We saw only hints of color in a sea of green on our drive north to Acadia, and spotted lots of small splashes of reds and yellows during our week’s visit.
We have learned where less busy spots are, and spent most of our time in those sections of the park. We even found a lovely Easy Walk just a block from the Brown Mountain parking area near Lower Hadlock Pond.
A dirt road, Hadlock Pond Road, has extremely limited parking, but offers access to a number of trails.
An easy walk alongside Lower Hadlock Pond
The easiest trail, a fire road, took us out to the dam which created the pond. When we turned around at the dam, there was a stunning view of Bald Peak.
Additional “Bridle Path” trails headed off from where we walked, as well as numerous other trails, but they promised roots and rocks, something I find very difficult to manage.
When traveling around Eagle Lake on our adaptive tandem bike, we found a lunch spot near the shoreline, and marvelled at the intriguing almost rainbow effect in the water grasses just off shore.
Fall colors awaited at every turn on our visit to the Witch’s Hole area. Wetlands hosted swamp maples that were already turning, their bright red blazes of color some of the earliest harbingers of fall. They are also a stark reminder of winter soon to come as the swamp maples shed their finery sooner than the oaks and and sugar maples.
Our adaptive tandem bike makes it possible for me to pedal along the carriage roads of the park so we spent the day on the “Around the Mountain” path, enjoying amazing views of the island and beyond.
Parking lots are full in the mornings, but by mid afternoon many people have headed elsewhere. When we returned around 4PM, the parking areas had nearly emptied.
We drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain on a day with less wind compared to the gales we have encountered on other visits. A stiff breeze at the top of the mountain is the norm, but on this day we saw fall colors, and yet we still had to peel off jackets as we stood in the still air and full sunshine.
From the top of the mountain we spied three cruise ships anchored in Bar Harbor.
We learned that not only are cruise ships arriving every day, but that they continue to bring passengers to the island as late as November. “The season” now extends far beyond its usual close in October.
Our visit to Sand Beach revealed new steps down to the beach with handicapped railings. The railings stopped four steps short of the sand, an oversight one hopes the park service will correct in the future. Sand Beach has a pond with a stream that usually flows freely into the sea, but on this visit the water level was low. What normally would have been a rushing river had been swallowed by the sand before reaching the ocean.
We hopped over the dry streambed and explored the other side of the water, taking in views of the Bubbles,
and spotting climbers snaking their way up the steep rocks.
We made our way over the dry streambed and explored the other side of the water, taking in views of the Bubbles, and spotting climbers snaking their way up the steep rocks.
Later the same day, we put away the bike and walked, venturing to Jordan Pond to access the Jordan Stream path.
While the parking area around Jordan Pond was filled with visitors, the path next to Jordan Stream, which is the outlet for water from Jordan Pond, was nearly deserted.
No hikers chose to access the path across the stream from where we explored. The firm path we strode along provided an Easy Walk and only two walkers, two people on bikes, and two people on horseback crossed our path. Otherwise we had the area to ourselves.
The stream was quite low in the fall, and yet, it was like listening to a thousand tiny waterfalls, the hypnotic sounds of trickling water filling the air as Jordan Stream made its way to the sea. A pianissimo liquid symphony.
When not at the park, we enjoyed our stay right on the water, just off island in Trenton. The view from off island offered the perspective of distance.
The mountains of Mt. Desert Island at sunrise put on a spectacular show. Seals visited just below our cottage, while herons, mergansers, cormorants and loons hung out in the quiet bay. The tides slipped in and out, transforming the landscape with each twice-daily cycle. Yes, we will be back….
Marjorie
Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors, and is the author of Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, More Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed, Easy Walks South of Boston and Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are. Her memoir, the backstory of Easy Walks, is My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming hope in a world turned upside down.
Marjorie Turner Hollman 