Will had so much fun by the end of the Valley View hike, that he wanted to go on another one. Luckily for him (not so much for Nick, who wanted to be done), there was another trailhead by the parking lot. This trail was also a Beech Mountain Trail, but it was a Loop Trail that went past a fire tower.
This trail was listed as moderate and was 1.2 miles long. I would agree that is was a moderate trail. The trail started on a straight path and then branched off. We went to the left, which I was glad we did. This part of the trail had lots of rocky areas and even hiking up a smooth rock surface. I think trying to go down that way would have been much harder than climbing up it.
The fire tower was really fun to see. It was locked off for the upper portion, but you could still climb the steps to the first platform and enjoy the view.
The way back down the mountain also had some amazing views. There were several rocky areas to sit on, so the boys took a rest while I got some pictures.
The boys and I ventured back into Acadia with a new trail in mind: Valley View to Canada Cliffs. Nick saw a picture on the AllTrails app reviews of a ladder and was very excited to climb it.
The trail was rated as easy (1.3 miles) and contained a dirt path with a few rocky areas and boardwalks. We never did see the ladder by the cliffs, even though we followed the trail map. Acadia had also placed blue paint markers along the path on rocks and trees, but some of them were very faded. Because of the uneven terrain in spots, I would say this was more towards the moderate side of the scale.
There was a view of the area below us, including a water view.
We had a little trail rage in the beginning by a certain teenager who didn’t want to hike, but in the end he enjoyed climbing over the rocks and finding his way along the path.
After our morning hike, the boys and I stopped at Jordan Pond House for lunch. They are known for their popovers and tea.
The prices seemed a little high to me, although there was already a line and a waitlist when we got there a only few minutes after they opened.
We waited about 45 minutes and got a seat in the main room. There are some tables with a nice view of the pond, so I would ask for a window seat!
I ended up getting tea and we all tried a popover. They were good (but still just a regular popover). It was a beautiful setting to relax in. There was a trail around the pond as well (about 3 miles).
One of the trails that was recommended to us was the Hunters Beach Trail. Like a lot of the trails in Acadia, the trailhead is only marked by a wooden marker, which is really easy to miss when driving by. I loved having the AllTrails App, as it had the trail and gave directions on how to get to it.
The parking lot was small, maybe room for 3-5 cars.
The trail itself wasn’t difficult, as it was relatively flat. However, there were tree roots everywhere! It made the hike a little slower as we watched where we stepped. We did come back with one twisted ankle when a tree root sneak attacked and wasn’t laying as flat as it appeared to be.
There were a couple of little bridges and a small boardwalk. A lot of the trail ran next to the creek, which led to the open water. The beach was beautiful, but rocky.
School is winding down. The boys and I decided to take a hike in Acadia. Well, ok…I decided to drag them away from video games for a hike. I found one that was listed as easy on the AllTrails app, but looked like it might keep them occupied. It was a combination of two trails, Homans and Emery. I would say this trail was more towards the moderate level since it was mostly stone steps in both directions.
There were a couple of spots where the trail narrowed or you might have to duck down to get through. It was still a nice trail with some great views at the top. You could see a creek winding through a meadow, the town below, and the ocean. Nick liked all the rocks to climb and only hurt himself 2 or 3 times.
It was a neat trail, but not one to do if you have knee or ankle problems. My ankle twinged a few times even with hiking boots on.
Acadia has a great Park Loop Road that shows you some of the amazing views in the park. There are several spots for pull-offs along the way for views and trailheads. We somehow turned off of the Park Loop at an intersection and had to find our way back in from one of the little towns. Cell phone signal is very spotty around the park, so get your GPS started while you have a good signal. (NOTE: You can get your park pass at the Hulls Visitor Center, Jordan Pond House, or there is a ticket booth area on the Loop.)
We saw wild turkeys, the water hitting the cliff areas, and lots of lakes and ponds. We stopped at Sand Beach and walked down to see it. It was a beautiful area with a sandy beach. Most of the beaches in Acadia are rocky, but this one had a nice fine sand.
One of things we never do back home is wake up early to catch the sunrise. Apparently, this the thing to do when near Acadia! The sun rises a bit earlier here, so we woke up at 3:30 am to make it up to Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. (Starting 5/26, you will need to buy a car pass ($6) to access Cadillac Mountain.)
The parking lot was already pretty full, but we did find a spot. We walked across the rocky top and found a spot to watch Mother Nature’s show. It was an amazing view overlooking the city, the islands, and the bay/ocean. When the sun peaked over the edge, the pinks and reds were reflected in the water.
I probably will not make a habit of watching the sunrise often, but it was definitely worth getting up early for.
