5 Tips If You Want to Enjoy A Glorious Sunrise from Cadillac Mountain in Maine

Parking spaces are filling up.  People are walking purposefully, all in the same direction.  Some are carrying blankets and thermos bottles.  Is it a concert?  Theatre in the park?

No, it is sunrise on Cadillac Mountain, the first place to see sunrise in the United States.

At 1,532 feet, Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park in Maine is the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard.  Many hiking trails converge on this mountaintop, as do bus tours.  But before dawn is a spectacular time to visit to witness the first sunrise.

Actually, Cadillac is struck by the sun’s rays before any place else only in the fall and winter.  During most of the spring and summer, that special recognition goes to Mars Hill to the northeast.  That, however, in no way diminishes the excitement of the populace who rise early on Mount Desert Island during summertime to see this spectacle of nature.

We had checked the time for sunrise on weather.com.  Fred was shocked that I actually got up at 4:30am, but I did and we jumped into the car.  The road seemed to circle endlessly as we ascended Cadillac, worried that we would miss “it.”  We moved with the crowds to the eastern side of the parking area and waited. 

As the firey orange mass rose, it brightened the purple clouds above and the dark masses of the Porcupine Islands in Frenchman Bay below.  In seconds it was morning.

If you decide to put sunrise at Cadillac on your vacation agenda, here are some tips:

1. Check the time for sunrise and give yourself plenty of time to get up the mountain.  It takes about twenty minutes from the village of Bar Harbor.
2. Dress warmly.  Even in August, pre-dawn is chilly and it can be windy on top of Cadillac.
3. Bring a blanket or even chairs so that you can wait comfortably.
4. Consider a thermos of coffee to ward off the chill.
5. Check photography sites for tips on taking sunrise pictures.  An important tip: the color of a sunrise is far more short-lived than a sunset; the sky washes out in 30 to 45 seconds after the sun is up.

For more ideas on things to do when you visit Acadia National Park or Bar Harbor, Maine, visit OUR ACADIA.

Celebrate July 4th on Mount Desert Island: Schedule of 2011 Events in Bar Harbor

If you’re visiting Mount Desert Island on the Fourth of July, prepare to be busy.  Sure, you may start the day quietly by doing something like photographing the footbridge in Somesville.  But I bet you’ll soon become ensnared in the traditional excitement ofAmerica’s Independence Day – with a quintessential Maine twist.  Check out the schedule to see what I mean: 

6am  Blueberry Pancake Breakfast

At the Bar Harbor Athletic Field onPark Street, indulge in pancakes, blueberry or plain, and everything else that makes a great Maine breakfast. 

9am-3pm  Craft Fair

Scour the marketplace at the YMCA, 21 Park Street for jewelry, quilts, photographs, pottery, and porcelain dolls. 

10am  Independence Day Parade

“America the Beautiful” is the theme of the parade, which winds through downtown from Main Street to Cottage to Eden to Mt. Desert to Ledgelawn Avenue.

 11am  Seafood Festival

Back at the Bar Harbor Athletic Field on Park  Street enjoy lobster, mussels, corn, and strawberry shortcake. 

After the Parade, MDI YMCA Annual Lobster Races

At the Bar Harbor Athletic Field on Park Street, watch local businesses race their lobsters to benefit the MDI YMCA Scholarship Program. 

7:30-8:30pm  Bar Harbor Town Band

Enjoy a free concert on the Bar Harbor Village Green with the Town Band, a tradition for more than 100 years. 

8-9pm  Brass Venture

Move to Agamont Park for another free concert, this one by Brass Venture, a dynamic chamber ensemble. 

9:15pm (approximately)  Fireworks over Frenchman Bay

Marvel at the fireworks display on the waterfront as the Brass Venture performs Handel’s Fireworks. 

After such a fun-packed day, you’ll need to schedule some downtime at Sand Beach.  Not so quick?  Well, for more ideas on what to do during your Bar Harbor vacation, including restaurant tips, visit OUR ACADIA.

