Graphic by Sean Rogers
Just outside Bar Harbor, Maine, a short drive along the Atlantic coast and up the side of Cadillac Mountain lies Acadia National Park. While I have visited my share of National Parks, Acadia National Park will forever be my favorite because of the sentimental value it holds in my heart.
Every year for fall break, I get on a plane to fly into Boston, Massachusetts and every year my long-distance boyfriend makes the heroic trip from Bar Harbor to come and collect me at the Boston airport just to turn right back around again. Most of these journeys tend to start at 8 pm the Friday of break and end the following morning at 5 Am but over the past two years, Bar Harbor and Acadia have gained a special place in my heart for an even more special man. Our mornings are spent drinking coffee and eating popovers from small cafes in Bar Harbor and our days are almost always spent roaming Acadia National Park. We walk the rocky beaches and hammock amongst the trees bursting with fall color. Fog and an eerie mist hug the shorelines as we snuggle close for warmth during a time of pure fall bliss. My boyfriend laughs as I save stone crabs from menacing seagulls, and hunt the seashore for sea stars. Thunder echoes from Thunder Hole as we pull off to watch the sunset, our playlist echoing into the forest within the most perfect National Park.
Acadia will forever live rent-free in my heart as the best National Park because of the sentimental value it holds to my relationship but here is why it should live rent-free in yours too. In my opinion, the best time to travel to this dreamland is between September and October. Fall is truly in full bloom during this time and tourism is at its low. You get all the beauty without any of the hussle bussle. Acadia and Bar Harbor truly come as a two-for-one deal because there’s so much to explore. From hiking the beehive trail to whale watching on the Atlantic Coast you get the perfect mix of oceans, mountains, and forest. Not to mention that the food is to die for, from homemade popovers to blueberry doughnuts and soda your taste buds will erupt in pure harmonious bliss. Trust me, its something you won’t want to miss.
Brooke Ellis is from Cottage Grove, Minn. Her majors are
Biology and Environmental Science.
