Day 1: Acadia National Park, Maine

We had an early morning flight from St, Pete/Clearwater Airport to Bangor International Airport. Rental vehicle was bit expensive at Bangor so we had booked it for pickup from Bar Harbor Airport. On the way to Bar Harbor, we realized that there was hardly any fall peeping. Our taxi driver informed us about the unfavorable weather over the past few weeks causing fall to be delayed.

We picked the vehicle and bought some fruits and milk from nearby Walmart. Then we headed to Acadia National Park, our only stop for the day. We reached there by 2.30 pm. Park loop road is the main scenic drive which covers most of the park. It has several overlooks and turnouts. Although the fall had not reached its peak, the landscapes still looked beautiful.

Sand Beach Overlook:

We stopped by Sand Beach overlook past ‘Sieur de Monts’ center. The place was crowded and the vehicles were all parked on the road side. The overlook had a beautiful view of Newport Cove in the North Atlantic coastline. One could see the Sand Beach and Old Soaker rocks from this overlook. If you walk around a mile, you can also view the Thunder Hole.

The drive from the Sand Beach till Seal Harbor is along the coastline and amazing. We then drove towards the Otter Point and stopped by road side that had beautiful view of Otter Cove. We made couple more stops along the Park Loop road on our way to Jordan Pond.

Jordan Pond:

Jordan Pond, a tarn formed by glaciers is a must visit in Acadia. The water is clear and reflects the nature around the shores. The two mountains on the northeastern shoreline are called the North and South Bubble mountains or simply as ‘The Bubbles’. They add further beauty to the view of Jordan Pond.

Just in front of the Jordan Pond is a restaurant named ‘Jordan Pond House’ which has a beautiful lawn where one can enjoy lunch/tea with a breathtaking view of the Jordan Pond and Bubbles. The restaurant also has an observation deck and a gift shop.

If you have some time to spend around this place, I would suggest to take the Jordan Pond Path trail that takes you to the base of the pond for classic view of the Bubbles. You may then continue to take the Jordan Pond Path trail further that takes you around the shores of the Pond. You can park the vehicle in the parking lot near the restaurant.

Eagle Lake:

Next we stopped by the Eagle Lake. It is the largest fresh water lake in the Acadia National Park located on Mount Desert Island. It can be accessed via route 233 going towards Eagle Lake Bridge.

Duck Brook Bridge:

We had seen few suggestions to visit Duck Brook Bridge for fall peeping. Thus after Eagle Lake, we followed Duck Brook road. We finally got a picturesque view of colorful fall trees along the way and from the bridge.

We had a long day with not so great lunch, So we had a dinner at an India restaurant ‘Taste of India’ located in Bangor city. We had booked our stay for the night at Comfort Inn in Bangor which was close to the restaurant.

Links to related posts :

Main Post : Fall Trip to Maine, New Hampshire & Vermont
Day#2 : Moosehead Lake, Drive along National Scenic Byway – Old Canada Road or Route 201
Day#3 : Mount Washington and White Mountains National Forest in New Hampshire
Day#4 : Lake Winnipesaukee & Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire, and Hogback Mountain in Vermont