5 Best Places to Eat with Kids in Bar Harbor During a Family Vacation to Acadia National Park

The most popular section of my Web site OUR ACADIA – which is devoted to exploring, eating, and relaxing in Maine – is restaurants.  Maybe it’s because lobster, blueberry pie, and chowder are so high up on everyone’s agenda of what to do in Maine!  If you are planning a family vacation to Mount Desert Island, here are the best spots to eat with kids.

Jordan Pond House

Enjoying tea and popovers on the lawn at Jordan Pond House has been a Mount Desert Island tradition since 1870.  Located on a hill overlooking Jordan Pond and the Bubble mountains, the restaurant serves lunch, tea, and dinner. At the cross roads of hiking, biking, and sightseeing trails, the lawn is a hub of activity, so let the kids run around while your waitress puts in your order for lobster stew, Maine crab cakes, popovers, lemonade, and homemade strawberry icecream.

Thurston’s Lobster Pound

Thurston’s Lobster Pound is the real thing, serving steamed lobster, chowder, and ales from local micro-breweries in a casual setting overlooking the working lobster boats of Bass Harbor.  The folks who own Thurston’s are smart.  They keep parents happy with steamers and lobster, kids thrilled with burgers, hot dogs, and peanut butter and jelly.  A sophisticated teen who scorns seafood?  How about a grilled chicken sandwich with Boursin cheese?  And everyone will love their special blueberry spice cake.

Pat’s Pizza

After days of seafood, some families want something different.  Pat’s is particularly kid-friendly because of its varied menu.  I love their deliciously crisp pizza, but it also comes in “double dough” and gluten-free styles.  Your teenager may want a chicken caesar salad, while the little kids go for a traditional Italian dinner of baked ziti or lasagna.  Nachos and burgers are options, too.  There are so many tempting options for pizza that you may end up coming back a second time to take out.

Café This Way

If it’s going to rain, schedule a day exploring Bar Harbor that starts with a special breakfast at Café This Way.  Parents can choose among six different ways to have their Eggs Benedict or create their own omelets.  Kids love the blueberry pancakes, French toast, waffles, and Big Breakfast Sandwiches.  My husband couldn’t decide between eggs or French toast so he chose the Monte Cristo, a French toast sandwich filled with a fried egg, ham, and cheddar cheese, served with home fries and maple syrup.

Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium

Summertime and candy shops just go together.  Taffy?  Lobster icecream?  From the traditional to the, well, innovative, Ben & Bill’s has it all.  You can get buttercrunch, chocolates, gummy candies, jelly beans, and homemade fudge made from a 100-year-old recipe.  If you prefer icecream, they stock 64 hard-serve flavors in summer, along with 12 flavors of gelato — all made at the shop on Main Street in Bar Harbor.  No  one leaves unhappy, including the family hound, who can get a Yellow Dog Special, a baby scoop of vanilla icecream with two dog bones.

For other ideas on what to do with kids – ranging from boat cruises to family-friendly hikes – visit OUR ACADIA’S “Kids’ Favorites.”  That’s the second most popular part of the site!

Which Carriage Roads Are Best for Biking with Kids in Maine’s Acadia National Park?

The carriage roads of Acadia National Park offer families unsurpassed biking.  They are car-free and well-maintained, with hills only as challenging as a horse drawing a carriage could handle, which is, of course, the purpose for which John D. Rockefeller, Jr. originally designed them.  Best of all is the scenery.

But, with 45 miles of carriage roads open for biking, what is the best route for kids?  And, during the height of the summer season, are some trails better than others?

These are the questions I had in mind when I chatted recently with the park ranger at Hulls Cove Visitors Center.  Located on Route 3 north of Bar Harbor, it’s a great starting point for a visit to Acadia National Park.  The large three-dimensional map of the park is  a reason unto itself to go.

