Cute seaside towns hug the Maine coast like a warm, woolly sweater during a long Maine winter. The towns are punctuated by gorgeous seaside views, battered lobster boats and an occasional lone lighthouse. I hit Maine this year at a time when you could have left that woolly sweater wadded up back at home. I was lucky. August weather in September. Highs in the 70s and 80s. Nearly a week of sunshine, with the leaves just starting to be kissed by fall.
Out of Portland, about three to four hours up Highway 1, Highway 3 heads south right over a bridge and onto Mount Desert Island. There are no bears here. No moose either – except when a lone Bullwinkle decides to swim over for a visit. But that’s so rare, it makes the news headlines here. So for hikers who are on their own, it’s perfect: forest, ocean views, solace… and no risk of being dinner on the trail. A local B&B owner recommended my first hike: the Gorham Mountain Trail, a moderate 4-mile loop trail on the eastern side of Acadia National Park.
Armed with water, sunscreen, mosquito repellent (which I ended up not needing) and a digital camera, I headed up the trail from the parking lot at Sand Beach in Acadia National Park. From the lot, you cross the park loop road to get to the trail head. It’s pretty easy to find, but it’s smart to take a trail map. (I used “A Walk in the Park: Acadia’s Hiking Guide,” by a local hiker, Tom St. Germain. I saw lots of people on the trail with the same pocket-sized book of trail maps and descriptions. You can get the book at the park visitor centers or at the bookstore in town.) From Sand Beach, the trail heads up, up, up…
You’ll need comfortable, sturdy shoes that are good for hiking to pick your way through boulders on the trail. But at least most of them seem solid, almost cemented in place. The trail makes its way up the granite mountain…
Some parts of the trail level off somewhat, through lovely forest…
Then it’s up, up, up again. Notice the blue paint that marks the trail. This trail is really well marked…
Eventually, you’re rewarded with a view of the Atlantic Ocean and neighboring islands…
And views of Acadia’s rocky coastline…
“Cairns” point the way. (I read some of these have been around for almost 100 years. I don’t know how true that is though. In any event, they’re very helpful to keep you pointed in the right direction.)…
You can look back down at Sand Beach, where you came from. (To me, the beach looks a lot like Hawaii, if Hawaii had evergreens!)…
Eventually…
You reach the summit, complete with a marker…
On the Sunday I did this hike, there were a handful of people at the summit. And it was super windy. So if you’re looking for peace, quiet and no people or you’re looking to keep your hair in place, this is probably not the hike for you. It seems to be a fairly popular trail in the park. Another look at the view from here…
Time to head down the other side. (That’s a battered, borrowed copy of “A Walk in the Park” in my hand.)…
You work your way back down toward sea level with typical Acadia National Park views along the way…
Eventually you end up back down at sea level, walking back toward Sand Beach along the Ocean Path…
This is a flat trail, right by the one-way portion of the park loop road. You can stop in at Thunder Hole. (It was only gurgling when I passed. If you hit it around high tide, the rock formation acts as a blow hole.) Despite more people along this stretch of trail (given it’s proximity to the road), the view is pleasant. These are some of the rocks around Thunder Hole…
Looking up at Gorham Mountain from the Ocean Path, it doesn’t look like much…
But looks can be deceiving! Eventually, you end up back at Sand Beach…
Didn’t I tell you looks can be deceiving? Sure, it looks very tropical, but the water feels like the Arctic! Only the brave would swim here in the Fall. I am not one of them. In all, a great 4-mile hike. Took me a little more than a couple of hours at a leisurely pace. I was able to do the entire loop road and take in other key Acadia sites for the rest of the day.
Tags: Acadia, hiking, Maine, national parks, Susan Valot, travel
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