Bar Harbor Part II - The Other Stuff

Carriage Trail Family Selfie.

Earlier this summer we took a family trip to Bar Harbor.  It was early July and while some questioned our sanity for going to one of Maine’s most popular summer tourist destinations the week after Fourth of July, we didn’t let that stop us.

Granted, it was the opposite end of the spectrum from last summer’s vacation to a sporting camp deep in the north Maine woods in Aroostook County.  The great thing about Maine is that we have many vacation alternatives.

After crossing the causeway onto Mt. Desert Island, we made a quick stop at the Acadia National Park Visitor Center to purchase a park pass.  But just getting to the visitor center was a “trek” in and of itself.   From the main parking lot, you have to hoof it along a paved path and up many stairs, just to get to the building.  Inside we purchased our 5-day park pass for $26 and spoke to a ranger about the ranger led programs.

Bar Harbor Inn's Ocean Front Lodge

Next it was off to check in to the hotel.  Check in was around 4pm, which was about an hour later than most hotels I’ve been to throughout the country.  But after a day or two, I came to realize why.  It’s because nobody seems to get up before 9 a.m. in Bar Harbor.  I would go out on my bike at 7:30 or 8 a.m. and could ride down the middle of Cottage Street as if it was a dedicated bike lane.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise".  We’re an early to bed, early to rise, family and while we’re pretty healthy, we’re still working on the wealthy part.  As for the wise part, I discovered that getting up early is the wise way to experience Bar Harbor.

In doing this, I found I didn’t have to share the roads and sidewalks with half the population of Massachusetts and the Carriage Trails in the park were pretty much deserted, save the occasional passerby.  Another big surprise is that if you drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain sometime after the sunrise viewers, but before the late-rising visitor, say before 9 o’clock, you practically have the magnificent vistas to yourself.  On that day, there were only about half a dozen cars up there.  While at the summit, we were on a quest to find the 1,530-foot mark - the highest point on the island.  A Ranger directed us to a point away from the high-traffic area where we found the brass marker embedded in the stone.

Straddling the summit of Cadillac Mountain

Ashton and Bethany taking in the views

The other thing that we can add to the “wise” column is to go out to dinner early.  Apparently, since people get up later, they also eat dinner later, so if you get out around 5 p.m. you can beat the rush.

A distinguishing factor in the trip’s success, was staying at the Bar Harbor Inn.  Not only is it a beautiful waterfront property overlooking Frenchman’s Bay, but you can’t get much more central to the major attractions.  We rarely got in the car except to go into Acadia National Park for a spin along the Loop Road, a drive up Cadillac Mountain, biking the Carriage Trails, and a to visit Timber Tina's Great Maine Lumberjack Show.

Our room was on the second floor of the Ocean Front Lodge, boasting a balcony with exceptional views of the bay and an array of Porcupine Islands.  It was also a vantage point from which to observe a parade of boat excursions leaving from the harbor.  There are whale watches, lobster boat tours and schooners that come and go all day long.

View of Frenchman's Bay from the balcony

View of the Inn and the Shore Path from the balcony

Another advantage was our room's proximity to the pool and hot tub. Ashton really enjoyed the outdoor heated pool, but in my opinion, "heated" was an overstatement. And it wasn't just me who felt that way.  Several other guests commented on the pool temperature, so I didn't feel like a complete wimp.  The hot tub, on the other hand, was far more comfortable.

Chillin' in the hot tub

Pool at sunset

We were in Bar Harbor from Monday to Friday, but we discovered that the five days and four  nights weren't quite enough time to do everything we thought we might do.  While visiting, we biked the carriage trails around Eagle Lake.  Walked to Bar Island, which gets its name because at low tide you can walk across a sandbar to the island, staying stay high and dry.  Took a spin on part of the Loop Road to see Thunder Hole and Otter Cliffs, followed by a tour aboard the schooner Halie and Matthew in the afternoon. Thanks to the brisk winds, we sailed almost all the way out to Egg Rock Light.  So close in fact, that the Acadia National Park Ranger who was providing commentary on board, said it's the closest she had gotten to Egg Rock all season.

Bethany and Ashton taking in views from atop Otter Cliffs

Scenic overlook at Thunder Hole

Aboard the Schooner Halie and Matthew

As with most schooners, the crew asked for assistance from the passengers in hoisting the sails.  I volunteered and concluded that anyone who had to do that several times every day, was in far better shape than I was.  You wouldn't think pulling a rope with half a dozen other people would be a workout, but you'd be wrong.

That evening, we headed back to the mainland for Timber Tina's Great Maine Lumberjack Show.  It was a fun and affordable family outing.  You can read my Trip Advisor review here.

It was definitely a fun trip, but we'll have to go back to do some of the other stuff we didn't get to this time around.

Parting Photos:

King of the rocks

Biking the carriage trails

Sandbar to Bar Island

Jordan Pond House.  Famous for popovers.

