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Hiking in Acadia National Park

Program Number: 6125RJ
Start and End Dates:
6/9/2013 - 6/14/2013; 9/22/2013 - 9/27/2013; 9/29/2013 - 10/4/2013;
Duration: 5 nights
Location: Acadia National Park, Maine
Price starting at: $835.00 - Price may vary based on date, departure city
Program Type: Walking/Hiking; National Parks Activity Level: t (see description)
Meals: 14; 5 Breakfasts, 1 Brunch, 4 Lunches, 4 Dinners    
Meal Options: Gluten Free; Low Fat; Low Salt    

Discover why Acadia National Park is a hiker’s paradise as you explore trails that offer a variety of challenging terrain and majestic scenery. Led by Registered Maine Guides and other naturalists, this program vividly demonstrates why lovers of the outdoors are drawn to Mount Desert Island from throughout the U.S. to walk the scenic peaks and picturesque valleys of Acadia. Breathtaking views are your reward for each hike completed!




Highlights

• Amazing hikes on Mount Desert Island include Cadillac Mountain and “Ocean Drive.”
• Learn about the geology of this area where mountains rise out of the sea and examine the fascinating flora and fauna of this protected environment.
• A Maine lobster expert shows you how the crustaceans are captured (with authentic gear and live lobsters!) after you enjoy a real Down East lobster dinner.



Activity Particulars

Hiking for 4-6 hours per day at a comfortable pace, group may be split based on difficulty level desired by participants. Participants should be physically fit and have prior hiking experience.




Date Specific Information

6-9-2013, 9-22-2013

Enjoy the latest in hearing technology — listening devices — on this date.




Acadia National Park

The first U.S. National Park east of the Mississippi River encompasses 47,000 acres of lakes, mountains and shoreline on Mount Desert Island and other small islands in the Atlantic. Some 40 different species of mammals live in the park. Acadia includes Cadillac Mountain, which in certain seasons is the first spot in the country to see sunrise.
Accommodations
Family-owned hotel in downtown Bar Harbor.

Road Scholar Instructors
These instructors are participating on at least one date of this program. Please note that changes may occur.
Bill Langlois
Bill Langlois is a veteran Registered Maine Guide, having led countless sea kayaking, biking and hiking trips on Mount Desert Island over the last several years. His love of the outdoors – and particularly, Acadia National Park – is evident in everything he does. Bill is extremely knowledgeable about the natural and social history of the Bar Harbor area, too, and is always eager to share his knowledge with visitors to this unique corner of the United States.
 
Linda Shingleton
Linda Shingleton is passionate about being outside and exploring the many hiking trails, carriage roads, sea kayaking routes and other attractions of Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island. She’s a six-year veteran of the outdoors scene on MDI. Like many of the participants who attend Road Scholar programs, she is a retired educator, having spent 30 years in that field, and her ability to relate to others is a major reason she’s such a well-liked Road Scholar group leader. Linda’s eager to share her passion for Mount Desert Island with Road Scholars and to birghten participants' days with her unfailing optimism and good cheer.
 
Meals and Lodgings
   Anchorage Motel
  Bar Harbor, ME 5 nights
 Anchorage Motel
Type: Motel
  Description: The Anchorage Motel offers a convenient in-town location, just 1/2 mile from the center of Bar Harbor Village. Fine restaurants, shops and waterfront activities are only a short walk down Main Street. Also nearby is the Shore Path. This walk takes you along the picturesque coastline, flanked by old mansions and lawns, and ends at the Town Pier.
  Contact info: 51 Mount Desert Street
Bar Harbor, ME 04609 USA
phone: 207-288-3959
web: www.anchoragebarharbor.com
  Room amenities: Each has a private bath with tub and/or shower, color cable television, and direct dial telephone.
  Facility amenities: Rooms have two beds, private baths, air conditioning, telephone and cable TV.
  Smoking allowed: No
  Additional nights prior: To be arranged with motel. Please contact the motel for availability and rates.
  Check in time: 3:00 PM
  Additional nights after: To be arranged with motel. Please contact the motel for availability and rates.
  Check out time: 12:00 PM


