Tags
acadia national park, bar harbor maine, bass harbor head, biking, blueberry pie, butternut squash, cafe this way, carriage road, maine, park loop road, travel, vacation
Having completed the Park Loop Road the previous day, we decided to bike the Carriage Roads on our final day in Bar Harbor. As I said previously, the carriage roads were my favorite parts of Acadia National Park. If you consider visiting, either bring or rent bikes in order to utilize the Carriage Roads, one of the aspects that truly makes Acadia incomparable. Though it began to rain (early September is rainy season on the east coast), the views from the Carriage Roads were some of the best in the entire park. In my opinion, the views even surpassed those from the summits of Champlain and Cadillac Mountains. The ride to enjoy these views is changeling; we biked many switchbacks in the pouring rain to reach them, but they are so worth it and the downhills were really fun! Unfortunately, I did not take many pictures since I did not want to ruin my camera in the rain.
Soaking wet, we returned to Bar Harbor to dry off and rest before our dinner reservations at Cafe This Way, one of the restaurants I was most looking forward to trying. Since we had some time to kill, we went to visit the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. The lighthouse was crowded, but I was glad I had the opportunity to see it. For whatever reason, I love lighthouses.
By this time the rain had subsided at the early evening sky had almost cleared, offering dynamic views of the harbor and skyline.
We celebrated the end of an amazing and jam-packed vacation at Cafe This Way, my absolute favorite restaurant of the entire trip. Unassuming and trendy, the atmosphere was great and the food was excellent. I would highly recommend my dish, the Brazilian Flavors Shrimp, Scallops, and Mussels. We did not share dishes, but both my mom and dad cleared their plates and raved about their respective Moroccan Flavors Stuffed Butternut Squash and Southwest Shepherd’s Pie. We topped off the evening and our vacation with a Blueberry Pie.
We all agreed that we could have spent at least another two days in Bar Harbor and Acadia. We would have liked to bike the carriage roads in the sunshine and hiked a few more of the trails as well as taken a whale watching cruise and done a few more of the maritime activities. Bar Harbor offers so many things to do; I would highly recommend it to everyone!
– A Summary of My Recommendations –
Hotel: Bar Harbor Grand Hotel
- great queen beds and nicely sized rooms
- perfect in-town location; everything is within walking distance
- complimentary continental breakfast and wifi
Lunch: Side Street Cafe and Cherrystone’s
Dinner: Cafe This Way and Havana
Hiking and Walking:
- .25 mile loop at summit of Cadillac Mountain
- Precipice Trail up Champlain Mountain and one of the alternate trails down
- Bar Island Sandbar Crossing
- Coastal Walk
Biking: Carriage Roads – a must do!
Drive the Park Loop Road
Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse
*All opinions expressed on this blog are my own.