Maine is going to get hit hard by a Nor’easter today on Mother’s Day.  We have been camping since Tuesday afternoon and we have only seen 2 days with dry hours since we arrived 5 days ago.  The rain has not stopped us from having a great time.  I personally think it can add to your visit if you come prepared.  We do not travel to this area without a really good rain coat, lots of layers and a determination to enjoy no matter the weather.    When I reflect on my favorite days in Acadia National Park the rainiest and wildest days stick out as some of my favorites.  In fact one of my favorites was 2 years ago on my 50th birthday.  Maine got hit hard by a very big Nor’easter on that day.  We had 2+ inches of rain and wind gusts up to 50mph.  We spent the day driving around the park roads and watching the waves and high surf.  We were even treated to watching the Coast Guard taking advantage of the high surf by doing training exercises just off shore.

Watching the Coast Guard training

You might even get to see a little action at Thunder Hole.

This isn’t the best action we have seen here but it’s always fun to watch it when it lives up to it’s name sake- “Thunder Hole”

Just be careful anywhere near the water, especially during storms, as rogue waves can be very dangerous.

I love fog, especially the morning fog that drapes gently over islands letting them just peak out though the top.

Fog in the harbor.  A light fog paired with some clouds can make for some of the best sunrise pictures

It changes the way you look at the landscape, some of my most favorite photos have been taken in light fog.

View from Bar Island looking back towards Bar Harbor- light wispy fog hanging in the harbor

Bar Harbor draped with morning fog- add salt air and a fog horn and that is Maine!

This past week we have had several days with light rain and mist, enough to keep us from hiking up mountains, but not enough to keep us from exploring.  There are plenty of places to go when it is too slippery to hike up the rocky mountains.  One of our favorites is Sand Beach.  On a sunny summer day the place is packed but on a misty May day you can have the beach to yourself.

Having a blast in the rain and fog!

These windy, misty days are the only time I have found sand dollars along this beach.

Gizmo enjoying Sand Beach with no crowds!  Just be prepared for the cool wet weather with some layers

We love to walk the Ocean Path from Sand Beach to Otter Cliffs.

View of Otter Cliffs- Look at all that famous pink granite

The footing is good the whole way and there is no better way to enjoy ocean views in Acadia than this path.  You will pass Thunder Hole along your way, so check it out to see if there is any action going on.  If this is your first time walking this path you will probably take you up to 3 hours, as there are tons of small paths along the way that lead out to amazing views.

Rocky Beach- it’s a bit of a scramble to get down to this one.  

View back towards Great Head and Sand Beach from near Otter Cliffs.  

The other area we like to visit is Jordan Pond.

View across Jordan Pond towards the Bubbles- These are a great hike on a sunny day.  You would start walking counter-clockwise from here, turning around just past the bubbles at a long wooden bridge.  

The hike around Jordan Pond is relatively easy for the first half, if you go counter-clockwise.  We turn around at the bridge

This is the bridge we turn around at if it is wet.  On this day the weather was beautiful so we did the full loop.  

(about 1/2 way) if it is wet.  The second half is rockier and there are lots of log bridges that can be slippery when wet.

About 0.8 miles of the hike is along these logs if you continue on the loop around the pond.  

The other great hike from Jordan Pond is to the Cobblestone Bridge.  You can take the carriage trails or the hiking trail (can be wet and slippery) to reach the Cobblestone Bridge.  This is the only bridge in the park that is made of cobblestones.  It’s about a 2-mile round trip hike.  This past week was a great time to do this hike as there was tons of water flowing in Jordan Stream, creating many cascades along the way.

Once you have had enough hiking and exploring, you can head into Bar Harbor.  The great part for us about this town is it’s very dog friendly.  Gizmo loves strolling along the Main St. and going in and out of the many shops.  His particular favorite is Bark Harbor.

Gizmo resting up with his new favorite toy from Bark Harbor.  Hiking and shopping can be very exhausting!