Fall in New England is approaching fast and everyone is hoping for a repeat of the colorful foliage show we experienced in 2008. Over the next few weeks I thought I would share my favorite New England fall getaways. I’ll start this week with Acadia National Park in Maine.
Acadia is the only National Park in New England. It’s one of the most popular destination points in the summer and offers hiking, biking, canoeing, camping, photography, bird-watching, scenic drives, and many other activities. It can be crowded in the summer but after Labor Day and during the autumn – especially weekdays – getting around the park is much easier.
Usually the coastal areas of New England do not have the most spectacular of fall color, and what they have tends to be late in the season. But Acadia is different. Mount Desert Island is the largest section of the park and has varied terrain and plenty of color. The hiking and bike paths through the forest and woods provide outstanding opportunities for seeing the fall foliage.
Popular destinations for fall viewing include: Cadillac Mountain, Park Loop Road, Eagle Lake, Bubble Pond and Jordan Pond. If you have bikes then take the Jordan Pond and Sargent Mountain carriage road loop for a 3-hour ride through amazing scenery and color.
If scrambling up mountains or pushing peddles around the carriage roads isn’t your favorite form of seeing the views than take your car around the 27-mile Park Loop Road. The road travels along the eastern and southern coast of the park before turning north into the interior for views in the mountains and lakes. There are many pulls off and short paths into the words to fill your camera’s memory with foliage pictures.
Popular fall getaway lodging is available in Bar Harbor and nearby town of Ellsworth. Bar Harbor tends to be the preferred accommodation center as it has plenty of restaurants and shops right on the edge of the park and offers scenic views into Frenchman Bay across to the Schoodic Peninsular.
Bar Harbor dates back to late 1800’s as a resort town but it suffered a major fire in 1947 when many of the mansions and resort building were destroyed. Today it mingles shops and cafes with distinct lodging such as the Atlantean Inn and Manor House Inn, and resorts such as Bar Harbor Inn & Spa and the Bar Harbor Grand Hotel. Don’t forget to take in a traditional blueberry pie while visiting, which is as traditional as the other Maine food of choice… lobster.
If you still haven’t decided on your getaway vacation then check out here what Acadia National Park in the fall has to offer and make that trip to the Downeast Maine coastline you’ve always dreamed about since seeing those calendar shots of the famous rocky coastline.
Back next post with more of my New England fall getaway destinations.
Jed
New England Getaways & Travels 