ACADIA FOUND - JESUP PATH

The Jesup Path is an easy walk that people of all ages will enjoy, with the path beginning at the Sieur de Monts Spring area just across the wooden bridge by the Nature Center.  The entire path is along flat ground, when the path reaches the intersection of the Hemlock Road (a pedestrian only road) the Jrsup path becomes a boardwalk, running through white birch rich forest which can be boggy at times, which is the reason for the boardwalk.  Along the path are several wooden benches where you can rest and relax and take in the birds singing in nearby trees.  Along your hike you might catch sight of a deer or one of the many different types of woodpeckers found throughout the park.  The Jesup path exits the woods by a large marsh that is perfect for bird watching, and at the far end of the Marsh enters the woods again before ending at the One Way Section of the Park Loop Road.  Directly across the roadway is the start of the Great Meadow Loop, from which you might spot deer, beaver and porcupine..
The Hemlock road today is used as a hiking path and is also an easy hike through woods and marsh.
At the intersection of the Hemlock Road and Jesup Path is the Homan's Trail head, which for the most part is a stone stairway up the side of Dorr Mountain.

Acadia Found - Jesup Path
Acadia National Park

Acadia Found - White Birches Along Jesup Path
Acadia National Park

Acadia Found - Jesup Path
Acadia National Park

ACADIA FOUND - SIEUE DE MONTS SPRING
Acadia National Park

ACADIA FOUND - COMPASS HARBOR

There is no single place in all of Acadia National Park where one can visit and come away with the sense that they had taken a step back in time as that of Compass Harbor, and yet the National Park Service does very little to make visitors aware of the location.  So what is it that makes Compass Harbor such a historic site, well, to begin with it was the site of Old Farm, the main summer cottage of George B. Dorr, who without his money and efforts Acadia National Park might not even exist today, and that is the main reason Mr. Dorr is often referred to as the Father of Acadia National Park.
He often spent his summers at Old Farm with his mother, and after she passed away he continued to spend his summers at the cottage.  Old newspapers reveal that after his mother died, for a number of summers Dorr rented the main cottage out to different families, he himself preferring to stay at his second nearby summer cottage, Storm Beach Cottage, just around the corner from Old Farm.  It was a much small cottage than that of Old Farm, but it allowed him to set by a window and look out over his beloved plants and shrubs which made up his Mount Desert nurseries business, a passion he had shared with his mother when she was alive.
The grounds of Compass Harbor today feature a nature trail which for half its distance follows close to the ocean with some nice views along the way.  There are also two beaches, one much easier to locate than the other, and one can still see the remains of Mr. Dorr's salt water pool by the Oceanside, and at least one account stated Mr. Dorr liked to begin each day with a dip in his pool.
It seems that each time I visit Compass Harbor and explore the area I discover something new.  In the woods nearby are lost and forgotten stone steps, old foundations, and remains of stonework from the once stunning gardens of the Dorr estate.  At one time several houses where located at Compass Harbor, including houses owned by the Douglass and Conners families and the first recorded death on the mountains here was that of 12 year old  Lucretia K. Julia Douglass, who fell to her death off the cliffs of Newport (now named Chaplain) Mountain.
Besides the gorgeous views of Compass harbor, the remains of Old Farm can be found along the trail which loops the grounds, the floors, some sections of walls, and cellar windows still mark the site of Old Farm, and a very long series of stone steps leads from the ocean area up the hillside and through the woods to the remains of the estate.
Along the nature trail you come to an intersection where the Schooner Head path begins, follow it a short ways and it comes out onto a narrow road, Old Farm road, the path crosses the road and passes along one side of Dorr Pond, follow the trail a short ways and you will see a white house through the tree's to the left, that is Storm Beach Cottage, the only remaining structure that Dorr owned at Compass Harbor.
Go left and follow the narrow road a short ways and you come to a very long driveway which runs up through the woods, continue along the roadway several more yards and you will see Storm Beach Cottage on the hillside  The National Park service owns the building and land and rents it out to private families and has asked that anyone visiting that area respect the privacy of the families who rent there and view the building from a distance.
Storm Beach Cottage is where George B. Dorr retreated to in his final years, handing over Old Farm and its property to the National Park Service.  Sadly not many years after acquiring the dorr estate, the National Park Service torn down Old Farm and the structures around it.
Compass Harbor is not promoted by the Park Service and only two tiny parking areas, unmarked, are available for parking. 
To locate Compass Harbor, as your driving along Main Street in Bar Harbor, follow it along route 3 towards Jackson Lab and Otter Creek, you will pass the Bar Harbor YMCA and ball fields, begin looking for a white mailbox very close to the road, mailbox number 399, the main Compass Harbor parking lot is directly across the road from the mailbox.

