A Maine Secret

Acadia National Park in Maine boasts being one of the top twenty most frequently visited National Parks in the country, but I’ve a little secret about a little-known part of the park that might interest the visitor to the Maine coast that seeks a quieter spot: Winter Harbor and Schoodic Point.

           

Schoodic Point is one of three parts that make up Acadia National Park.  There’s the main park that has visitors raving about the carriage trails for hiking, Cadillac Mountain for its views, sand beach and Thunder Hole, then there is the islands that make up part of the park, a particularly beautiful and quiet one is Isle au Haut, and then there is Schoodic Point.

 

Schoodic Point is free for everyone to enjoy.  Its natural beauty speaks volumes; from the jutting granite rocks colliding with the wild waves and soaring seagulls over head to rough beaches where almost all the rocks are the size and perfect shape of an egg.  There are short trails that lead to 365˚ vista views of the main park and islands, and the amazing thing is that probably won’t see another soul on the trail.  One of the sights you will see on the Point is the Black Dikes, which are areas where volcanic black rock oozed up between the granite and solidified. It absorbs the sun’s heat much more than the granite; the waves that splashed upon them created tendrils of steam.

 

Take Grindstone Avenue just out of town and drive past one of the oldest golf courses in the United States.  It’s not expensive to play and many of the holes run right along the water.  The road takes you past several million-dollar mansions and ends at Grindstone Neck. The strong scent of wild roses, mixed with the fresh salty air greets you here, and the rocks on the shore beckon to you to explore. There is an island just offshore, with the standard Maine lighthouse on the left side; on my last visit, I was fortunate to see a bald eagle land in one of the tall spruce trees there. I have visited this place numerous times and each time I am pleasantly surprised to see how few people come here.  It’s so incredibly peaceful and quiet; the only sounds you might hear are sea gulls, the gently ting of a bell on a buoy offshore, a distant lobster boat engine, and perhaps a fog horn in the distance.  It’s a perfect place to go to meditate, read, picnic or write.

 

Winter Harbor, the little town that sits just outside the entrance to Schoodic Point is a quaint village that sits at water’s edge, attracting many artisans to open shop there.  With only two restaurants, dining options are limited, as are local places to stay.  The Bluff House Inn, just outside of town, is a wonderful Inn that offers sunset views from the deck and water access for putting in kayaks or canoes.  It’s an easy paddle out to Stave Island where a plethora of sea glass awards treasure hunters.

 

I almost hesitate to share my secret; I want to keep Winter Harbor and Schoodic Point to myself, but it’s too big and exquisitely beautiful not to share.  This is one of the few remaining places on the Maine coast that you can go to and not have to fight the crowds to enjoy the sights, scents and sounds of this natural land.