The route recommended by the park ranger at Hulls Cove Visitor Center was the circuit around Witch Hole Pond.  That’s also where the Obamas decided to cycle when they visited Acadia National Park!  So, we tried it out for you…

It’s a 3.3 mile circuit that passes by Halfmoon Pond, Witch Hole Pond, and Duck Brook, which you can hear as you cycle above it.  It’s an easy ride that’s pretty flat except for a .2 mile stretch that’s a moderate climb.  The terrain features not only these large beautiful ponds, but also a lot of marshlands.  These offer good opportunities to see beaver lodges, such as the one below, or to spot a snapping turtle crossing the road.

Why it’s called Witch Hole Pond I do not know.  However, throughout the wetlands of this area stand dead trees, known in forest ecology as snags.  They provide critical habitat for many species, including birds that feed on the insects decomposing the wood.  Young minds may find them eerie, so organize a game for your kids to invent origins for the name Witch Hole Pond as they ride…

Another positive feature of cycling Witch Hole Pond is that this route can be easily extended to Eagle Lake, one of the most beautiful rides in the park.  Unfortunately, everyone knows it, so parking may be difficult at times.  If you combine Witch Hole Pond and Eagle Lake, you can avoid that frustration.  Connecting the two is a 1.1 mile stretch past Breakneck Pond.  I like biking south along the eastern shore of Eagle Lake first.  There’s a steady climb up to Conners Nubble, but, regardless of direction, the Eagle Lake circuit is not free of challenges.  That extension will add 6.9 miles to the 3.3 of Witch Hole Pond.

Here’s another tip from the park ranger at Hulls Cove.  Don’t start your bike trip from the Hulls Cove parking lot. There’s a challenging climb right as you start, which may discourage the kids before they even get going.  Instead, enter the carriage road at Signpost 5 at Duck Brook Bridge.  There is parking along the road.  You can get there by taking Duck  Brook Road north from Eagle Lake Road (Route 233) north.  Seeing the Duck Brook Bridge and New Mills Meadow Pond are bonuses.

After a great bike ride like this, where do you go to relax?  Are you in the mood for BBQ ribs, lobster rolls, or a three-course dinner?  For tips on the best places to eat, visit OUR ACADIA.

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The Best Hiking Trails in Maine’s Acadia National Park Are the Gifts of Historic Pathmakers

This is my ninth summer of hiking on Mount Desert Island, and every year increases my indebtedness to the trailmakers who made it possible to access so many places where the mountains greet the sea. 

The first pathmakers on Mount Desert Island were the Wabenaki Indians who, prior to the European explorers and the settlers from Massachusetts in the 1760s, forged carry trails to transport their canoes between bodies of water. 

One such trail today is the Jordan Pond Carry Trail between Jordan Pond and Eagle Lake.  As with all carry trails, it is the shortest, flattest route between ponds.  We’ve found it to be a great way to end a circuit that begins at Bubble Rock parking area, ascends up to North Bubble past Bubble Rock, heads north to Conners Nubble, and runs along Eagle Lake.  Here’s what the view is like of Eagle Lake from Conners Nubble.

 By the 1890s extensive trail building was sponsored by village improvement societies, and people who financed a trail could name it after whomever they chose. 

We were thinking of that the time we hiked Kurt Diederich’s Climb.  Hundreds of stone steps enable a 1,223-foot gross vertical gain to the top of Dorr Mountain.  Contemporary guide maker Tom St. Germain calls this path, constructed in 1913, “historically important.”  The view from the top of Dorr, shown here, presents the Porcupine Islands in Frenchman Bay.  

 From stone steps to iron rungs and ladders, innovative trail construction continued with Waldron Bates, who chaired the Roads and Paths Committee of the Bar Harbor Village Improvement Association from 1900 to 1909. 

