What a magical place.
We parked at the visitor’s center and rode on the carriage paths all over the east side of the park. The paths were incredibly well maintained. They were wide and firm. The surface was a fine gravel that was easy to ride on. Unlike the rail’s trails — the carriage paths offered us some elevation changes. Nothing too steep but we had several sustained climbs (and descents!).
There were other cyclists and many hikers as well. It was not, however, crowded. I suspect it is very busy during July and August but there were not as many folks willing to brave the chill of late May. That’s fine with me !!
We rode from Hull’s Cove visitor center down to Jordon Pond House where there is a gift shop and a restaurant. I had a seafood chowder that was delicious and it came with two….not one, but two….popovers. Apparently the popovers are very popular all by themselves!
After we finished up with the trail riding, we rode into the village of Bar Harbor. It was a zoo! Lots of traffic, lots of people and a tourist town in every sense of the word. Leo and Randy got ice cream right across from the visitor’s center. So, while they ate their cones, I went and got info on the Cadillac Mountain Road access. Turns out, we needed to reserve an entrance time. Luck was with us and we snagged the time we wanted. Off we went and drove the short distance to the summit — which is about 1,500 ft above sea level. The view from up there was impressive!
Then, back down and back to the campground. Another lovely sunset…..
