(2) Acadia Trip - 2021

Lodging - Driftwood Cottage, Bass Harbor, Maine

Natural Seawall, Acadia National Park

The Seawall area, along Route 102A as it circles between Bass Harbor and Southwest Harbor, provides Acadia National Park visitors their access to the ocean on the western half of Mount Desert Island. One of the park’s two campgrounds, as well as a picnic area, is located just to the south of the natural seawall created here over time as storm surges have stacked up large rocks along the shore.
The exposed bedrock at the seawall is much different from the rugged granite cliffs on the eastern side of the island. It’s an extrusive igneous tuff that originated some 400 million years ago when volcanic eruptions produced clouds of light gray layers of fine ash that settled on the ocean floor, and then was transformed by pressure and heat. Geologists call these stratified rocks the Cranberry Island Series.

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Pretty Marsh Picnic Area

The Pretty Marsh Picnic Area in Acadia National Park is located in a beautiful secluded setting on the “quiet” southwestern side of Mount Desert Island. The entrance is off the western loop of Route 102. A short winding road weaves through a forested area until arriving in a stand of fur and spruce citadels with carpets of lush green moss. There are several picnic tables nested like private islands amongst the trees for your use. A steep embankment slopes towards the ocean to the west leading to a shore covered with small rocks and shell fragments. A recently constructed wooden stairway makes it safer to reach the shore and return to the picnic area. Views of Bartlett Island are directly west. This is a memorable place for a special picnic with friends and loved ones.

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