One of my favorite places for using iron rung ladders is the Beehive Trail.  In fact, if the Precipice is closed because of peregrine nesting, it’s a great alternative hike.  At only 2 miles, it is a short, but difficult climb that utilizes rungs and ladders to help you maneuver the steep face of Champlain Mountain.  As you do, you have beautiful views of Sand Beach, as shown at the right above.

And at the top, one of the rewards is to see The Bowl, below, which is a glacial cirque formed in the depression of the sides of mountains. 

My final acknowledgement goes to the individuals who participated in trail building as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).  In 1933 they had a camp on the west side of the island, today known as “the quietside.” 

The CCC expansion of the trail system included such great trails as The Perpendicular, which also features hundreds of granite stairs.  At the height of the summer season these trails offer a solitude not possible on the most popular trails around Jordan Pond or Ocean Drive.  In addition, the deep boreal forests and rich moss floor of the western mountains are in marked contrast to the woods of the eastern part of Mount Desert Island, which have re-grown since the Great Fire of 1947.

If you use Tom St. Germain’s highly acclaimed  hiking guide A Walk in the Park, you’ll also be treated to some historical perspective of Acadia’s trails.  The Olmsted Center has also published a detailed report on the historic hiking trail system of Mount Desert Island called Pathmakers, the photos and maps in which I particularly enjoy.

For more ideas on the best trails in Acadia National Park, just click here. 

Happy hiking.

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Fathom Opens in Bar Harbor, Pleasing Both Locals and Memorial Day Visitors to Acadia National Park

You walk in and restaurants immediately flash clues about the experience to come.

On its opening weekend, as we entered Fathom, Bar Harbor’s newest entrant on the fine dining scene, the crisp linens against the warm glow of the walls suggested both meticulous attention to detail and comfort.  The table appointments of a single flower, sea salt with a silver spoon, and a Japanese fighting fish circling in his bowl said expect classic with creativity. 

At 8pm every table in sight was occupied and a happy buzz emanated from the various sections of what was previously Maggie’s on Summer Street.  The bar was well stocked, so that I could start with a Lillet, an aperitif that has been made since the late 1800s.  But two unusual appetizers caught our attention: a sea scallop with fresh horseradish wrapped in prosciutto served over blueberry and fennel salad and Fathom’s version of the Hong Kong classic drunken shrimp, these drowned in a tequila cream.  I hope that as time goes on chef Joshua Heikkinen won’t hold back so much on the spiciness and flavor his menu promised for these appetizers, which were both nonetheless truly succulent.  (I, admittedly, like heat more than most people do.)

Dramatically presented filet mignon with wild mushroom béarnaise and duck breast with rhubarb were as pleasing to the palate as the eye. In fact, they were conversation stoppers.  

Owners Tracy Pattershall Hallett and Joshua Heikkinen say their goal is to incorporate Maine products into all world cuisine styles and to have “local and fresh” dictate the menu.  An illustration of Josh Heikkinen’s approach is the Maine tapenade-crusted pork chop.  Using local Brown Family Farm pork, he doesn’t go with the classic Mediterranean tapenade flavors of olives, anchovies, and capers, but instead invents a local rendition with dilly beans, dandelion greens, and salt cod and tops it with a dill chevre.  This is exciting stuff from a chef with a great local pedigree that includes both Red Sky and Fiddlers’ Green. 

And congratulations to Tracy and Josh for assembling a staff that epitomizes both professionalism and friendliness. 

It’s hard to “fathom” that this place will be anything other than a big success. 

To learn more about where to eat and what to do on a visit toAcadiaNational Park, visit OUR ACADIA.

 

Insiders’ Tips: Photographers’ Favorite Spots in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island

Ed Vatza offers one of several photography workshops in Acadia National Park.

Fly rod?  Skis?  Bikini?  Snorkel mask?  What’s the essential vacation gear you won’t leave home without?

If it’s a camera, Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island in Maine should be someplace you consider visiting this year.

