Bar Harbor Acadia

rocknrollgirl

rocknrollgirl

Well-Known Member
Chris and I are going to Maine the end of June....should we bring mt bikes and ride the carriage trails or road bikes and ride the roads??????

(don't know if we can fit both)
 
rocknrollgirl said:
Chris and I are going to Maine the end of June....should we bring mt bikes and ride the carriage trails or road bikes and ride the roads??????

(don't know if we can fit both)
Click to expand...

road bikes for the roads.

the carriage roads are nice, but not that nice... and there is all of this singletrack that shoots off the carriage roads, really tempting singletrack, that is off limits to bikes... so its a big tease.

my wife and i brought the mtb bikes up a couple years back and ended up doing all road rides after the first day.
 
btw - everyone talks about the lobster up there - which is totally awesome, but the thing i also found amazing was the shrimp.

there's a bar up the hill from the bar harbor inn on main street, i think it was geddy's or mckay's, i'm not sure which one (i think it was mckays) - well this bar had a special of beer battered popcorn shrimp during happy hour - a whole bucket on the cheap. the lobster we had was freaggin' great, but this bucket of fried shrimp was the meal i remembered from the trip.
 
That's the place w/ the moose on top. Excellent. The restrooms are marked with "inboards" or "outboards" on the doors. I was there last summer and had a great time. I stayed at the hotel on the water for a few days and could put the kayak in the harbor from the lot. If you have them, bring CX bikes - ride the carriage trails and then onto the road. I brought a geared mtb and rode it up cadillac mtn and all around the carriage trails. If I go again it will be the CX bike for me.
 

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I opted for the mtb, I think the cx bike would be ideal as many have already said. I really didn't have much ambition to ride when I was there... because of the lobster and beer factor! Go to cadillac mtn for sunrise, but bring your puffy jackets w/ you as it gets pretty chilly up there in the AM.
 
We went two years ago...brought the mtb's & kayaks. Carriage roads were fun family style riding but you'll get more out of road bike or cx like van said. Be sure to hike the beehive trail, and have popovers outside by the lake at the famous place who's name escapes me.
Hit lobster pounds rather than the regular restaurants in town for the most amazing lobster & fresh fish..and enjoy. Acadia is BEAUTIFUL and the hikes, and uphill road bike climbs have some of the greatest payoffs as far as view for shortest distance of anywhere. Don't believe the hype on the thunder hole...if you get a rainy stormy day where the seas are rough thats the time to check it out.

Jealous...want to go back...have a blast! :popcorn:
 
There's also some great climbing on the otter cliffs and some of the other local spots that I forget the name of. You've got to at least do the road climb up Cadillac Mtn. That's absolutely gorgeous. I did it on my MTB the last time up there.
 
I didn't realize this is where you are going!! Shawn and I spent a week up there 10 yrs ago. Like others said...we didn't do much riding due to the obnoxious beer and lobster intake. We had our bikes with us but the trails are more suited to hikers. If I remember correctly, they don't have much in trails that you'll be looking for, most carriage trails. It is somewhere I would take my kids to go riding. The hiking was very good though.
 
Road is the way to go. The road rides thru the park are great; awesome views, and the Cadi sunrise is sweet (bring lights for the ride up). There are some good mtb trails but out of Southwest Harbor and Tremont. They are very hard to find. I have a freind from Blue Hill who has a friend who knows them. The locals are very secretive about said trails.

However, if you are planning to stop over on the way up, say near Freeport. The trails at Bradbury Mt State park are very good.
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6580039

Oooh. How about a ride to http://www.atlanticbrewing.com/ from bar harbor. Good beer and nice food. Order a "black and blue"
 
Chris and I used to go every year for Thanksgiving until the little one arrived. We would do more road riding there, but I told myself next time I go, I am bringing my mtn bike and just riding that on the road so I can do both road and carriage trails. The carriage trails are awesome! There are just some things you won't see on foot cause they are too long. Riding a mtn bike up Cadillac with make you tough! :getsome:
 
Tracy and I went there last year around the same time. We brought our sea kayaks and mountain bikes. The whole time we where there, I was wishing I had brought road bikes instead. The Carriage roads are cool..kinda mellow and scenic but thats about it for mountain bike-worthy trails. LOTS of good road riding!

The sea kayaking is great! lots of paddling opps. The water is cold year round so we wore our drysuits. Some pretty significant tidal changes so it helps to plan around that. Lots of cliffs, cascades, harbors, bays, islands, a fjord and rocky shoreline to explore from the water...although that makes for some dicey landing in fiberglass sea kayaks. Thick fog can roll in without notice so it's beneficial to have a compass.

Have Fun...WE are going again this year at the end of July.

-Eric

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