Acadia NP, Maine

Acadia National Park is the first on the list of parks alphabetically. In Utah, everyone thinks Arches through Zion. But Acadia comes before Arches.

This national park is an island off the north coast of Maine. Nothing like smelling the salt air of the Atlantic Ocean---and eating a lobster! There is also lots of hiking and biking, or you can stay in the car for a beautiful drive.


One of my favorite hikes is the Bubble Rock Trail. (In New England, the mountains are older, so the tops are rounded instead of the jagged peaks of the west. ) It overlooks Jordan Pond.

Another popular part of the park is the top of Cadillac Mountain. You can hike or drive to the top. At certain times of the year, it is the first spot in the United States to see the sun.

If you like to bike, there are many miles of carriage trails that you can mountain bike. The carriage "paths" were built by John D Rockefeller between 1915 and 1933. Now they can be enjoyed with no auto traffic.

Because I lived in Maine for 7 years, I had the opportunity to go to Acadia during each of the four seasons. The busiest month is August, and beware of the black flies in late May/early June.

To learn more about the park, I would encourage you to visit the National Park Acadia website.

Paula in the Parks?

After asking several friends about a name for my blog, this is what I have decided---so thank you for all your input----and I might use your suggestions in a future blog.

One of my life goals is to visit as many parts of our National Parks system that I can. There are 391 units (yes that's a lot) but it is fun to explore many facets of our country through our parks.

So this blog will begin with the national parks that I have visited up until now. (Other parts of the NPS include national monuments, national historic sites, national recreation areas, national reserves.....). I will share pictures, hikes and stories about my visit to the park. I may add some local parks also.

There is an awesome site to keep track of "lists" which includes the parks and monumnts. (http://www.meosphere.com/)This is where I currently keep track of my NPS list. (There are others-----like books, restaurants, highest points in the U.S., state capitals etc.)

I hope you enjoy my stories....