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You are here: Home / Campground Reviews / Acadia National Park Review: Join us as we hike Cadillac Mountain at 2 AM, build cairns near the ocean, and visit “Thunder Hole”

Acadia National Park Review: Join us as we hike Cadillac Mountain at 2 AM, build cairns near the ocean, and visit “Thunder Hole”

posted on September 21, 2016

Considering staying in Acadia National Park? Great idea! Kayla and I got engaged there and it's absolutely stunning. 

Here's out complete review of Acadia National Park!

Quick Navigation
Acadia National Park Review: Day 1
Hiking, The Ocean, and Thunder Hole
Day 2
Day 3 (Our Last Day)
Final Thoughts

Acadia National Park Review: Day 1

When we got to Acadia, we stayed in the Visitors Center. I was a little nervous because we were the only RV there, and there are certain places we can and can’t stay while in an RV. The next day, we drove into Bar Harbor and walked around the town for a while. Check in to our campground wasn’t until 1 PM so we were trying to kill time.

Taking snaps in Acadia National Park

We went to breakfast, walked along the beach, and went into some stores to see what souvenirs they had. By the time we were done, it was only 11 AM. We had been walking around for a while, and desperately wanted a shower.  (It had been two days since our last shower, and we wanted to look presentable). I called our campground (Hadley’s Point) and asked if we were able to check in early. We were able to check in and freshened up.

Hiking, The Ocean, and Thunder Hole

We decided to go out and see the views that Acadia had to offer. We were not disappointed, Acadia is as beautiful as it seems. With ocean front views and hiking trails all over, it was hard not to be impressed. The first hike we did was on Gorham Trail. It was a beautiful trail up the mountain with a 525-foot summit.

Bill took this while I was walking over a handmade bridge. Do you see that awful bug bite on my leg?!
This is our friend, Phil! He ate some sandwiches with us.
We were so happy to see the views on Gorham Trail!
Haha, lets call this one the goofballs on top of a mountain. Sound good?
Walking down the mountain was just as gorgeous as being at the top.
Walking through the boulders on the trail was amazing!

The trail was approximately 1.8 miles round trip, and the view at the top of the summit was incredible.

After Gorham Trail, we walked down to the ocean. There’s something about the smell of the ocean that just makes me feel at home. Maybe it’s because my Zodiac sign is a Crab? ๐Ÿ˜‰

I am so glad I found this spot by the rocks. I’m impressed with how the picture turned out!
Cairn near the ocean.
Waves splashing off of the rocks in the ocean.
Such a beautiful sight.
Bill is an amazing photographer. I’m so happy he took this!
By the rocks!
Happy couple near the ocean!
My man ๐Ÿ™‚
So handsome, I love how this picture turned out!
My happy place ๐Ÿ™‚

After spending some time on the rocks near the ocean, we went over to Thunder Hole. It’s a huge tourist attraction, and there were so many people there! Why is it called Thunder Hole? When the waves hit the rocks, it sounds like a thunderstorm! It was so cool to witness this and hear the amazing sound the waves made.

We loved watching the waves hit the rocks, it was so incredible!
Imagine watching this and hearing thunder. It was great.

After Thunder Hole, we waited for the bus to take us back to Hadley’s Point. We were so tired after hiking and exploring all day.

Day 2

The next day was a bit of a doozy. We woke up and rode our bikes down to the shore where we took some cool pictures.

A mollusk was hanging on to this rock! If you look close, you can see the slimy strands from the mollusk.
Our crab friend!
Bill loved looking out at the ocean (and I loved looking at him).

The beach was incredible. I'm glad we went so early!

We missed the bus at 10:00 and when we went back at 11:00, we found out that there was an accident and the bus was running late. We didn’t get on a bus until 1:00PM. Since we got on the bus late, we decided to walk around Jordan Pond.

The planks through the woods was a great touch.
The mountains were covered in clouds, and it was breathtaking.
We walked across the handcrafted bridge, and were amazed at how beautiful the view was.
A close up of the awesome bridge!

We had a lot of fun while we walked around the pond. We talked about life, where we want to be in five years, things we want to accomplish, and joked around about the random things we think about. It was a great time. We then got back on the bus and headed back to our campground.

We decided to cook over a small fire that night. It was a great way to end the day.

Day 3 (Our Last Day)

Bill and I wanted to challenge ourselves with a hike up Cadillac Mountain at 2AM. Being the first to see the sunrise in the North-East seemed like a great way to end our stay. We parked our RV on the side of the road and started walking. We had our flashlights and my phone to guide us through the path. Let me just say, the stars were incredible. I wish I had captured a picture of them to show you guys. Next time, though!

 

I took a screenshot of the path we walked up and how long it was going to take us to get to the top. This was taken after we had already walked 1/4 of the way, too!

After what seemed like forever, we had made it to the top. Some people drove to see the sunrise and were shocked that we had walked up! It was a great feeling.

I wish I could see this every morning.
The clouds you see were hovering over the ocean. Truly a beautiful sight.
So beautiful.
Tired, exhausted, and excited to see the sunrise.

Finally… It happened.

The sunrise. Unlike anything we've ever seen before.

After seeing the sunrise, we got a ride back down the mountain from a couple (I think their names were Eric and Lark). They were really nice, and we’re glad we ran into them! (Hiking down the mountain would have been nice, but we were so tired. We only got about 4 hours of sleep before we did this.)

We got to the RV, said our final goodbyes to Acadia, and headed to Walmart and slept in the parking lot.

Final Thoughts

Bill and I both agree that Acadia National Park was the best part of our stay in Maine. We had an amazing time, saw beautiful views, and enjoyed every minute of it.

If you ever get the chance to go into Maine, make sure you give yourself a few days to visit Acadia National Park. You won’t be disappointed.

However, the views in Maine are gorgeous no matter where you go. Lakes, oceans, rivers, mountains… Why would you ever want to leave?

We hope you enjoyed our Acadia National Park review! Please share it if you found it helpful, so we can get more people to visit this beautiful island! ๐Ÿ™‚

Read Next: 20 Nomads Share Their Stories of Living in an RV

(Last Updated On: August 9, 2019)

Filed Under: Campground Reviews, Kayla's Thoughts

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Heather Ledeboer

    May 4, 2017 at 1:46 am

    I’m super impressed at your 2AM hike! Thanks for sharing the details of your trip. We plan to visit Maine in the next month and this gives me a taste of what to expect.

    Reply
    • Bill Widmer

      May 22, 2017 at 3:20 pm

      Thanks, Heather! You’re going to love it. Definitely check out Acadia if you get the chance! It’s our favorite destination so far.

      Reply

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