RE: Acadia National Park (long)

[AustinBoston]

 Famous NP s are the ones that have the most spectacular scenery or " features" .  Places like the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone draw visitors from around the world because of the unusual or dramatic sights.  Extremes are commonly what draw people to these parks.  High mountains, deep gorges, huge glaciers, spouting water, or large herds are the main attractions.
 
 Popular NP s are the ones that, while perhaps not as well known, are most visited by people.  Places like Great Smoky Mountains or Cape Cod National Seashore don t necessarily draw visitors from as far and wide as the famous parks, but may draw as many or more visitors because they are near where people live.  They don t necessarily have the extremes of many other parks, but most of them are gems anyway.
 
 One of my favorites is Acadia National Park.  Contained primarily on Mount Desert Island in Maine, it doesn t have the highest mountains, the lowest valleys, or the most wildlife.  It won t take you farther from any human being than you ve ever been in your life.  It doesn t boast thousand-mile views or natural wonders that are unlike anything else in the world.  But it keeps drawing me (and millions of other visitors) back time after time.
 
 The highest mountain in Acadia is Cadillac Mountain, which is 1530 feet above sea level.  I know that isn t even a mountain out west (more like a bump), and you don t even have to climb it because there is a good road to the top, but it is the highest mountain on the eastern seaboard of the US.  I have been to the top twice for the sunset (only saw it once, the other time it was too foggy).
 
 The island is laced with bridal paths.  In many places, there are beautiful stone bridges so the paths can cross streams, gullies, and occasionally even roads without breaking grade.  The bridal paths and the bridges were built by John D. Rockefeller, who had opposed allowing automobiles on the island.  He built the bridal paths so he could take carriage rides without automobile interference.  He once said of the bridges that they were so expensive to build that they may as well have been made of diamonds.
 
 Today, the bridal paths are used by hikers, joggers, bicyclists, horses, and horse-drawn carriages.  On one visit to the park, over 20 years ago, I joined a group of college students and we all climbed the stone face of one of the bridges.  We all made it.  On another visit, we hired an antique carriage and costumed driver to take us to see the sunset on Cadillac Mountain.  It was pleasant enough that we didn t mind not seeing the sunset because of the fog.
 
 There was a massive fire in the park in 1947.  Even a half century later, it is easy to see some of the boundaries of that fire.  The trees that filled in the burned-out areas are mixed woods, and contrast sharply with the dark, dense firs from the unburned areas.  Even wealth was no protection for the fire.  A row of " cottages" , including those of many multimillionaires, were destroyed.
 
 Thunder Hole is one of the unusual attractions of the park.  There is a trench or notch in the rocks.  It is wider at the opening, sort of wedge-shaped.  As a result, waves coming in gain speed and height as they race down the narrowing trench.  At the end, the waves hit the cracks in the rock and let out with a pretty good boom.  It only works when the waves and tides are right.  Park personnel can sometimes predict when to go see and hear it.
 
 You won t find Anemone Cave on any park maps.  It used to be, but the NPS became weary of people becoming trapped in the cave by rising tides.  If you ask the locals, they can tell you how to find it.  It opens to the sea, and is hundreds of feet long.  Most caverns are formed in limestone by the solvent action of carbonic acid or sulfuric acid.  Anemone Cave was formed by the relentless pounding of the sea upon the hard, resilient granite that makes New England what it is.
 
 Anemone Cave is home to numerous tide pools, something we as a family love to explore.  You never know what you might find.  Crabs of all sizes, small lobsters, small fish, snails and other mollusks, urchins, sea stars, mussels and other bivalves, and of course seaweed.  I m still waiting to find my first octopus.  Wear good sneakers or boots that have excellent traction when wet, because it can be very slippery.  And they will get wet.
 
 The cave has another resident.  Cave swallows.  They are not trapped by the rising tides because the tide only partially closes the entrance.  Humans who make the mistake of not exiting on time will spend a cold, wet five to six hours in the cave, but these birds just fly in and out.  They make their nests deep in the cave on the uneven rock faces.
 
 Jordan Pond is probably the most photogenic body of water in the world.  From the lawn of the world-class restaurant (the name escapes me now), you can see loons swim in the pond as it reflects the bubbles, a pair of evenly rounded mountains that seem to rise from the water at the far end of the pond.  I have seen photographs of this sight all over the place, and am certain that nearly all Americans have seen photographs of it.  Don t limit yourself to photographs, though.  Take the hour to hike around the pond.  You ll be glad you did.
 
 I?ve only scratched the surface.  There is Sommes Sound, Otter Cliffs, Sand Beach, the park loop road, hikes, bikes, and in the towns nearby, the freshest seafood you ever tasted, served with Maine?s best baked potatoes, or vegetables grown on the island.
 
 I have been to Acadia National Park several times.  Twice, I was with my Parents.  We borrowed my uncle s pop-up, and stayed once at Blackwoods campground and once at Seawall campground.  A third trip was cut short because of a hurricane.  One time, while I was in High School, I went up to visit the University of Maine at Orno with a former student.  We met up with some of his buddies, and we spent a day hiking and mountain climbing in the park.  Pam and I celebrated our first anniversary at Acadia.  We went back a few times with the kids, one of those times with my brother and his wife.  I hope to get up there once this summer.  It s likely to be our last visit, at least for a while, ayah.
 
 Please tell us about a lesser-known park that that you have seen, one that is a real joy to visit.
 
 Austin
 

[slowpez]

 AustinBoston
Acadia is also one of our favorite places.  While there, don t forget Schoodic Peninsula - one of the most dramatic bits of coastline in the US.  Perfect for visiting on a rainy misty day.
 
