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Maine

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

Program No. 2198RJ
Kayak below majestic cliffs, bike historic carriage roads, hike stunning mountain trails and enjoy lectures on geology, wildlife and history in Acadia National Park.
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National ParksMulti-SportOutdoor AdventuresSmall Group
Length
6 days
Rating (4.88)
Activity Level
Starts at
2,199
Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. Read More.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
6 days
5 nights
What's Included
12 meals ( 5B, 4L, 3D )
1 expert-led lecture
11 expert-led field trips
1 hands-on experience
An experienced Group Leader
5 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
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Activity Note
We’ll give you a capsule look at Mount Desert Island, “the jewel of New England.”
Afternoon:
Check in with your Road Scholar group leader in the breakfast room across from the motel lobby between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. The Bar Harbor Villager is located in downtown Bar Harbor and is within short walking distance to downtown shops and attractions. We'll have our first gathering at 4:15 to get to know each other and to receive an introduction to Acadia National Park. We’ll give you a capsule look at Mount Desert Island, “the jewel of New England,” and show you the possible routes we’ll be hiking this week in Acadia National Park. Mount Desert, known for its dramatic scenery and universal appeal, is the second largest island on the east coast. Please be at the motel's cafe (across the lot from the office) by 3:45 so we can walk to our destination and begin promptly.
Dinner:
We’ll dine at a local restaurant in downtown Bar Harbor.
Evening:
Evening free to explore Bar Harbor area.
Activity Note
Today we’ll take to the water in our tandem sea kayaks and will see why the waters surrounding Mount Desert Island constitute one of the premier kayaking venues on the east coast. Our adventure will be about five hours, including paddling lesson, boat fitting and a leisurely lunch break on an island.
Breakfast:
A continental breakfast will be available at the motel.
Morning:
We'll do a Victorian walking tour, focusing on the era when Bar Harbor was the country's most exclusive and illustrious resort. Then we’ll go paddling, experiencing the thrill of gliding through the pristine waters of the Gulf of Maine. Using ultra-stable tandem kayaks, we’ll choose a route that will best fit the conditions. We might kayak among the glacial-carved Porcupine Islands of Frenchman Bay, or perhaps we’ll head to scenic Blue Hill Bay, on the western side of Mount Desert Island. Whatever the location, we’ll observe a gorgeous area from the unique perspective of a sea kayak. Our Registered Maine Guides will provide basic paddling instruction, and will stop often to give commentary. Along the way, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for different kinds of wildlife that we often see on the water – harbor seals and porpoises, cormorants, bald eagles and other seabirds.
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. We'll choose from a variety of sandwich offerings.
Afternoon:
We’ll continue our kayaking expedition after lunch; it’s amazing how quickly paddling skills improve with a little repetition. As nearby lobster boats haul their trips in the chilly waters, we’ll make our way to our final destination.
Dinner:
This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Evening:
Free time.
Activity Note
We’ll visit the ruins of the home of the father of Acadia National Park, followed by biking on the unique carriage roads of Acadia – hard-packed gravel roads which are perfect for cycling. We’ll cover about 18 miles today on our bikes.
Breakfast:
A continental breakfast will be available at the motel.
Morning:
Before biking, 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. To prepare for biking the carriage roads, your group leader will make sure you’re comfortable with your 21-speed mountain or hybrid bike. We’ll begin our biking on the carriage roads of Acadia, built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. These unique roads are closed to motorized traffic – thus they’re perfect for bicycling -- and are home to a dazzling array of scenery. Eagle Lake and Jordan Pond, carved by a glacier thousands of years ago, feature clear, cold water; we’ll skirt both of them on our morning ride. We’ll encounter rolling terrain – yes, there are hills, but they’re manageable -- and our group will move at a comfortable pace. Today’s cycling adventure will last five to six hours, including frequent breaks and our lunch period.
Lunch:
We’ll enjoy a picnic lunch – individually prepared, of course – on the tea lawn of the Jordan Pond House, an iconic landmark in Acadia. From the gentle sloping shores above Jordan Pond, you’ll experience an unforgettable vista of the water and the Bubbles, twin mountains that dominate the northern end of the lake.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we’ll leave Jordan Pond to continue our cycling trip, passing one of the stone gatehouses that mark the entrance to the carriage roads; the detail is interesting, and the skill of the masons who built this gatehouse is evident. There’s an optional side trip up Day Mountain, with gorgeous views south across the Gulf of Maine, with the Cranberry Islands dotting the seascape. We’ll also pass Bubble Pond, with the craggy west slope of Cadillac Mountain jutting out of the water to form a near-vertical granite face.
Dinner:
We’ll again dine at a downtown Bar Harbor restaurant, within easy walking distance of our motel. Along the way, we can browse the many galleries and shops which line Bar Harbor’s streets, perhaps finding that perfect memento to take home as a lasting memory of Acadia.
Evening:
Free time.
Activity Note
At 1532 feet, Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on the east coast of North America, and today we’ll cap our week with a spectacular hike up the South Ridge Trail. The trailhead is at a few hundred feet of elevation, so we won’t actually ascend the entire 1532 feet.
Breakfast:
A continental breakfast will be available at the motel.
Morning:
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. Then the hiking begins! Weather permitting, we’ll tackle Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the eastern seaboard of North America. We'll probably head up the south ridge trail, enjoying spectacular views along the way. On many days of the year, the summit is the first place in the United States to receive the rays of the sun. The south ridge is the gentlest of the three trails up Cadillac; it’s a well-traversed path which is popular among visitors to Acadia.
Lunch:
One of the pleasures of hiking in Acadia is having our picnic lunches – individually prepared sandwiches – in some spectacular settings. We’ll stop somewhere on the slopes of Cadillac Mountain to relax, refuel and ponder the beauty of Acadia.
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 an old-fashioned Down East shore feast, featuring the state’s most well-known crustacean -- Homarus Americanus, the North American cold-water lobster.
Evening:
Free time to explore Bar Harbor
Activity Note
This morning, we’ll choose either sea kayaking, hiking or biking, making sure we get an early start so we can be finished at noon, thus leaving everyone a full afternoon to explore Mount Desert Island and the surrounding area on your own.
Breakfast:
A continental breakfast will be available at the motel.
Morning:
Whichever activity we choose, we'll have great fun as we enjoy one final morning on Mount Desert Island. A good possibility is pedaling our bikes 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:
Lunch on your own.
Afternoon:
You're free this afternoon to explore Mount Desert Island in whichever way you choose, and we'll be happy to provide suggestions and advice on the many activities available.
Dinner:
You're on your own for dinner tonight in one of the island's many dining establishments.
Activity Note
Whichever activity we choose, we'll have great fun as we enjoy one final morning on Mount Desert Island. We’ll get an early start to ensure there’s time to ready ourselves for our last picnic lunch and “graduation,” set in a beautiful spot overlooking Frenchman Bay.
Breakfast:
A continental breakfast will be available at the motel.
Morning:
Whichever activity we choose, we'll have great fun as we enjoy one final morning on Mount Desert Island. We’ll get an early start to ensure there’s time to ready ourselves for our last picnic lunch and “graduation,” set in a beautiful spot overlooking Frenchman Bay.
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.
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