The Acadia You Haven't Seen : An Off-Trail Hiking Guide: The Acadia You Haven't Seen, #1

By Matthew Marchon

A hiking guide like no other. This isn't technical jargon, this is your friend telling you how to get to the crazy places he visits. And now you can visit them too.

The abandoned trails and forgotten places of Acadia National Park. Follow me as we explore ancient sea caves high on mountainsides. Sit in the mist of secret waterfalls. Stand amongst the ruins of long lost buildings and see what those who came before us saw. Walk their paths. Dangle from stone stairways atop massive cliffs. Follow nameless streams and drink from springs. Crawl beneath boulders and through caves and see what the millions who pass through this park every year fail to see. Experience Acadia National Park the way it was meant to be experienced, like it never has before. This is the Acadia you haven't seen.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matthew Marchon
• Release date: Aug 9, 2017
• ISBN: 9781393490593

Book preview

Anemone Cave

*low tide only

THE TRAIL TO ANEMONE Cave was abandoned years ago yet a lot of people still visit the easily accessible seaside chamber, remembering the days it was marked on maps and signs led the way. The trail to it is still technically a trail with a huge parking area and a paved path leading directly to the roof of the cave. In fact a lot of unknowing tourists are standing on top of it, completely unaware of what lies beneath.

The handrails that once assisted visitors down into the mouth of the cave are long gone, making the descent a bit tricky. With some mild rock scrambling, slippery patches of ever present seaweed and the fact that the cave is only accessible at low tide, it can feel like nature is trying to keep this secret to itself. A string of rescues, injuries and even deaths prompted the closure of the trail as unsuspecting sightseers were trapped inside when the tide rolled in. Anemone Cave is really not a dangerous place as long as you know what you’re getting yourself into and always keep an eye on the incoming tide.

The easiest way to get there is by following by the Park Loop Road to the entrance station just before Sand Beach. Take a left a few car lengths before the booth and follow the 0.3 mile road straight through the intersection to the parking lot for the Schooner Head Overlook. Take the short paved trail down to the rocky coastline.

Almost immediately after stepping onto the ledges you’ll be above what was once known by sailors as Mermaid’s Cave. As long as it’s low tide it will be easy to navigate whether you choose the tougher but more direct route to your right or the longer yet much easier path to your left where you’ll skirt way out around through the boulders. There’s a little seaweed at the mouth of the cave but nothing too tricky to contend with.

The large opening stays approximately the same size throughout, creating a large dome shaped cavern. In the rear is a small bonus chamber I recommend checking out. It involves a tiny bit of rock climbing but nothing that would make you feel unsafe. If you’re into oceanic wildlife then there are some great pink pools of salt water left behind when the tide goes out that house anemones, as the name suggests, as well as other sea dwelling creatures. Unlike most of the unknown and forgotten attractions in this book, odds are you won’t be alone in Anemone Cave.

Now you might be wondering why the signs list this destination as Schooner Head Overlook. Schooner Head is the mass of land that juts out into the Atlantic with the breathtaking mansion on it. The head of land got its name long ago due to the sheer cliff that resembles the sails of a boat when viewed from out at sea, so much so that it has been fired upon many times. Ships have unloaded cannon balls into the side of the rock wall on numerous occasions mistaking it for an enemy vessel. Many ships have been lost in this area and remain at the bottom of the ocean, leading to tales of hauntings and images of ghost ships rolling in with the fog.

Bear Den

IF YOU’RE A REGULAR to Acadia National Park then you’ve probably driven by the Bear Den countless times and never thought anything of it. I did it for 30 years. From the road it looks like nothing more than a dark spot on a small ledge in the woods. You might have seen it while driving around the corner just after the parking area for the Champlain North Ridge Trail. That dark spot through the trees is definitely worth stopping at.

Shortly after passing the Sieur De Monts entrance along the Park Loop Road, you’ll come to Beaver Dam Pond. Round the corner where Jackson Lab becomes visible and you’ll see a pull-off on the left hand shoulder which is the parking area for the Champlain North Ridge Trail.

Before the construction of the Park Loop Road there was a trail leading to the cave once referred to simply as ‘Bear Den’. Today it’s as easy as crossing the street and taking about 40 steps, yes I counted, through sparsely wooded terrain to the left of the ledge. Right before the coping stones start you’ll see a well-worn path through the trees. Coping stones, also referred to as Rockefeller’s Teeth, are the blocks of granite that line the roadway, acting as a sort of guardrail. They were put in place to help visitors cope with the steep drop-offs often found on the other side of them.

UPON FIRST GLANCE THE cave looks like nothing more than a cliff cloaked by trees. It’s not until you get closer that you’ll understand why it was once indicated on maps. Most of the den is an impressive rock ledge you can walk under, but that’s not why it made it into this book. To your right, the overhanging ledge gets immersed in shadows, the kind of shadows you see on rock cliffs and hope are caves. In this case, it actually is. Flashlights aren’t needed to explore the den but they do become necessary if you choose to crawl into the small circular chamber I can only assume a bear was once seen hibernating in.