Ashton cross cutting at the Lumberjack Show

A stroll atop Otter Cliffs

Flagstaff Hut in January

Flagstaff Hut Entrance

I lost track of how many times I said to Bethany that we should do the Maine Huts and Trails one of these days.  After, however many years of having said that, I'm happy to report that we finally made that dream a reality.  Bethany, Ashton and I snowshoed into Flagstaff Hut on the east shore of Flagstaff Lake in January for a one-night introduction to the hut to hut experience.

Now the first thing you need to know is that "Hut" completely understates what you find when you embark on this wilderness experience.  Eco-Lodge is a much more accurate description of these cedar-shingled lodges located off the grid in Maine's western mountains.  The second thing to know, is that it is really easy to have this experience.

Winter access to the Flagstaff Hut is almost too easy.  From North New Portland you hop onto Long Falls Dam Road and follow it for about 22 miles to the Flagstaff Hut Trail Head.  The road is well maintained and the trail head parking is well marked..  This was actually a pleasant surprise for us. We figured that the access road would be a narrow, dirt road wending through a remote forest, but it turned out to be a paved road with many houses along almost the entire length of the road and it was kept in really good shape.

Flagstaff Hut Trail Head

We opted out of paying the $35 per person for the gear shuttle and packed our own stuff in.  After strapping on the snowshoes and packs, we headed down the well-groomed trail.  About a 10th of a mile down the trail, we had a choice to make - take the Main Hut Trail or opt for the Shore Trail.

In planning, we had already decided on the Shore Trail, figuring we'd have some panoramic views of the Bigelow Mountain Range on the south shore of Flagstaff Lake - we were right.

View of the Bigelow Range from the Shore Trail

As its name implies, the Shore Trail followed the Flagstaff shoreline.  It was a a narrow trail winding through trees, so it wasn't a straight shot.  Fortunately, one of the Huts and Trails staff had checked out the trail that morning, so we had tracks to follow.  While there were blue trail markers along much of the trail, There were a few sections where the markers were spaced out a bit too far.  If we didn't have the broken trail to follow, it might have been a challenge locating the next trail marker. That said, since the trail followed the shoreline and the hut was on the shore, you couldn't possibly miss the lodge if you just skirted the lake.

Outside the Flagstaff Hut

The main lodge had a living room/lounge area with stuffed chairs, books and games; a large dining area with a big woodstove, fronted by a comfy couch and a couple of rocking chairs.  The bathroom area included several individual rooms with toilets, private shower rooms and four community sinks. The hut's pine paneling and the flagstone woodstove hearth were locally sourced, as were the chairs and tables in the dining room, built in nearby Farmington.  

Living Room/Lounge Area

Dining Room with woodstove.  The primary gathering area.

Dining Room and main gathering area

Private coin-op Showers

The sleeping quarters are in two buildings adjacent to the Main Lodge, Our building was only about 10 feet from the Main Lodge, so it was easy to access the bathroom and Main Lodge just by tiptoeing across a few flagstones.  Our room was a private room with three bunks, but there are bigger shared rooms that sleep as many as eight people.  Each bunk had a mattress and pillow.  If I had any complaint, it was that the pillows were pretty thin, so I folded my fleece up underneath, which raised it a little.  The room had one small window and one small light.  With the in-floor radiant heat, our room temperature was 53 degrees when we went to bed, but warmed up to 63 the time we woke up.

  

Ashton in the top bunk

Bethany next to the lower bunks

Meals were served family style.  On this night, we shared the hut with 10 others, which was a nice number.  It was enough people to make it interesting, but an intimate enough group to get to make some new friends.  The hut can accommodate up to 44 people, but I think that would make it a bit more difficult to meet everyone.  

Dinner was chicken stew, green beans, and a kale salad, topped off with a triple berry cobbler for dessert.  All of which was very good.  Breakfast the next day was scrambled eggs with peppers, onions and mushrooms, sausage, home fries and orange juice. - all prepared by a friendly staff of four caretakers.

Community breakfast with new friends

Coffee is always free thanks to a generous donation from Carrabassett Coffee in Kingfield, and Cabot donates all the cheese.  You can purchase tea, hot cocoa, Maine beers, wine, soda, t-shirts, and toiletries that you may have forgotten to pack.  If you don't have cash, the hut staff has an iPad with a "Square" reader that enables them to take credit cards.

Coffee and Tea Station

Maine Huts and Trails makes for a great family adventure. It can also be educational.  Each night the staff offers the hut tour which explains how they can provide such a comfortable experience with a very low environmental impact.  Their electricity is generated by solar panels.  They have a very efficient wood boiler to heat water for showers, meals, and the radiant heat, and they have a composting toilet system that takes human waste and converts it to an organic compost that is clean and ordorless.  It's really quite impressive.

We enjoyed ourselves immensely and are already thinking about when we can return again.  We are considering another winter trek, maybe to Stratton Brook or Poplar Hut, and we also want to make a trip in the summer, perhaps to Grand Falls Hut.

Closing Shots...

Late afternoon sun over Flagstaff Lake

Enjoying the blanket of white powder

Bethany, in red, coming out of Room 1 with the main hut in foreground

Steve and Ashton on the Lake with the Bigelows in the background

Enjoying the peace and quiet on the Shore Path

Lounging in the lounge

Hut signage