Category: National Park

Posted in: Campground Review, Exploring Maine, National Park, National Parks, Sightseeing, YouTube Video Link

Mt. Desert Narrows Camping Resort, Bar Harbor, Maine: Campground Review

Written by tepetravels

We stayed at the Mt. Desert Narrows Camping Resort near Bar Harbor, Maine so we could visit Acadia National Park. This is part of the Thousand Trails network, but was not included in our membership. It was on the same island as Acadia, so it was conveniently located.

The laundry room was under the backside of the office. Washers and dryers were $2/load (quarter machines, no change machine). Each site had a picnic table and a fire pit. There were some nice views of the water and the campground was large enough to get a nice walk in. The campground had free WiFi (standard campground level), but it was a nice feature for a Thousand Trails campground.

The campground had a pool (not open yet while we were there), an arcade, playground, camp store, and a laundry room. The arcade was only open on the weekends Friday to Sunday 9am-8pm. It was older, but the kids still enjoyed it. The games were $0.25 per game, except for the ball crane machine at $0.50. There was a change machine in the arcade. The laundry room charged $2 per load for both the washers and the dryers and were coin operated, but there was not a change machine in the laundry room. The laundry room was open during office hours. The camp store sold ice for $2.25 and firewood for $5.25.

Bathrooms, Camp Store, Laundry Room with book exchange

Most of the sites had trees for shade. It looked like most of the sites were pretty level, although there were a few that were on part of a hill that could be harder to level a RV. The campground was large and made for some nice afternoon walks, especially since the tent area was empty while we were there. It faces the ocean, so if you get closer spots, you could have some great views.

Our site, playground, pool, ocean view at low tide at campground

Bar Harbor was 15 minutes, Acadia National Park was 10-11 minutes away (to the Hulls Cove Visitor Center entrance). There was a grocery store in Bar Harbor called Hannaford’s that was 15 minutes away, and Walmart was located in Ellsworth and was 15 minutes away.

SIDE NOTE: The campground used well water, so it did have a bit of an odor to it that we were not used to. We just used our awesome Berkey* and filtered all the drinking water. The Bar Harbor area gets its water from Eagle Lake and wells, nearby Seal Harbor from Jordan Pond.

VIDEO: Mt. Desert Narrows Camping Resort

Our rating: 3.5 out of 5 hitches

Cell Phone Reception: AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile (could be spotty)

Laundry: Yes

Bathrooms/Showers: Yes

RV Sites: Pull Through, Back-in (grass)

Pop Up Tents/Gazebos/Outdoor Rugs On-Site: Yes

Amenities: picnic table and fire pit/grill at site, cable, playground, pool, basketball hoop, swings

Cabins: 1

Tent Camping: Yes

Full Hook-ups: Yes

            Amps: 20/30 or 30/50 amp

Pool: Yes

Food On-Site: No

Camp Store: Yes

WiFi: Yes (free)

Accepts Mail: Yes

Fishing: No

*Affiliate Link

Posted in: Exploring Maine, Hiking, National Park, National Parks

Hiking Acadia National Park: Jordan Pond Trail

Written by tepetravels 2 Comments on Hiking Acadia National Park: Jordan Pond Trail

Ben and I walked part of the Jordan Pond trail on a date day, but it was a foggy, rainy day, so we didn’t get too far as neither one of us wanted to slip on the rocks.

A few days later, we walked the whole trail with the boys (about 3.4 miles). The trail is really nice and follows along the edge of the pond. Standing behind Jordan Pond House looking at the lake, the right side of the path is mostly dirt with a few rock step-overs for water run off. Eventually you cross a really cute bridge. A little bit after the bridge, you will come to the rocky section, where you have to climb over a rock path. This part of the trail is a little trickier, especially if the rocks are wet at all. After the rocky section, you will come to the boardwalk section of the path.

The boardwalk was not quite wide enough for people to pass each other, but there were wider sections for people to stand off to the side to allow people to pass.

It was a nice trail, and relatively easy. The scenery was beautiful as well.

Posted in: Exploring Maine, National Park, National Parks, Sightseeing

Bass Harbor Lighthouse

Written by tepetravels

It was a rainy day, but we made it to the Bass Harbor Lighthouse. There is a smaller parking lot at the lighthouse, but there is no parking along the two lane road going in. Needless to say, tourist season had just started, so there was quite the line to get in. We waited about 45 minutes in line before it was our turn to park in the lot.

Once you are parked and facing towards the lighthouse/water, there are two ways to see the lighthouse. Option 1: Paved path marked by the red and green buoys to the right. This path was the smoothest path and has some nice information on a board nearby. Options 2. On the left, past the bathrooms, was a dirt path leading to wooden and stone stairs. The trees block some of the lighthouse here, but you could still see it. There were nice ocean views as well. Some people were climbing over the rocks by the water to get better views, but I didn’t want to risk it in the rain. (I’m just a little too klutzy for that. 😉)

Posted in: Exploring Maine, Hiking, National Park, National Parks

Hiking Acadia National Park: Beech Mountain, Loop Trail to Fire Tower

Written by tepetravels 1 Comment on Hiking Acadia National Park: Beech Mountain, Loop Trail to Fire Tower

Will had so much fun by the end of the Valley View hike, that he wanted to go on another one. Luckily for him (not so much for Nick, who wanted to be done), there was another trailhead by the parking lot. This trail was also a Beech Mountain Trail, but it was a Loop Trail that went past a fire tower.