Travel Details
  Start of Program:
3:30 p.m., hotel lobby You will be staying at Anchorage Motel that night.
  End of Program:
1:00 p.m., hotel lobby You will be staying at Anchorage Motel the night before.
  Required documents:
The Road Scholar Health & Safety Form is required. Medical Form and Assumption Of Risk Form
  Parking availability:
Free parking is available at the motel.
Transportation
To Start of Program
  Location:  Bar Harbor, ME
  Nearest city or town:  Bar Harbor
  Nearest highway: I 95 to Route 3
  Nearest airport:  Bangor International
  From End of Program
  Location: Bar Harbor, ME
    (Additional transportation information same as above)
Travel Details
 

Bangor

 

From Airport

 
 

Service:

 

Commercial Van/Shuttle
Bar Harbor-Bangor Shuttle
phone: 207-479-5911
Advanced Reservations Required

 

Per Person/One Way:

 

$35.00
Prices are subject to change.
 

Travel Time:

 

1 hour, 15 minutes 
   

The Bar Harbor-Bangor shuttle makes three trips a day between the Bangor Airport and Bar Harbor.
 

Bar Harbor

 

From Airport

 
 

Service:

 

Taxi
MDI Taxi
phone: 207-288-3333
Advanced Reservations Required

 

Per Person/One Way:

 

30.00
Prices are subject to change.
 

Travel Time:

 

20 minutes 
   

Please call the taxi service in advance to arrange transportation.
 
Driving Directions
  From the South You may take 1-95 to Bangor, then 1A to Ellsworth and then Route 3 to Bar Harbor; or you can take scenic Route 1 all the way up the Maine coast.
The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.


Daily Schedule

Day 1: Afternoon Arrival, Victorian walking tour
(Sunday, September 29)
   
 Afternoon: Check in to motel and register with Road Scholar coordinator in lobby between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. The Anchorage Motel is located in downtown Bar Harbor and is within short walking distance to downtown shops and attractions. Our first gathering will be at 3:30, with a walking tour of Victorian Bar Harbor at 4:00.
 Dinner: We'll dine at the Portside Grill in downtown Bar Harbor, with a Down East lobster dinner highlighting our program on the last night. Each evening there will be a designated entrée; Portside will also offer a "light" alternative every night of Chicken Caesar Salad or grilled portabello mushroom. Tonight we'll have baked haddock with boiled new potatoes, vegetable, rolls and apple pie.
 Evening: Evening free to explore Bar Harbor area.
   
Accommodations: Anchorage Motel
Meals Included: Dinner

Day 2: Welcome and orientation, hiking/Cadillac Mountain
(Monday, September 30)
   
 Breakfast: We’ll start our day at a convenient downtown restaurant, where we'll enjoy buffet selections along with juice and coffee.
 Morning: Welcome and orientation period, followed by our first hike of the week. We'll probably tackle a moderate route today, perhaps Gorham Mountain, with spectacular views over the Cranberry Islands and the Gulf of Maine.
 Lunch: We'll take a break from our hiking to enjoy a picnic lunch in a scenic location. Our lunches will be taken “in the field” each day as we are doing our activities. A variety of sandwich offerings will be available.
 Afternoon: We'll continue our hike, noticing the unique geological features carved out by the Wisconsin Glacier thousands of years ago. We'll enjoy the views eastward towards Schoodic Peninsula, a spectacular headland that juts into the Gulf of Maine.
 Dinner: Tonight we'll enjoy a green salad; chicken pot pie; rolls and butter; dessert; and choice of beverage. Our light alternatives will again be available.
 Evening: We’ll take a scenic drive up Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the eastern seaboard, taking in the marvelous 360-degree views from the summit.
   
Accommodations: Anchorage Motel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Acadia National Park, hiking/naturalist led walk
(Tuesday, October 1)
   
 Breakfast: Choose from a variety of breakfast entrees along with juice and coffee.
 Morning: Before hiking, we'll head to Oldfarm, the ruins of the home of George B. Dorr, who's considered the father of Acadia National Park, and we'll learn the fascinating story of how the park was founded and how it came to be the only park in the entire national park system in which the land was donated rather than purchased by the government. The rest of the day will be devoted to our second hike of the week. Our guides will make a decision on which of the gorgeous routes on Mount Desert Island to experience. A possible choice will be Beech Mountain on the western side of the island, with gorgeous views over Blue Hill Bay towards the Deer Isle Peninsula.
 Lunch: We'll pause at a scenic vista for an hour to enjoy the wonderful views and a picnic lunch, with a variety of sandwich options.
 Afternoon: We'll continue our hike after lunch, with our group leader pointing out special scenic vistas and providing information on the flora and fauna of Mount Desert Island.
 Dinner: Tonight we'll have a green salad; meatloaf; mashed potatoes and veggies; rolls and butter; and dessert. Our light alternatives will also be available.
 Evening: A naturalist will lead a walking tour of the spectacular Ocean Drive section of Acadia National Park, where waves pound the granite shore and the mountains meet the sea. Be sure to bring your cameras to capture the almost unbelievable beauty of this section of Acadia.
   
