Acadia NP Maine

: Acadia National Park in Maine

: Entrance to Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse Grounds

: The path down to Head LH & the oil storage house built in 1902

: The keeper’s house remains in its original configuration with the exception of a 10 ft. addition that was added in 1900. Today the house is a private residence for a local Coast Guard member and his family.

: Bass Harbor Head lighthouse is located within Acadia National Park on the southeast corner of Mount Desert Island, Maine, marking the entrance to Bass Harbor and Blue Hill Bay.

: Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

: A path will take you to a series of wooden steps leading you down onto the many granite boulders that provide a great view of the harbor side of the lighthouse.

: Backside of Head lighthouse from the path

: Sand Beach is one of the highlights of Acadia National Park.

: Surf-eroded rocks, tumbled shells, and the crushed skeletons of sea urchins, mussels and crabs create a unique type of sand, giving the beach its name

: It is wedged between two mountainous granite walls and flanked by the rocky shores of Mount Desert Island

: Surf pounding the rocky shore.

: The stream of waves never seems to stop.

: The ocean temperature rarely exceeds 55 degrees in the summer but most people at least stick their toes in the water on a warm day.

: View of Thunder Hole & Otter Cliff in the distance from Lookout near Sand Beach

: Thunder Hole is the place to go to hear the thunder of the sea against the rocky shores of Maine!

: It actually is a small inlet carved out of the rocks where the waves crash in and cause the thunder like sound. Some days it’s a much stronger than others.

: Waves beginning to gain momentum to crash in to Thunder Hole

: Some people venture down onto these slippery rocks to get a closer view or feel the spray of the ocean.

: You can see the force of the water and how far up it has crashed over the rocks, so it is not a good idea to do this.

: While these few pictures of the waves don’t look that ominous, some days the waves coming over the rocks are very dangerous.

: Almost every year, someone has been caught up in the thunderous waves coming over the rocks and not survived.

: A closeup of the Inlet where the waves come crashing in.

: Even though the waves weren’t quite so awesome this day, you can see here that I was playing it safe taking this picture from higher rocks on the right..

: Otter Cliff in Acadia NP is 110 Ft high less than a mile away from Thunder Hole.

: An ocean path parallels the Park Loop Road from Sand Beach to the north, past Thunder Hole, arriving at Otter Cliff.

: The rocks are often wet and slippery and combine with little marble like pebbles and sand that make the path slippery.

: Otter Cliff path close up of the ocean pounding the rocky shores of Acadia NP

: Jordan Pond and a view of the North & South Bubble Mountains in the distance.

: Jordan Pond – the water is so clear it allows you to see the beautiful granite and smooth rock floor of the pond which is actually a resevoir

: Jordan Pond Shore Trail takes you 3.3 miles around the pond.

: The Trail follows the water’s edge and has some interesting rocky sections

: Ship Harbor Nature Trail – located just east of Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

: The trail leads from the roadside to the ocean through a forested setting to the rocky shoreline

: The rocks along the channel leading into Ship Harbor provide a dramatic display of the tides. As the tide comes in twice each day the water depth goes from about 8 inches to as much as 8 feet deep.

: Powerful waves along the rocky shoreline of Ship Harbor Trail.

: Beautiful views

: Waves crashing over the rocks

: An inlet along the Ship Harbor Trail where the incoming tide meets the outgoing tide

: Porcupine Islands – These are some of most visible islands in the Bar Harbor area.

: Porcupine Islands can be viewed from the summit of Cadillac Mountain as well as spots along the road coming back to Bar Harbor from Acadia

: Egg Rock LH taken at an overlook on the road back to Bar Harbor from Acadia NP.

: Egg Rock Lighthouse was built in 1875 & is still active today. It stands as a guiding light for navigators at the southern entrance to Maine’s Frenchman Bay.

: Egg Rock LH taken from the boat coming back from a Whale Watching trip.

: Egg Rock LH from our whale watching boat.

: Bass Harbor is a perfect example of a quaint little fishing village in Maine

: Bass Harbor is located on what is called the backside of Mount Desert Island & Acadia NP

: Southwest Harbor is located at the southwestern entrance to Somes Sound on Mount Desert Island in Adadia NP

: Southwest Harbor

: It is much quieter than the tourist oriented Bar Harbor

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