Acadia-Bar Harbor

[Darren H]

Going to Acadia in October with the plan on staying for 4-5 nights for my first trip into the area.

With spending most of our time in the park which would be the best place to stay town-wise and even take suggestions on cottages, inns, etc.

Since I am traveling with the Mrs, we are looking for a cottage or small motel and probably in a town or village and not out alone.

Looking at the maps of the area I see there are several little towns in the area. I was looking at Bar Harbor being the default, but would one of the other little towns on Mt Desert Isle be a better bet for seeing the park?

Looking here I see folks talk about the neighboring Schoodic Point but I was thinking of that as a possible drive.

Ideally it would be close to the park so I could get in before dawn and photograph sunrise and early morning, then go back to have breakfast with wife. If the town was quaint (i know all New England towns are quaint) we could walk around it but still be close to park.

Any suggestions welcome. BTW, I already mined the article Bruce Barlow wrote in VC for some places to eat, but always open to good local choices for food too.

Thanks!

[John Bowen]

Darren,

I went along with Bruce on the VC Acadia Trip. We stayed in Ellsworth at the Comfort Inn. We would spend our mornings on Schoodic Point, then venture off after a few hours to either Acadia or "down East" as the locals call it. We had our dinners in Bar Harbor or Ellsworth. Bar Harbor is a great "walking around" town....Ellsworth is a "driving around" town.

Be sure to schedule some time in Stonington. If your travels permit, I would suggest you visit Pemaquid Point. Bruce, Richard Ritter, myself and about 3 other photographers returned the following year for some additional photography. I felt the time spent at Pemaquid Point was the best. We all shoot b&w, a color photographer may have a different opinion of Pemaquid Point, but it is sheer heaven for a b&w guy with a ULF camera.

I would have one suggestion. Have your wife bring some books and tag along with you. The sunrise is just magnificent and some of the little eateries in the area would be a long drive to return to the room then head back for luch. We hit Micky D's for breakfast and had lunch in the small villages. Dinner was in either Bar Harbor or Ellsworth.

HAVE FUN!!!!!!

[Bill_1856]

I've made many photo trips to Acadia, and wouldn't consider staying anywhere but Bar Harbor. The main drag downtown takes you into the National Park in five minutes.
There are plenty of high-end waterfront accomodations, but if you need somewhere nice at reasonable prices I'd recommend the Cadillac Motor Inn, which is where the hospital put me up for several months when I staffed the medical clinic at Southwest Harbor.
There are LOTS of great sea food places, but the place I enjoyed most was the old cafe (whose name I unfortunately have forgotten) on Main street where the locals all gather for hot coffee and gossip,(and blueberry muffins), every morning at 6 AM.
IMO the best photo mini-vacation locations in the US are Acadia NP and Pt. Lobos.

[Frank Petronio]

Great choice, it's the best landscape photographer's location on the East Coast I think.

[Robert Belcher]

Great choice, it's the best landscape photographer's location on the East Coast I think.

I second Frank's comment. My wife and I were there in early August three years ago. We had a tiny cabin at Tide Watch Cabins about 20 yards from the shore of Frenchman's bay (just enough room between the walls and he bed to walk around) but inexpensive at $95.00 a night; also right next door to the Chart House Restuarant. About a two minute drive to Acadia National Park and about 5 minutes drive to Bar Harbor. Almost anywhere you go on Mt. Desert Island is a photo opportunity. My wife and I especially liked Northeast Harbor in the early morning and Southwest Harbor in the late afternoon. All the little villages on the island are quaint and very photogenic. The seawall in Bar harbor is a beautiful stroll in the evening; carry your small format for walking around Bar Harbor in the evening. Schoodic point is breath taking. Almost anywhere you want to eat is at least good and more often excellent. Bar Harbor is on the list to revisit--right after Yosemite.

By the way, I am not affiliated with Tide Watch cabins in any manner whatsoever. Just a neat place to camp while excploring the island.

[jp]

There are plenty of places to stay on the island, in Bar Harbor and in the other towns. Book early though. Fall is a popular time. In addition to the suggestions, do some hiking around the smaller hills in the park, lots of nice stuff within 20 minutes of the road, and trail system is very nice. I camped there at Thanksgiving once at the park campground, and stayed at the Harborside Hotel (because my wife worked for their owner); opposite extremes, but you can be close to the park and food regardless of lodging choices. When camping, we stocked up on food at the grocery stores in Ellsworth and Bar Harbor.

If you stay off-island, you could save a little money, but will likely incur minor traffic jams getting from trenton into bar harbor. Not at 6am of course....

The business walking area of downtown Bar Harbor is a mix of nice places to eat, tourist junk shops (souvenirs), and a grocery store. In addition to being next to a nice national park, they get lots of cruise ship traffic, thus the souvenir shop popularity.

I'm about 2 hours south of Acadia and an hour north of Pemaquid.

[msk2193]

Darren,

Make your plans for the earlier part of October to catch the best of the autumn colors.
I subscribe to a handy newsletter service which is very helpful in getting the right spots when you're in a bit of a time squeeze; they show the "right" spots and the right time of day to visit. They sell single issues and they have on on Acadia and one on the Maine Islands. Here is the link: www.photographamerica.com

[Louie Powell]

Any suggestions welcome.

It's only a few miles south from Acadia to a couple of interesting photographic targets.

One is Fort Knox in Bucksport. Very well preserved Civil War era fortification, LF cameras and tripods welcome, and only very modest crowds to get in the way.

The other is the Penobscut Narrows Bridge that crosses from the mainland to an island in Penobscot Bay. This bridge includes a tower that is open to the public and that offers fabulous views of the Bay and nearby terrain.

[jp]

Thanks for reminding me of that. Alongside the new bridge is the old one and you can walk right up to the base of it. And I've been wanting to photograph the old bridge from underneath with LF. I've taken some LF photos I like at Fort Knox and would like to go back for more with soft focus and no family in tow.

Most any peninsula along the Maine coast will have many photo possibilities.

Also any quarries you find could be good with LF.

Another option is to spend a day (and maybe a night) on an island like Vinalhaven/North Haven/Islesboro/Monhegan. If you're an Eliot Porter fan, Penobscot Bay is the photographic center of the universe.

[Darren H]

Thanks all!

Just the sort of info I knew I could find here.