We were the first to see the rainbow across Frenchman Bay from the top of Cadillac on this day in May 2014. It originally began as a double rainbow.