Acadia Found - Compass Harbor
Acadia National Park

Acadia Found - Stone Beach Cottage
George B. Dorr Estate
Acadia National Park

Acadia Found - Old Farm, Compass Harbor
Acadia National Park

Acadia Found - Beach At Compass Harbor
Acadia National Park

Acadia Found - Stone Steps at Compass Harbor
Acadia National Park

ACADIA FOUND - SIEUR DE MOUNTS SPRING

Sieur de Monts Spring offers a whole lot more than just a spring in a spring house, and should be high on anyone's list of places to check out.
s list of places to visit.  The Park's Nature Center is located there with informative information on the history of the park, the roles fire's play in the park, and current wildlife in the park.
Right next to the Nature Center building is the well established Wild Gardens of Acadia where narrow walkways make their way past native plants and along the side of a brook.  Select a wooden bench under one of the shade tree's to rest and relax.
Across a large lawn and on a hill sets one of two Abbe Museums, however this one is centered around mainly stones and stone artifacts, so if you have young children you may want to visit the Abbe Museum located in Bar Harbor along Mount Desert Street, where you will find a much wider variety of displays younger children can better relate to.
Cross the footbridge and to the right is the start of the very popular Jesup Path,  which soon turns from a dirt trail into a very long boardwalk which makes its way through a boggy at times forest that features many white birches.  Over the years the board walk has become a favorite walk with children and wooden benches are located at several places along the boardwalk.  The dirt road you encounter along the way is known as the Hemlock Road, and today is a pedestrian only road.
Of particular interest is the Homan's path, it's trail head located near the intersection of the hemlock road and the Jesup Path, where the boardwalk begins.  Much of this path is made up of stone steps and rises quickly before joining the main trail up Dorr Mountain.  Points of interest along this path are an area some call the donut hole where one has to bend to get through a hole in the rocks, and further along the path is The Passage, a narrow stairway makes its way up through a narrow passageway with tall walls of granite on either side.  It has a cave-like feel to it, as George B. Dorr, often called the Father of Acadia national park, had work crews place a massive section of granite across the top of the passage.
Back at the Nature Center, behind the dome that covers the spring is the start of the main trail up Dorr Mountain,
Other nearby trails include the Kane Path and the Beachcroft Trail up Champlain Mountain.
There are two ways to reach Sieur de Monts Sprin, you can turn into it off of the One Way section of the Park Loop Road, large signs mark the turnoff, or you can reach it along route 3 heading heading toward Otter Creek from Main Street Bar harbor.  Parking is limited, so another option is to reach Sieur de Monts Sprin by boarding the free Island Explorer Shuttle .buses at the Bar Harbor Village green, board either the Sand Beach Bus or the Blackwoods Campground bus, both make stops at Sieur de Monts Spring

Acadia Found - Jesup Path, The Boardwalk
Acadia National Park

Acadia Found - Sieur de Monts Spring
Acadia National Park

Acadia Found - Wild Gardens of Acadia
Sieur de Monts Spring

Acadia Found - Wild Gardens of Acadia
Acadia National Park

Acadia Found - Jesup Path
Acadia National Park

Acadia Found - Hemlock Road
Sieur de Monts Spring

ACADIA FOUND - THUNDER HOLE

Many who travel to Acadia National Park do so in the anticipating  of seeing the raw power of Thunder Hole, where crashing waves explode against rough granite, and many leave disappointed due to the fact they visited the location at the wrong time of day.  Thunder Hole itself is a cave in which the incoming or outgoing tide sends waves crashing into.  The thunderous crash of the waves is what gives Thunder Hole its name.
The timing of your visit is critical to what you experience at Thunder Hole, with the best time for a visit being as the tide is coming in.  Heavy winds or a storm moving up along the coast greatly increase the amount of action one will experience
Nearby attractions include the Thunder Hole Gift Shop, the Ocean Path with in one direction leads to Sand Beach, in the other direction to Otter Cliffs, and not far up the Park Loop Road is the parking lot for the Gorham Mountain Hiking Trail.  The sweeping views from Thunder Hole are gorgeous with views of Sand Beach in one direction and the towering Otter Cliffs in the other direction.
Parking, especially during peak summer months, can be a problem, but you can avoid this problem by boarding the free Island Explorer Shuttle Bus at the Bar Harbor Village Green, you want to get on the Sand Beach bus, which makes three scheduled stops,  one at Sieur de Monts Spring and Wild Gardens, one at Sand Beach and a final stop at Thunder Hole.

Acadia Found - Thunder Hole
Acadia National Park

Acadia Found - Thunder Hole
Acadia National Park

ACADIA FOUND - SAND BEACH

At just under 300 yards long, Sand Beach is one of Acadia National Parks crown jewels and one of the most often photographed locations in the park.  Access to this beautiful beach is by way of the Park Loop Road, with free parking just beyond the Fee Station.  The location of the fine sand beach is equipped with modern restrooms and changing rooms.

GPS to the beach is at  Latitude 44.330198; Longitude -68.183998.

Located by the changing rooms is the start of the Ocean Path, which takes you on a gentle 1 1/2 mile hike to Thunder Hole and the Thunder Hole gift shop.  It should be noted that Thunder Hole is an underwater water cave that is most active as the tide is coming in or when the weather and winds are rough, that is when Thunder Hole performs its most spectacular shows.

If hiking along with spectacular scenic photographs is what you are looking for, Sand Beach is the perfect starting point.  From the far end of the beach is a path leading upward to the Great head Cliffs which offer commanding views of the beach below, where one can capture the kind of photographs one will be taking out and showing to their grandchildren.
Across from the Sand Beach Parking lot is the start of the Beehive Trail, and while it is a strenuous and challenging climb, the rewards of the quality of photos you can capture from the Beehive are well worth the venture, while a nearby trail head up to the summit of Gotham Mountain offers up its own rewards with stunning ocean views,leaving the folks down at the beach below you appearing to be the size of ants.

While Sand Beach may be one of the most popular destinations on Mount Desert Island in the summer months, other swimming locations include Each Lake by Southwest harbor and the gorgeous Lake Wood.

In the height of tourist season parking can become a problem at Sand Beach, a great option if the free Island Explorer Shuttle Bus.  It's new quicker route now takes passengers from the Bar Harbor Village Green to Sand Beach with just one stop along the way at the Wild Gardens of Acadia and nature center.  The bus you will want to board is the Sand Beach bus and free bus schedules and time tables can be also found by the Village Green.

Acadia Found - Sand Beach
Acadia National Park

Acadia Found - Sand Beach
Acadia National Park