Hiking Boating Performances Acadia/Bar Harbor
Hiking Trails
The Blue Hill Peninsula is so lucky to be home so many areas of protected land management by Blue Hill Heritage Trust, Maine Coast Heritage Trust and Island Heritage Trust. These dedicated organization have provided numerous groomed trails for the hiking enthusiast. In Brooklin, explore the Harriman Point Preserve and the Hundred Acre Woods trail. is dotted with numerous outdoor hiking trails
In Blue Hill, you can’t beat the spectacular view from the moderately easy hike up to the summit of Blue Hill Mountain. From there you can see the dotted islands along the rugged coastline and picture Sal picking her blueberries from the children’s story by Robert McCloskey, Blueberries for Sal. Another beautiful nature hike is Peter’s Brook Trail with the flowing waters and small waterfall.
In Sedgwick, we love a visit to Walker Pond for a quick dip, the scenic overlook at Caterpillar Hill and a stroll along the Cooper Farm Trail. In Brooksville you can take a scenic drive through Cape Rosier which is home to the Neering’s Good Life Center, Eliot Coleman’s Four Season Farm, and birdwatching at the Holbrook Sanctuary.
On Deer Isle, the 2-mile round trip hike through the moss covered forest and out to Barred Island Preserve where you can cross the bar (except at high tide) onto Barred Island is not to be missed. Check out all the Island Heritage Trust trails.
In Acadia National Park, our favorite hikes are an easy walk along the Ocean Path or the Jordan Pond Path, a little more intermediate hike on The Beehive Trail, a nearly all-day hike upCadillac Mountain,or for the the more experienced hiking enthusiast, The Precipice Trail with paths along the sides of the cliffs.
Out on the Water
If you enjoy time on the water like our family does, there is no better place to be. You can be your own captain and have kayaks delivered to you from the Activity Shop and launch them right from the beach. Take a guided tour with Castine Kayak Adventures. Go for a whale-watch, puffin or lighthouse cruise. Take the ferry over to Isle au Haut island, Swans Island, or the Cranberry Islands.
If you are a boating enthusiast, be sure to visit Woodenboat, home of the magazine’s publishing office, the Woodenboat School and store with all things nautical. Visit the campus and take a stroll down to the pier where you’ll see a plethora of wooden boats moored just off the dock and will often see schooners at anchor for the night.
Bucks Harbor in Brooksville is home to Buck’s Harbor Marina who offer daily and weekly boat charters and marine services. The town with Condon’s Garage is also the setting in the well-known children’s book, One Morning in Maine, also by Robert McCloskey. Bucks Harbor with its heart-shaped island is a popular overnight refuge for many coastal sailors.
The Arts and Performances
The Blue Hill Peninsula has been a haven for artists and craftspeople for many generations. The Haystack Mountain School of Crafts has lured artisans from all over the world to its secluded oceanfront campus of classrooms for half a century. Adelaide Pearson started Rowantrees Pottery nearly a century ago in Blue Hill. Her work inspired and sparked many other potters to learn from her and the area is now home to many talented potters, especially our favorite, Rackliffe Pottery in Blue Hill. Many works from around the area are sold at Handworks Gallery in Blue Hill. On Naskeag Road in Brooklin, a hidden gem is the Brooklin Pottery Co-op which hosts the works of local potters in town in including Random Pottery. The Handmade Papers Gallery is just a block from the top of the driveway where our friend Gigi turns a variety of unique fibers into beautiful paper for lampshades and other works of art.
There are artisan galleries dotted around the peninsula, The area’s Art Guide which has mapped out the whole area is a great place to formulate your own art tour. Also visit the Chamber of Commerce listings of all things art related and the Weekly Packet’s list of current events and exhibits.
You will also discover that music and the performing arts play an important role to the culture of the area. The long standing Kneisel Hall and Bagaduce Music are just two of the many that offer summer performance. Or take in a live theater performances at New Surry Theatre, Bagaduce Theatre or the Stonington Opera House. A visit to Blue Hill Town Park on many Monday nights, usually around 7:30pm, is a blast with Flash in the Pans live steel-drum band performances and street dance.
Acadia National Park & Mount Desert Island
A visit to the area is not complete without exploring Mount Desert Island, the home of Acadia, one our Nation’s National Parks. The park preserves about half of the island and also includes part of Isle au Haut, the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula. The natural beauty of the rocky coast has been preserved for over a century which includes the highest mountains along the Atlantic coast. The park boasts a glaciated coastal and island landscape, twenty six significant mountains that rise in the park, including Cadillac Mountain (at 1530 ft.) which was named after the French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, and is tallest mountain along the eastern coastline of the United States. The lichen-covered, pink granite summit of Cadillac is the first place in the United States where one may watch the sunrise. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who was a summer “rusticator,” played a critical role by building the now famous carriage roads (1915 – 1933) and by donating over 11,000 acres of land.
Forty-five miles of rustic carriage roads built in the 1920’s and adorned by beautiful stone-faced bridges, stone walls and gate houses, weave around the mountains and streams of the park which are perfect for long walks, biking and horse-drawn carriage rides.
Towns of Mount Desert Island
Bar Harbor
This picturesque coastal community and working harbor is a hopping little town in the summer. It is fun to visit and walk the small downtown area with numerous shops and restaurants. and colorful people are as varied as the island’s scenery. Because of this variety, there is something for everyone to connect to. Bar Harbor is the largest community and offers a great variety of amenities and tourism experiences to visitors.
Quieter Side of the Island
On the quieter side of the island, coastal villages enchanting main streets are home to working waterfronts, family‐run lobster pounds, cafes, galleries, and artisan shops. We sometimes prefer to avoid the hustle and bustle of Bar Harbor and explore the “quieter side.” Discover these quaint small towns which include Northeast Harbor where you will find the Asticou Azalea Garden and Thuya Gardens; Southwest Harbor for some cute shops, the ferry to Cranberry Isles and home of Hinckley Yachts; and Bass Harbor with Bass Harbor Lighthouse, and Thurston’s Lobster Pound.