The network of carriage roads can be found near Jordan Pond and is open to hikers, bicyclists, and horse-drawn carriages (stables are nearby). The bridge crossed this lovely stream that flowed into Jordan Pond. Our sweet doggie, Sadie, was so happy she was allowed here (but not allowed to swim in the pond).
We walked down to Jordan Pond and hiked a couple of miles of the 3.2 Jordon Pond Path around the pond. The North Bubble and South Bubble mountains can be seen in the distance. This landscape here was formed by a mile-thick glacier thousands of years ago.
Jordon Pond is Acadia's deepest (150') lake and provides drinking water for surrounding communities and the Jordan Pond House. The water is so clear you can see to a depth of 45'. The trail on the left side of Jordan Pond begins as a compact walking surface and then becomes a planked trail.
After wrapping up our visit to beautiful Jordan Pond, we made a quick stop a Sieur de Mont Springs to check out the Abbe Museum. Founded in 1926 by Dr. Robert Abbe, it was dedicated two years later.
Dr. Abbe was a renowned surgeon and pioneer in the field of radiology from New York who spent summers in Bar Harbor in his older years. Fascinated by Native American culture, and the Wabinaki, native to the area, in particular.
He began collecting artifacts in the 1920s. His original collection was prehistoric tools he acquired in 1922 and part of it is displayed here. Also shown is a moose antler scoop, pieced-together clay pot and model birchbark canoe of the local Wakanabi people, who lived here for 10,000+ years.
There is a second (and larger) museum located in Bar Harbor. Admission here is $3/adults and the receipt will also get you into that museum.
We left this portion of Acadia National Park to check out Bar Island. At low tide, you can walk across the sandbar from Bridge Street in Bar Harbor to Bar Island (the walk is less than a mile). Finding a parking spot was a real challenge. From the sandbar there are great views of West Street's Millionaire's Row as well as Frenchman Bay.
The sandbar is shell covered and huge. Seeing a cruise ship so close to the sandbar (in Frenchman Bay) was an interesting sight!
Leashed dogs are permitted on the sandbar and Bar Island. And lots of them, including our Sadie, had a lot of fun swimming in the cold (55 degree) water.
Be sure to check the tidal charts to assure you are not stranded on the island! You can walk across the sandbar 1.5 hours before low tide and 1.5 hours after low tide. If you miss that window of opportunity to walk back, you will be stuck on Bar Island where there are no facilities whatsoever. Your options at that point are to wait 8 hours or so until the next low tide or call for a water taxi (we had AT&T coverage while on the island). If you do have to call for a water taxi, expect to wait an hour for them to arrive and the cost is around $50!
Once on Bar Island, there is a trail through the forest to the island's highest point. Frenchman Bay and Bar Harbor can be seen from the summit. It is a one-mile round trip hike and we saw people of all ages on it. The uphill climb was definitely worth it for the views of Frenchman Bay and Barry Harbor.
Walking back to the mainland, many others were doing the same. We really enjoyed this fun and easy hike.
When crossing the sandbar to Bar Island at low tide, it was really hard to believe that high tide completely covered the path. So, we returned the next day at high tide around 6 am; and sure enough, you would never know that low tide exposed the sand bar. Pretty amazing!
Another fun-filled day at Acadian National Park (www.nps.gov/acad). We love it here.
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