Accommodations: Anchorage Motel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Somes Sound, biking
(Wednesday, October 2)
   
 Breakfast: Choose from a variety of breakfast entrees, along with juice and coffee.
 Morning: We’ll give those hiking muscles a break this morning, perhaps taking a bicycling trip along Sargent Drive, which borders the shores of Somes Sound, the only fjord on the east coast of North America. You'll pedal in the shadow of the famed Norumbega Mountain, with views across the fjord to Acadia Mountain and St. Sauveur, two of the little-visited but spectacular mountains in the central part of the island.
 Lunch: We’ll return from our morning activities and picnic at Albert Meadow, with a beautiful view across Frenchman Bay.
 Afternoon: Free time to explore Acadia National Park and surrounding region
 Dinner: Dinner on your own
 Evening: Free Time
   
Accommodations: Anchorage Motel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5: Acadia National Park, hiking/Lobster demonstration
(Thursday, October 3)
   
 Breakfast: Choose from a variety of breakfast entrees along with juice and coffee.
 Morning: One of the best things about Mount Desert Island is the almost endless choice of hiking routes, all of them with jaw-dropping beauty. We'll take a look back at our week's hikes and choose another route which will show us the diverse beauty that Acadia has to offer.
 Lunch: We'll again pick a scenic spot to enjoy a picnic lunch of sandwiches.
 Afternoon: We'll continue our hiking activities, by now enjoying not only the beauty of the island but the camaraderie of the newfound friends we've made on this Road Scholar trip.
 Dinner: Before hearing from a lobster expert about Maine’s most famous crustacean, we’ll have an old-fashioned Down East shore feast. We'll start with a cup of clam chowder, then wej'll have boiled lobster served with drawn butter; boiled red potatoes; cole slaw; rolls and butter; dessert; and beverage.
 Evening: A lobster expert will demonstrate, using authentic gear and live lobsters, how Maine’s most famous sea creatures are caught and what the future of the industry looks like.
   
Accommodations: Anchorage Motel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Acadia National Park, hiking/Departure
(Friday, October 4)
   
 Breakfast: Choose from a variety of breakfast entrees along with juice and coffee.
 Morning: Our final morning will find us saying goodbye to the island's spectacular trails with a "farewell hike" on a splendid route.
 Brunch: Our Road Scholar week will come to an end as we enjoy a picnic lunch at Albert Meadow; take part in a brief “graduation” ceremony; and savor our memories of a week on the magnificent Maine coast.
   
Meals Included: Breakfast, Brunch

Free Time Opportunities
  
  Bar Harbor, ME Acadia National Park
An excellent resource for all information about the park. For additional information, visit www.nps.gov/acad/home.htm
  Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce
93 Cottage Street - P.O Box 158 - Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 - (207)-288-5103 For additional information, visit www.barharborinfo.com/
  Maine Office Of Tourism
Maine Office of Tourism - #59 State House Station - Augusta, ME 04333-0059 You may request a free full-color guidebook with 260 pages of Maine vacation opportunities through the web site. For Maine travel information, please call 1-888-624-6345. For additional information, visit www.visitmaine.com/home.php
Important information about your itinerary: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information featured on this website. Itineraries are based on our best information at this time. Circumstances beyond our control may require us to adjust itineraries or other details. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. Information will be sent to you from your Program Provider approximately three weeks prior to the program start date. The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.

Suggested Reading List


Discover Acadia National Park: AMCs Guide To The Best Hiking, Biking and Paddling


Author: Jerry and Marcy Monkman


Field Guide To Acadia National Park, Maine


Author: Russell Butcher


Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park: An Informal History


Author: Sargent Collier




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