The 46,000 acres of this storied national park offer rugged Atlantic coastline, glacial lakes, and mountains whose wonders are laid open to photographers by miles of carriage roads and hiking trails.  Iconic New England villages, dating back to 1761, add postcard-perfect images of working fishing harbors and white church steeples to the portfolio.

Plus, it’s the first place to view sunrise in the U.S.

As a quick visit to the forums on TripAdvisor will show, Acadia has spawned a particularly collegial group of amateur and professional photographers who openly share techniques and favorite spots.  Just ask and you’ll get plenty of tips on filters, shutter speed, and remote release techniques for Acadia’s different venues.  Among the locations they name as “don’t miss” are:

Bass Harbor Headlight

Sunrise from Thunderhole

Jordan Pond and The Bubbles

The Bridge in Somesville

View Atop Cadillac Mountain

Lobster Boats in Bass Harbor

Views from Ocean Path

Margaret Todd Schooner

Among those offering photography workshops in Acadia National Park is Canon.  Led by award-winning photographer Tyler Stableford, Canon bills its session as “A Seaside Photography Adventure.”   The two-day weekend workshop, held August 6-7, 2011, is based in Bar Harbor and priced at $750 (excluding hotel).  It starts with classroom instruction and gear handouts, then heads out to explore coastal landscapes and the Bass Harbor Headlight through sunset.  Sunday morning is spent photographing working lobstermen in Bass Harbor, with instruction emphasis on lighting, composition and getting the most from your models.  Lightroom processing and printmaking instruction follow back in the classroom.  Limit: 16 students.

Robert Rodriguez, Jr., a Hudson Valley based photographer, offers his Downeast “Beyond the Lens” workshop at autumn’s height.  For six days (Sunday, October 9 through Friday, October 14, 2011), eight serious photographers, whether beginner or advanced, get to work side-by-side with Rodriguez.  Based near Seawall in the island’s southwest section, this workshop is about 25 minutes closer to the Bass Harbor lighthouse and harbor than Canon’s base in Bar Harbor and utilizes accommodations at the Seawall Motel that are thriftier at $80/night than Canon’s $239 rate at the Bar Harbor Regency, which has a swimming pool.  With an $849 price tag, the curriculum is in-depth, providing both classroom and field sessions daily.  The video about the photo workshop beautifully showcases Acadia’s scenery.

Another option is to explore Mount Desert Island with Ed Vatza.  An advertising executive based in the Lehigh Valley, Ed has been visiting MDI since 1999 and is now a Destination Expert on Acadia for TripAdvisor.  Ed says, “It seems every workshop tries to get to the same places. The key is to know other places, less well known, where you can get the shots that you want. That’s what I strive to do.”  His five-day workshop to Acadia is also offered at the height of foliage season, October 11 through 15 in 2011, costs $750 and is limited to ten participants.  It promises to take photographers off the beaten path.

All of these workshops, depending upon their length, offer free time for you to explore Mount Desert Island.  To learn more, especially about the island’s wide range of restaurants, visit OUR ACADIA.

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Teddy Roosevelt Slept Here: Musings on the “Father of Conservation” and Maine

Village lore has it that in 1880 Teddy Roosevelt stayed in the house that is now my home on Mount Desert Island, Maine.  It’s also said that my house was the only one on Main Street that had indoor plumbing for quite some time.  I don’t think there’s a connection.

Teddy Roosevelt wasn’t pampered in Maine.  Although he was born into a wealthy New York City family, he first started coming to Maine as a 20-year-old to stay with the Sewall family, “certain staunch friends in Aroostook County,” as he himself described them in “My Debt to Maine.”  With William “Bill” Wingate Sewall, a Maine hunting guide and lumberman, the asthmatic Harvard student went on fall hunting trips, spent weeks on snow shoes visiting lumber camps, and climbed Mount Katahdin.

