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Multi-Sport Adventure: Sea Kayaking, Bicycling, and Hiking in Acadia

Program Number: 2198RJ
Start and End Dates:
6/23/2013 - 6/28/2013; 7/7/2013 - 7/12/2013; 9/8/2013 - 9/13/2013;
Duration: 5 nights
Location: Acadia National Park, Maine
Price starting at: $835.00 - Price may vary based on date, departure city
Program Type: Outdoor Adventures, Misc.; National Parks Activity Level: t (see description)
Meals: 14; 5 Breakfasts, 5 Lunches, 4 Dinners    
Meal Options: Gluten Free; Low Fat; Low Fat    

During a spectacular outdoor adventure in Maine’s Acadia National Park, experience seaside cliffs, ocean air and breathtaking views atop the highest peak along the Atlantic Coast. Bike carriage roads through by the sea, past the pines, and between the cliffs as you learn more about the region’s unique formation and local diversity. Enjoy the spectacular views and some of the most ideal sea kayaking areas in the world while relaxing in the picturesque “Down East” town of Bar Harbor.




Highlights

• Pedal between stunning cliffs and the rocky coasts along the famed Somes Sound, the U.S.’ only Atlantic fjord.
• Discover superior sea kayaking among the rocky Porcupine Islands of Frenchman Bay.
• Learn more about the region’s geology, wildlife, marine environment and history during on-site and pedaling lectures.



Activity Particulars

Walks up to five miles over rugged terrain; rides of 12-20 miles; kayaking 5-6 miles; up to 4-6 hours physical activity a day.




Date Specific Information

7-7-2013, 9-8-2013

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 room 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:
4:30 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 several trips daily from the Bangor Airport to 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 
   

Taxi service is available to and from the Bar Harbor Airport to Bar Harbor.
 
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, June 23)
   
 Afternoon: Check in to motel and register with Road Scholar group leader in lobby between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. The Anchorage Motel is located in downtown Bar Harbor and is within a short walk of downtown shops and attractions. Our first gathering will be at 4:30, with a walking tour of Victorian Bar Harbor at 5:00.
 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 and veggies; rolls and butter; dessert; and choice of beverage.
 Evening: Evening free to explore Bar Harbor area.
   
Accommodations: Anchorage Motel
Meals Included: Dinner

Day 2: Welcome, orientation, bike fitting/Acadia National Park/Cadillac Mountain
(Monday, June 24)
   
 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, followed by custom-fitting of bicycles. Then we’ll start our week by biking on the carriage trails of Acadia National Park, built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. These unique roads are closed to all motorized traffic and are ideal for biking. Today we'll head out to cycle the Eagle Lake and Jordan Pond loops, both of which pass lovely glacial lakes nestled between granite mountains.
 Lunch: We'll enjoy a picnic lunch on the tea lawn of Jordan Pond house, an iconic institution in Acadia National Park. 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: After lunch we'll continue our cycling trip, with an optional biking climb up the Day Mountain carriage road; from the summit, there are terrific views southward of the Gulf of Maine and the Cranberry Islands. We'll see further views of Jordan Pond and Eagle Lake as well as the lovely Bubble Pond.
 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: Sea kayaking in Blue Hill Bay
(Tuesday, June 25)
   
 Breakfast: Choose from a variety of breakfast entrees along with juice and coffee.
 Morning: Before kayaking, 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. Then we'll go paddling; the waters surrounding Mount Desert Island constitute the premier sea kayaking venue on the east coast, and today we'll experience paddling at its finest. Using ultra-stable tandem kayaks, we'll choose a route that will best fit the conditions. A possible choice: lovely Blue Hill Bay, where we'll depart Seal Cove, a quaint fishing harbor, and head out past Moose Island.
 Lunch: We'll enjoy a picnic lunch somewhere along our kayaking route, probably on a cobble beach. Hardwood Island, with its nearby mussel farms, might be a good choice. Again, we'll choose from a variety of sandwich offerings.
 Afternoon: We'll continue our journey through Blue Hill Bay, heading up towards Bartlett Island, owned by the Rockefellers and home to their cattle-farming operation. Along the way, we'll pass Pretty Marsh Harbor, Folly Island and John Island, winding our way among lobster boats and pleasure craft before our take-out point at Bartlett Landing.
 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.
   
Accommodations: Anchorage Motel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Mount Desert Island hike
(Wednesday, June 26)
   
 Breakfast: Choose from a variety of breakfast entrees along with juice and coffee.
 Morning: We’ll lace on the hiking boots this morning and head out to one of the spectacular trails in Acadia. A possible choice: Gorham Mountain, with breathtaking views southward towards the Cranberry Islands and the Gulf of Maine. We'll get a quick start this morning and hike until early afternoon, in effect getting in a full day's activity and still leaving time for sightseeing.
 Lunch: We’ll "grab and go" with your sandwiches today. After returning from our hike, you can either picnic at Albert Meadow, overlooking Frenchman Bay, or if you'd like to take advantage of a full afternoon of sightseeing on your own, you can "eat on the run."
 Afternoon: Free afternoon to explore Acadia National Park and Mt. Desert Island
 Dinner: Dinner on your own
 Evening: Free time to explore Bar Harbor
   
Accommodations: Anchorage Motel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5: Park Loop Road of Acadia National Park/lobster fishing
(Thursday, June 27)
   
 Breakfast: Choose from a variety of breakfast entrees along with juice and coffee.
 Morning: Today we have another sea kayaking trip scheduled. If conditions are good, we'll head out into Frenchman Bay, island-hopping among the famed Porcupine Islands. From our unique kayak perspective on the water, the views of Mount Desert Island and its mountains are breathtaking.
 Lunch: We'll land on one of the cobbled beaches of Burnt Porcupine Island, or perhaps Rum Key, to enjoy our lunch and the unparalleled views looking north towards the head of Frenchman Bay. The Schoodic Mountains will frame our vista to the east.
 Afternoon: We'll continue our sea kayaking trip, hoping for a glimpse of the bald eagles which nest on Sheep Porcupine Island and often soar above the water. We'll also enjoy sightings of black guillemots, which are cousins to the puffin, and the ever-present double-crested cormorants. We'll end our journey at the low-tide sandbar which connects Bar Harbor to Bar Island.
 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: Somes Sound/Departure
(Friday, June 28)
   
 Breakfast: Choose from a variety of breakfast entrees along with juice and coffee.
 Morning: Our final biking day will find us pedaling along Sargent Drive, which borders Somes Sound, the only fjord on the east coast of North America. We'll ride in the shadow of the majestic Norumbega Mountain, with views westward towards Acadia Mountain and St. Saveur Mountain. Towards the end of our ride we'll pass many of the Victorian "cottages" still surviving from the glory days of Mount Desert Island as a summer colony.
 Lunch: 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, Lunch

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.
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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