We ended our stay in Massachusetts by going to New Bedford to see the Whaling Museum. (Questions we got: What about Nantucket and Boston? My sister lived in Boston for awhile and we had visited her and explored the city. The main goal of the trip was to see new things. Ben really wanted Nantucket, but the ferry itself was $300, plus whatever we would spend in town.)
New Bedford is a fishing town. They were big in the whaling industry and now do a lot of commerce in scallops.
We managed to find parking on the street (it looks like it is all resident pass or pay parking) near the New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park. The Visitor Center was closed and only had a table open to get a map and Junior Ranger material. (The boys did not get their badges yet because the Visitor Center closed by the time we were done walking around. The ranger told us we could mail the booklets in to get the badges.) The National Park Service museum had a lot of outdoor signs around the town. The map had a nice outline of where the park’s boundaries were.
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We stopped at the other New Bedford Whaling Museum. This one was not part of the National Park Service and had paid admission. However, when we went to check it out, they told us the lobby was free to look around. The lobby had skeletons of different whales and some really neat information. The one skeleton has a piece of tubing attached to the skull and it leads to a beaker. It has been collection oil for 10 years!
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click to enlarge
Next, we headed down to the Fishing Heritage Center. It was also free the day we were there. It ended up being surprisingly good! It was very interactive with a movie, multiple buttons to push to hear different sounds and fishing stories. There was even a fishing bucket the kids could pull up. It gave a nice detailed history of fishing, especially in the New Bedford region. It was really well done and everyone enjoyed it.
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click to enlarge
The town was pretty cute. However, I would stay near the museums. The farther out of the touristy area we got, it got to be a rougher part of town.
We’ve made it to Massachusetts! We have a few things we wanted to see while we were here. We had already been to Boston, since my sister lived there for awhile. However, Salem was on our list of places we wanted to see and it was about 1.75 hours from our campground. It has been on our bucket list for awhile, so we took the trip with my parents who were visiting us.
Salem wasn’t quite what we thought it would be. It was very new, very modern, with only a few historic houses. The The houses under the National Park Service were not open, but the House Of Seven Gables was (had to purchase tickets ahead of time online). The National Park Service had two Visitor Centers for the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. The boys got a Junior Ranger badge, although the booklets/pamphlets were not available since they were still building some of the exhibits needed to work on the books.
We did get to see the Friendship of Salem ship and walk onto the deck. We were not allowed underneath though (COVID). We walked down and saw the lighthouse as well.
Sights around Salem
We grabbed lunch at Brodie’s Seaport. I had the chicken pecan salad, which was delicious.
Physical menu on a board outside had pricing, whereas the scan by phone QR code menu did not
I’m glad we went, since it was on our list of cities we wanted to see, but I would not go back again.
Once we got off the ferry at the Brookfield terminal, we walked around New York City to see some of the sites before our tour bus was due down at Battery Park.
We stopped by the 9/11 memorial. The area was gated off and the museum wasn’t open yet for the day. We could still see the fountains/pools that were made in the footprints of the towers. Ben and I both remember hearing the live broadcasts over the radio. The boys have learned about it in school, but it is something else to see it in person.
We walked to see Wall Street and the Charging Bull statue. There was only 1 other person there, so we didn’t have to wait in line long at all. I will say the backside of the bull had some very shiny parts.
We made our way down to Battery Park and got to see the Statue of Liberty! Ben and I saw it on the ferry coming in (the boys had fallen asleep), but we still enjoyed seeing it. We did not take the ferry over to the Statue of Liberty island, as you could not walk up to the crown (COVID restrictions). NOTE: Currently, the ferry is only available from the New York side at Battery Park. The New Jersey terminal should open May 29.
Will liked seeing Castle Clinton, although it seems like this battery is now used mostly for tickets to the Statue of Liberty. There were not a lot of informational signs available, as the only two we saw were hidden behind construction items. It looks like they are doing renovations. The restrooms were open, which were a big plus as many others were closed (COVID).
Battery Park had some nice green space and a fun looking carousel (Seaglass Carousel). There was a Starbucks across the street, so we got a coffee and a bagel to enjoy while we waited for our bus tour.
Later in the day, we visited Times Square and explored the M&M Store. Nick found a pressed penny machine and added two new ones to his collection. Will got a large warm pretzel from a street food vendor. The Krispy Kreme had the Hot Now light on, so we stopped in to get a warm donut. There was a little bit of a line, but it moved pretty fast. We got to see the donuts getting glazed on the conveyor belt. There was one cool looking donut, The Big Apple, but it was $11.99! The kids loved being able to finally try the hot glazed donuts (it only took us 10 months to have the right timing!).
At the end of the day, we had over 25,300 steps from walking. We were all exhausted, tired, and sore. The city was incredibly empty compared to what it used to be. It did get a little busier in the afternoon, but was still really down from what the city was pre-COVID. It did make for easier sightseeing though.