Roosevelt wrote, “I was rather tired by some of the all-day tramps, especially in the deep snow, when my webbed racquets gave me “snowshoe feet”, or when we waded up the Munsungin in shallow water, dragging a dugout, until my ankles became raw from slipping on the smooth underwater stones; and I still remember with qualified joy the ascent and especially the descent of Katahdin in moccasins, worn because I had lost one of my heavy shoes in crossing a river at a riffle.”

But, Roosevelt said, “It was a matter of pride with me to keep up with my stalwart associates…In their company I would have been ashamed to complain!”

The man who would become the youngest President in U.S. history seemed just as taken with the values of the Sewall family, who accepted him as one of the household.  He described them as “self-respecting, duty-performing, life-enjoying.”

Although he didn’t directly laud their dry humor, Teddy Roosevelt told a wonderful story that illustrated it.  He was driving in a wagon with Bill Sewall’s brother Dave “up an exceedingly wet and rocky backwoods road, with the water pouring down the middle.” He asked Dave how in Aroostook County they were able to tell its roads from its rivers.

“No beaver dams in the roads” was the instant response.

Theodore Roosevelt would go on to become an environmental activiist as President.  He formed the United States Forestry Service, more than quadrupled forest reserves, and signed sweeping legislation to put national treasures under federal ownership.

He said, “I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the nature resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us.”

As Congress grapples with the national debt and contemplates retraction of federal authority, those are words to live by. 

To find out what you can do to help preserve and protect Acadia National Park for current and future generations, consult Friends of Acadia.  And please visit OUR ACADIA where I share my favorite ways to enjoy and appreciate Mount Desert Island.

What Moms Want for Family Vacations. Does Acadia National Park in Maine Fill the Bill?

Even a Tiger Mom shares something with all mothers: she wants the best for her kids.  And that includes a family vacation that is full of what makes great memories.

Last summer President Obama and the First Lady chose Acadia National Park for a summertime vacation.  Perhaps it was because it fulfilled on Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” agenda.

What’s on your wish list? More family time?  Beach time?  Somewhere you’ve never been?  No in-laws?  Well, Acadia National Park can’t promise everything, but here’s a sampling of what most moms want and what you can expect.

Things We Can Do Together – All year family members are rushing in different directions – to soccer, gymnastics, and the SAT tutor.  Summer vacation is the time to bring everyone together through activities everyone enjoys.  Acadia National Park offers 130 miles of hiking trails and 57 miles of car-free carriage roads for biking – with a family picnic to celebrate reaching the destination. 

But Everyone Needs to Go Separate Ways Sometimes – A little bit of freedom for family members to assert their individuality is necessary for peace and a shot at something memorable for all.  Don’t worry.  Teenagers can take the free Island Explorer bus to shop, go to the movies and explore Bar Harbor, while other family members go for miniature golf.

An Opportunity to Learn – The National Park Service in Acadia offers ranger-led programs that are fascinating for individuals of all ages.  You may want to explore the Stars over Sand Beach, Birds of Prey, or Sketching by the Sea.

The Beach! Sand Beach, a stunning sandy crescent enclosed by dramatic cliffs, offers a respite everyone can enjoy.  Whether the goal is building a sand castle or getting some rays, it’s fun for all.  There’s even a hiking trail overlooking the beach.

A Chance to Try Something New – Rock climbing outings for the entire family let you find out that you can do what you never thought possible – for example, rappelling off a 60-foot cliff over pounding surf and then climbing back up!  Acadia offers adventure that includes whale watching trips, sightseeing flights, and sea kayaking trips.

Plenty of Options for Where to Stay – Mount Desert Island has an array of accommodations that range from free campgrounds to luxurious historic inns.  A great option for families is to rent a house.  You can find well-priced, spic-and-span homes that make breakfast easy.  And there’s always a lobster pot.

Lots of Choices for Where to Eat - What’s your pleasure?  BBQ at picnic tables at a local micro-brewery?  A lobster pound overlooking a working harbor?  Relaxed, but refined dining featuring the best in seafood and local organic produce?  Click here to get specific restaurant recommendations near Acadia National Park for all of these categories!