 Susan

[tlhdoc]

 AustinBoston
AB I wish I had your gift for words.  We love Acadia NP and have been there several times.  I don t think we are going this year[: (] and I am going to miss it.  The restaurant at Jordan Pond is the Jordan Pond House.  If someone goes to the park you should stop and have tea and popovers on the lawn.  We eat there on every trip.  One year we took the horse drawn carriage to the restaurant for tea.  It was like going back in time.  
 
 We have camped at Blackwoods each time we have gone.   The campground is properly named, the woods are dark at night. They have a program in the amphitheater every night too.
 
 For the last several years they have also had free propane powered busses that will take you all over the island.  They are called the Island Explorer Busses.  You do not have to be camping or even visiting the park to use the busses.  The have a bike rack on the front so you can take your bike with you.  They will drop you off and pick you up anywhere on their route that is safe for them to pull over.

[AustinBoston]

 AustinBoston
This is probably the ultimate in tacky and reeks of arrogance, but I don t think this got enough screen time the first time around.
 
 So I changed the subject and now I m bumping it.
 
 Austin (wearing flame-proof suit)

[Miller Tyme]

 AustinBoston
Mesa Verde - beautiful sandstone formations and ancient cliff dwellings. I was there when I was 14, so I don t remember much, so I dug out the pictures we took. Can t help with campground advice, though.
 
 Great Smokey Mts. - Lots of hiking and picture opportunities. Again, I was there when I was younger, so I had to rely on pictures of the trip.
 
 Yosemite - Lots of hiking. In fact, we got off the main trail and wandered around for about an hr before we found our way back. Beautiful vistas and rivers. Again, can t help with cg s.

[marin]

 AustinBoston
Thanks Austin. DH and I are going to Acadia this Sept, very helpful post. We are really looking forward to this trip, it will be our first time to Maine. We did the Cape Hatteras National Seashore last year, and thought it was beautiful!

[Gone-Camping]

 AustinBoston
I love Acadia too, but it s not as far off the beaten path as you may think. It s quite a popular place.
 
 Another one that I like that not too many people are familar with, is the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. While it s not totally pristine, as it s dotted with small villages, Hatteras Island is mostly pristine beach, undeveloped, and protected by the Fed. True nature lovers may have a problem with the endless array of 4x4 s that traverse the many miles of secluded beach, but it s about the only way to really see the whole thing.
 
 There is what most would consider the tourist season, and an off season. However, the place is always open. This time of year, the place is deserted, and if you access it either by foot or by 4x4, you ll be alone (or close to it). The beach stretches on for miles and miles, with nothing but sand, dunes, sawgrass, seagulls, and lots of salt water to the east!
 
 

[Starcraft Dad]

 AustinBoston
Another little know NP is Isle Royale National Park in Michigan.  It lies in the waters of Lake Superior just south of the U.S. and Canadian border.
 
 This island is almost total wilderness.  No vehicles are allowed except for a few emergency vehicles.  There is the main island surrounded by smaller islands.   Much wildlife is on the island with moose and wolves being dominent.  
 
 There is a lodge and some cabins, a small camp store and some old ghost town houses and a lighthouse.  Back packing and wild, wilderness camping is the norm.
 
 I had the pleasure of coming here as a kid with my dad and it was the best camping trip I have ever had.  There is virtually very few people that come here because of it s remotenes.  You can take a ferry from Houghton, in the upper peninsula of Michigan.
 
 I highly recommend this national park if you are a back packer and like to really rough it.  By the way the fishing here is spectacular.
 
 Here are some links to this wonderful island:
 
 http://www.nps.gov/isro/
 
 http://www.nyx.net/~sjhoward/Isle_Royale/
 
 http://www.isle.royale.national-park.com/
 
 Here also is a link to a site from a normal every day persons adventure in the park:
 
 http://www.rjrudy.org/royal/adventure.html

[AustinBoston]

 Gone-Camping

ORIGINAL:  Gone-Camping
 
 I love Acadia too, but it s not as far off the beaten path as you may think. It s quite a popular place.
 

 Actually, that was my point. [] Some of the most visited parks are not the " spectacular wonders"  that we think of when we think of national parks.  For example, Great Smoky Mountain NP is the single most visted park in the system, but if you haven t been there you probably can t name a single feature.  OTOH, less than 1/4 as many people visit Yellowstone as Great Smoky Mtn., but everyone knows about Old Faithful and Yellowstone Falls.
 
 The difference is primarily proximity to population centers.  My question (which you and others have answered admirably - thanks) was for parks that perhaps are not a Yosemite or a Grand Canyon, but are still very popular because of a collection of smaller reasons.
 
 Austin

[Tentcamp]

 AustinBoston
Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota!  We didn t know it was there but it was on the road we were going on so we stopped.  It s a great park if you like the " badland"  type of areas.  It has two units, the south which borders a thruway (don t remember what one) and the lesser known, and our favorite, north unit.  We camped at the south unit the first time we went and enjoyed it so much we went back another year and camped at the north unit part.  We were there in September and it didn t have many people there at all.  It was in the tentcamping days so I don t know how it is for pop-ups, (you kind of look at things differently  before backing up was an issue!)  One morning on the north unit we were awakened by snorting sounds and were trapped in our tent by a herd of buffalo scratching their backs on the picnic table and trees in our site until they finally decided to move on.  (Those little trails behind the tent weren t people trails but wild life trails, something we try to remember now)