Acadia National Park was established in 1916 with land donated by local citizens who valued and wanted to preserve the mountains, woodlands and ocean shoreline in perpetuity. Their dedication and foresight continue to inspire and benefit all Americans to this day. We enjoyed our hikes through the forest, and stunning views along the coastline. This National Park is very large and has four campgrounds spread over a large area.

We stayed in the Park’s Blackwoods Campground near Bar Harbor. It’s almost dead center on the photo above. The campsites are relatively private and the two spots we camped at were fairly level. The sites are heavily shaded and there are no utilities provided at individual campsites. Fresh water and toilets are located within the Blackwoods Campground but there are NO showers in the campground. There is a dump station at the Blackwoods entrance.

The Park provides bus service (Island Explorer) from Bar Harbor into the Park with stops at various trailheads, the visitor center, major destinations within the Park, and two of the campgrounds. The bus is free and the Park strongly encourages visitors to use this service since parking is limited and fills up quickly. We totally agree that if you are not camping in the park, the Island Explorer is the way to go.

It’s a different story if you are camping at the Park’s Blackwood or Seawall Campgrounds. Bus service at these campgrounds only transport passengers into Bar Harbor where one has to pick up another bus in order to reach a destination within the park. We planned to take the Island Explorer to the Jordon Pond Path until we realized that it would take us close to 90 minutes to reach the Pond by bus as opposed to driving 25 minutes from our campsite directly. Bus service clearly favors day visitors and provides limited utility to the campers at Blackwood.

There is a loop road within the Park but it’s not accessible from the Blackwoods Campground. We had to drive out of the park to access the loop road. See the yellow dotted line in the map below. The map shows the loop road (solid red line) passing directly by Blackwoods Campground but the access road to the loop is closed. We could walk to the loop road in ten minutes but driving or taking the bus took significantly longer.

Jordon Pond is the result of glacial activity in the area. The water is crystal clear. The hike around the lake is easy except for a stretch over rocky boulders on the northwest side.

Definitely take hiking sticks, and if you have any mobility issues, small children or pets consider hiking counter clockwise along the trail to the half-way point and then turn around to avoid the boulders. From the north shore of the lake (before the rocky shoreline), you will have a great view of the glacially-carved Bubble Mountains.

During our hike, a kind fellow hiker alerted us to a pair of Loons floating on the pond. A passing Park Ranger told us that rangers knew of only two nesting pairs of Loons in the park this year. We feel fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time—definitely a highlight as they are stunning waterfowl!

The Loons were in the middle of the lake so it was fortuitous that Joe lugged his 600mm f/ 6.3 on the hike.

We enjoyed lunch at the Jordon Pond House. In addition to the view, the food and service were terrific.

Our experience at Thunder Hole was fun. It was a calm day but what we saw and heard was impressive.

We enjoyed our stay in the In the Blackwoods Campground of Acadia National Park. If you choose to tent camp there please keep in mind that there are NO SHOWERS. We survived as we were able to shower in our RV. The Blackwoods Campground is heavily shaded so if you plan to spend more than three days camping in your RV expect to run the generator to keep your batteries charged.

Definitely drive the Park Loop road for the wonderful views of the ocean. Most of the Park Loop road is one way. RVers should plan their trip carefully as there are some low overpasses. Clockwise on the loop road, the lowest clearance is 11″8″. Please be advised that if you enter the Park Loop on the two-way road heading toward Seal Harbor, or you may run into a 10′ 4″ overpass (literally).

Even with the free Island Explorer bus service, the Park is heavily accessed by day-users in their private cars. Parking at most sites was filled by 10:30 AM. As with the Nation’s most popular parks, plan to arrive early.