A Little Indulgence for Mom  Everyone needs a break and that includes hardworking moms.  Even if you opted for camping, you can get a little luxury at a nearby spa.  Bar Harbor, for example, is home to spas that range from elegant to “crunchy-set” spiritual.  Sunsets and gardens (Asticous Azalea Garden or Thuya Garden) are equally serene.

If you’d like to see a sample 7-day itinerary for a vacation to Acadia National Park, consult OUR ACADIA.  It has more tips on what to do with kids and detailed listings for kayaking trips, rock climbing guides, the best miniature golf course, restaurants, realtors, and places to stay.

 

 

Looking Back at Acadia National Park’s Awards in 2010 to Help You Plan Your Vacation for 2011

Photograph by Raul Touzon

When it comes to picking a vacation destination, past results are indicative of future performance.  So, as we sit here sandwiched between the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards, let’s look back at the awards and recognition Maine’s Acadia National Park racked up in 2010.  

When you do, Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island will move up your “Bucket List” of where you want to go in 2011. 

Travel and Leisure’s “Best Island” in North America  Travel and Leisure readers chose Mount Desert Island as the #1 island in 2010, moving it from #2 in 2009.  This ranking wasn’t only based on natural beauty, which MDI, with 23 mountain peaks and a fiord, has in spades.  The survey also asked readers to take into account activities/sights, restaurants/food, people, and value.

Huffington Post “6 Best American National Parks”  The Huffington Post published their list of the “6 Best American National Parks,” but they added a tough criterion.  The park had to be within driving distance of a big city.  Acadia National Park, which occupies roughly two-thirds of Mount Desert Island, made the list of six.  Three hours north of up-and-coming Portland, five north of Boston, and almost nine from New York, it’s a treasure accessible to urban dwellers like me.

Our First Family’s Choice for their Summer Vacation Just in case you don’t remember, the Obama’s headed up to Maine last summer to visit Acadia National Park.  They relaxed by hiking and biking in Acadia, visited the lighthouse in Bass Harbor, and played tennis in Bar Harbor.  (The restaurant choice for date night, Havana, is one of mine, too, although they missed the best lobster pound on Mount Desert Island, Thurston’s.) 

A Burst in Visitors, according to National Park Service Statistics  Whether because of the improving economy or the increase in its inherent appeal, visits to Acadia National Park grew 12 percent in 2010.  Over 2.5 million visitors took the opportunity to see “where the mountains meet the sea.”  And whether they focused on romantic sunset sailing trips or a lumberjack show with the kids, they enjoyed the most beautiful vistas in America.  

National Geographic Best Wallpapers of 2010  National Geographic remains our definitive source for adventure and natural beauty.  Among the spectacular photos selected as the “Best Wallpapers” this year was the photograph shown above by Raul Touzon of a solitary red maple leaf on the trunk of a downed birch tree in Maine’s Acadia National Park. If you go to Acadia, the rangers of the National Park Service lead programs that will teach you fascinating things not only about trees, but also birds of prey, tidal pools, and constellations.  

Downeast.com’s Best Cookbooks 2010 In recent years Maine has earned its seat at the national culinary table because of its close connection between fishermen, farmer, and table.  In 2010 a top pick among cookbooks was Fresh From Maine, Recipes and Stories from the State’s Best Chefs by Michael Sanders with photography by Russell French.  It featured three Mount Desert Island chefs who focus on local ingredients: Maureen Cosgrove of Town Hill Bistro, James Lindquist of Red Sky, and Kyle Yarborough of Mache Bistro.  Indulging in, say, a lobster risotto or blueberry cobbler at one of these restaurants is a just reward for a day of hiking or biking. 

Convinced?  To plan your trip to Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island, visit OUR ACADIA for tips on inns, restaurants, and kids’favorites.