Beaver Bowl

ALTHOUGH NOT OFFICIALLY named, the small body of water we’re calling the Beaver Bowl does show up on modern maps. But why not on the old trail maps like so many of the other forgotten places in this book? Well, because it didn’t exist. Once a stream meandering its way down the mountainside into The Bowl, beavers dammed it up to create a small pond. Still in its early stages, the remains of the trees that once populated the forest now lay in the shallow pool of water. What’s truly amazing about the Beaver Bowl is the pure silence. Only a few hundred feet away from the crowds of tourists that flock to The Bowl, you lose any indication of human presence.

Unfortunately, to get here you must brave the crowds. The most direct route is an 0.8 mile hike to The Bowl which begins across the street from the Sand Beach parking lot. For those of you in shape it’ll be a breeze, but it does gradually work its way uphill with plenty of steps of varying types along the way. You’ll pass by The Beehive and Kief Pond before trudging up the stairs that lead you through the rugged boulders at the height of land above The Bowl. Continue downhill towards the bits of blue visible through the trees and in a few hundred feet you’ll find yourself on the shore of the mountain pond.

Looking across the Bowl from your perch on the boardwalk, slightly to the left you’ll notice a small cove. That’s what you’re aiming for. At nearly half a mile, it’s longer and a little tougher than it would appear. The terrain in either direction is moderately steep, perhaps a little more so to the left. To the right there are far less trees and thick patches of blueberry bushes to get tangled up in. I should also mention that I’ve encountered a few very large active ant hills beneath the ledges on the far side of The Bowl so watch out for those. Whichever way you go, make sure you get to the top of those ledges for a spectacular aerial view of pristine pond.

Once you reach the cove, you’ll find a small stream flowing through the woods. As is the case with all streams in Acadia, they can be anywhere between a dry river bed and a raging torrent that overflows the forest floor around it, depending on the season and the amount of rain. Follow what will most likely be a trickle uphill through the woods a couple hundred feet and it will bring you to a large dam at the outlet of the Beaver Bowl. It’s a very serene setting with dead trees rising from the swampy terrain and the music of water dancing over rocks as it drains out below.

It’s also worth making your way around the Beaver Bowl where there is a small stream flowing in from the north. To the east are some interesting ledges you can easily skirt around but if you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself compelled to climb up the wooded rock cliff anyway. The top of that cliff will lead you to the ledges with a magnificent view overlooking The Bowl.

Beehive Swamp

EVERYDAY, HUNDREDS of hikers make their way down the backside of the Beehive, unaware there is a picturesque swamp at the foot of the oddly shaped mountain. In fact, there are bodies of water at all four corners of the immensely popular climb. The Bowl sits to its west, the bog above Sand Beach to the east, Kief Pond below its insanely steep southern wall and the unnamed marsh to the north I’ve nicknamed Beehive Swamp. The goal of most hikes is to offer a view from above, but not this one. This time we’re looking up.

The most direct route is to make your way up to The Bowl from the Sand Beach parking lot. Depending on the time of year, parking may very well be the hardest part of this hike as you’re forced to park a few tenths of a mile down the road, making the 0.8 mile ascent a little longer. After enough stairs to keep your quads burning, you’ll find yourself at the always bustling Bowl.

Once you’ve made it to The Bowl, follow the boardwalk to the right heading towards the backside of the Beehive. Before the trail starts its ascent, look for the well-worn path that leaves the official trail, winding its way through the pine trees to the ledges of Enoch Mountain. Early on you’ll notice it splits, with one path leading towards Enoch, the other towards the top of a ledge. Go towards the ledge.

If you peer over the edge of the tree covered rock cliff, you’ll spot a stone staircase descending from the corner. It is in remarkable condition despite years of neglect and offers a safe way down the small yet sheer ledge. The remains of the trail are easy to follow in spots, more obscured in others, especially in the Fall. Whether you find it or not, keep going downhill. No matter what direction you’re coming from, you’ll find the swamp at the bottom of the open woods so don’t worry about following the old path. Although quite steep at first, it does level out lower down and the sparse deciduous forest makes for easy bushwhacking. Before long you’ll stumble across the abandoned trail, if you’re not already on it.

After a 0.3 mile descent you’ll find yourself along the shore of the swamp. If the ground is dry enough, I recommend leaving the path and going down to the water’s edge for an amazing and rare vantage point of Enoch Mountain rising steeply above the wetlands. If you’re there during times of high water, fear not, there is a ledgy viewing area on the other side of the swamp that offers incredible views as well as a solid place to stand. Circling the marshy area in a counterclockwise motion, you’ll wind up on the lowermost ledges beneath Enoch Mountain.

From the flat rocks at the edge of the swamp, you’re afforded an impressive view of the mountain walls that surround you on three sides. It seems to me like Enoch’s two summits should be completely different mountains, not only because of the unique views each one possesses but also the unique shapes they take on when seen from below. Seeing Enoch from the swamp really gives you an appreciation for the trail-less mountain we’ll be visiting a little later in the book.

To leave the swamp beneath the Beehive, you have a number of options. You can always go back the way you came but it makes a great loop if you plan on going up Enoch. The easier way up the trail-less mountain is by following a faint path up the rock face to the lower summit. This portion of the abandoned trail has some of the most remarkable cairns seen anywhere in the park. Another slightly more challenging option would be scrambling up the eroded slope that brings you to the col between the two summits. Take a step, lose two, but doable if you have the time, the skill and the patience. The