This trail was listed as moderate and was 1.2 miles long. I would agree that is was a moderate trail. The trail started on a straight path and then branched off. We went to the left, which I was glad we did. This part of the trail had lots of rocky areas and even hiking up a smooth rock surface. I think trying to go down that way would have been much harder than climbing up it.

The fire tower was really fun to see. It was locked off for the upper portion, but you could still climb the steps to the first platform and enjoy the view.

The way back down the mountain also had some amazing views. There were several rocky areas to sit on, so the boys took a rest while I got some pictures.

Posted in: Exploring Maine, Hiking, National Park, National Parks

Hiking Acadia National Park: Beech Mountain, Valley View

Written by tepetravels

The boys and I ventured back into Acadia with a new trail in mind: Valley View to Canada Cliffs. Nick saw a picture on the AllTrails app reviews of a ladder and was very excited to climb it.

The trail was rated as easy (1.3 miles) and contained a dirt path with a few rocky areas and boardwalks. We never did see the ladder by the cliffs, even though we followed the trail map. Acadia had also placed blue paint markers along the path on rocks and trees, but some of them were very faded. Because of the uneven terrain in spots, I would say this was more towards the moderate side of the scale.

There was a view of the area below us, including a water view.

We had a little trail rage in the beginning by a certain teenager who didn’t want to hike, but in the end he enjoyed climbing over the rocks and finding his way along the path.

Posted in: Exploring Maine, Food, National Park, National Parks, Sightseeing

Jordan Pond House (Acadia National Park)

Written by tepetravels 1 Comment on Jordan Pond House (Acadia National Park)

After our morning hike, the boys and I stopped at Jordan Pond House for lunch. They are known for their popovers and tea.

The prices seemed a little high to me, although there was already a line and a waitlist when we got there a only few minutes after they opened.

We waited about 45 minutes and got a seat in the main room. There are some tables with a nice view of the pond, so I would ask for a window seat!

I ended up getting tea and we all tried a popover. They were good (but still just a regular popover). It was a beautiful setting to relax in. There was a trail around the pond as well (about 3 miles).

Posted in: Exploring Maine, Hiking, National Park, National Parks

Hiking Acadia: Hunters Beach Trail

Written by tepetravels

One of the trails that was recommended to us was the Hunters Beach Trail. Like a lot of the trails in Acadia, the trailhead is only marked by a wooden marker, which is really easy to miss when driving by. I loved having the AllTrails App, as it had the trail and gave directions on how to get to it.

The parking lot was small, maybe room for 3-5 cars.

The trail itself wasn’t difficult, as it was relatively flat. However, there were tree roots everywhere! It made the hike a little slower as we watched where we stepped. We did come back with one twisted ankle when a tree root sneak attacked and wasn’t laying as flat as it appeared to be.

There were a couple of little bridges and a small boardwalk. A lot of the trail ran next to the creek, which led to the open water. The beach was beautiful, but rocky.

Posted in: Exploring Maine, Hiking, National Park, National Parks

Hiking Acadia: Homans and Emery Paths

Written by tepetravels

School is winding down. The boys and I decided to take a hike in Acadia. Well, ok…I decided to drag them away from video games for a hike. I found one that was listed as easy on the AllTrails app, but looked like it might keep them occupied. It was a combination of two trails, Homans and Emery. I would say this trail was more towards the moderate level since it was mostly stone steps in both directions.

There were a couple of spots where the trail narrowed or you might have to duck down to get through. It was still a nice trail with some great views at the top. You could see a creek winding through a meadow, the town below, and the ocean. Nick liked all the rocks to climb and only hurt himself 2 or 3 times.

It was a neat trail, but not one to do if you have knee or ankle problems. My ankle twinged a few times even with hiking boots on.

Posted in: Animal Sightings, Exploring Maine, National Park, National Parks

Driving The Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park

Written by tepetravels 1 Comment on Driving The Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park

Acadia has a great Park Loop Road that shows you some of the amazing views in the park. There are several spots for pull-offs along the way for views and trailheads. We somehow turned off of the Park Loop at an intersection and had to find our way back in from one of the little towns. Cell phone signal is very spotty around the park, so get your GPS started while you have a good signal. (NOTE: You can get your park pass at the Hulls Visitor Center, Jordan Pond House, or there is a ticket booth area on the Loop.)

We saw wild turkeys, the water hitting the cliff areas, and lots of lakes and ponds. We stopped at Sand Beach and walked down to see it. It was a beautiful area with a sandy beach. Most of the beaches in Acadia are rocky, but this one had a nice fine sand.

Posted in: Exploring Maine, Hiking, National Park, National Parks, Sightseeing

Catching The Sunrise On Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park (Maine)

Written by tepetravels 2 Comments on Catching The Sunrise On Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park (Maine)

One of things we never do back home is wake up early to catch the sunrise. Apparently, this the thing to do when near Acadia! The sun rises a bit earlier here, so we woke up at 3:30 am to make it up to Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. (Starting 5/26, you will need to buy a car pass ($6) to access Cadillac Mountain.)

The parking lot was already pretty full, but we did find a spot. We walked across the rocky top and found a spot to watch Mother Nature’s show. It was an amazing view overlooking the city, the islands, and the bay/ocean. When the sun peaked over the edge, the pinks and reds were reflected in the water.

I probably will not make a habit of watching the sunrise often, but it was definitely worth getting up early for.

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