(3) Acadia Trip - 2021

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK - SHIP HARBOR TRAIL

Ship Harbor Trail forms a figure-8 loop. Bearing right at each junction leads along the shore of a narrow, picturesque cove. After passing along a rocky headland (watch carefully for blue blazes on the rocks), the trail turns right and continues through a thick spruce woods. A right at each intersection leads back to the parking lot. This is a spectacular hike!

Why the area is called Ship Harbor is not certain. It might have been possible, at one time, for small ships to seek shelter in the cove. This trail is popular among birders. Along the coast you may see: common loons, common eiders, great blue herons, black guillemots, ospreys and eagles. The inland forest provides shelter for warblers, kinglets, and other songbirds.

At low tide, the rocky headland has numerous tidepools. When exploring the tidepools keep these safety tips in mind.

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Somes Sound, Acadia

The five-mile-long body of water that divides the eastern and western halves of Mount Desert Island, like the town of Somesville at its northern end, is named for Abraham Somes, one of the first settlers on the island. Somes Sound drops to about 150 feet at its deepest point. The shallow entrance to the Sound, called ‘The Narrows,’ is only 30 feet deep; about 14,000 years ago, the southern edge of the glaciers that covered the land temporarily stalled across here, building up a large mound of gravel, sand, and mud called a moraine.

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Little Long Pond, Acadia National Park

A special place at the Preserve, Little Long Pond is a beloved meeting place and a beautiful, tranquil spot for many on Mount Desert Island and beyond who come to hike the trails and discover the fascinating living things that make their home here. The generations of environmental stewardship have allowed the pond and the surrounding lands to thrive. It truly is a place of conservation of the environment, history, and tradition.

Little Long Pond includes 17 acres of meadows, 12 acres of marsh, a bog, crystal clear streams, and nearly 1,000 acres of forest. On a one-hour walk a visitor can potentially hear the croak of a frog, watch an osprey fish, spot a pileated woodpecker, and take in breathtaking views of surrounding mountains.

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