We dreamed of an Acadia National Park family vacation and finally made it happen. We spent a week in Maine (Acadia National Park and an overnight in Ogunquit) and it was everything a vacation should be. With the exception of Abby getting a double ear infection + swimmer’s ear, we had the most amazing time! The temps were perfect in the low 70’s. We hiked, biked, relaxed and had a much needed family reset.
Camera Gear
I didn’t want to bring too much camera gear, but knew I would want some nice wide landscape shots, so I used my Canon 17-24mm 90% of the time. It was fun to change it up and use a different lens. My Sigma 50mm is my absolute favorite lens to use. I use it for all my portrait work. This was a nice change up for me.
Hiking The Beehive
The first non-driving day we hiked to the summit of Beehive Mountain. This climb was crazy steep. I was more than okay with going up the backside, which is accommodating to those who don’t want to be climbing metal rungs hanging off the side of a cliff, but my husband and a random hiker talked me into going up the front. Not gonna lie, I was terrified and climbing with “smaller” children made it especially scary. But, I will say the view was incredible and I could enjoy it once we were all safely at the top.
Biking Around Bar Harbor
The next day we rented bikes in Bar Harbor and biked the carriage roads in Acadia. After working up a sweat, we discovered a delicious shaved ice shop (that we frequented almost daily after that) and we dipped our toes in the the freezing cold Atlantic Ocean at the breathtaking Sand Beach.
Sunset views on Cadillac Mountain
Thunder Hole
On day four we visited Thunder Hole at high tide to hear the waves crash against the rocks mimicking a magnificent thunder storm. The view was my favorite part of this stop. I could have stared at that mighty sea for hours taking in all of God’s glorious creation.
Fishing Excursion
As we were planning our trip Leah thought it would be fun for us to go fishing in Maine. Brian wasn’t keen on hassling with poles, tangled lines and bait, so it probably wasn’t going to happen. Then I happened to come across a fishing boat excursion out of Bar Harbor that took care of all of this. Brian was thrilled and it ended up being one of the highlights of our trip. The boat captain was equally hilarious and entertaining. He and his crew did an excellent job teaching the kids exactly how to fish making the three hour tour a wonderful experience.
Each person in our family captured no less than 20 fish with the exception of me who was happy to watch everyone having a blast and taking lots of photos. We saw seals and even a bald eagle. I was certainly wishing I had my telephoto lens at that point, but was glad not to carry that beast for the rest of the trip.
Hiking Jordan Pond
Day five we had brunch at our favorite local restaurant called Martha’s Diner in Ellsworth where we stayed. Then walked around Jordan Pond and hiked up to Bubble Rock to take in the spectacular view.
Exploring Fun Places
On day six we enjoyed a 2nd visit to Martha’s Diner before we drove down the coast to our next destination in Ogunquit. We had to take the kids to all our favorite stops, including Samoset Resort where I grew up going for Thanksgiving each year and Brian and I got engaged. We stopped in Wiscasset to visit my favorite little office supplies boutique and grab a photo in front of the infamous Red’s Eats.
Then we headed on to Freeport to walk through L.L.Bean’s flagship store and show the kids the big boot. Our overnight in Ogunquit was a blast walking the incredible Marginal Way cliff walk overlooking the ocean. We also enjoyed playing miniature golf, swimming in the hotel pool, enjoying Congdon’s Doughnuts. One of the highlights was taking family photos near the water and spending our final day at the beach.
Can’t wait to show you the family portraits we captured of us using the tripod and remote trigger. Stay tuned for that post 🙂
