Fall, dear readers, is in the air. Crisp mornings (temperatures in the 40’s and 50’s), warm afternoons, leaves turning to red and gold.
All right, some of these mornings are also damp and foggy. And some of the afternoons are also damp, if a little less foggy. But this does make for a less crowded ride or walk along the carriage roads of Acadia.
A Teeny Bit of History
The original roads around Mount Desert Island, where Acadia is located, included the roads up Cadillac Mountain and Paradise Hill. These roads were originally constructed in the 1880’s and 1890’s as “buckboard roads,” a buckboard being defined as a four wheeled horse-drawn carriage, with seating being attached to a plank that stretched between the front and rear axles of the vehicle. As you can imagine, the roads were rough and so was the ride! One of my ancient (1994) guidebooks, Acadia’s Biking Guide by Thomas A. St. Germain, Jr., comments that one of the buckboard parties was held up and robbed while traveling up Cadillac. Documentation by the Historic American Engineering Record tells us that in 1882, a robber leapt out of the woods, confronted the party, and demanded their valuables…but when the ladies began emptying their purses, he told them to stop, given that he only robbed men!
A $5000 reward was later issued, but the courteous highwayman was never apprehended(although the size of the reward makes one wonder what exactly the fellows on the buckboard were carting around with them up the mountain).
In the 1920’s and 30’s, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., got into the act, constructing and improving the carriage roads as we know them today. This included building the 17 bridges found throughout the carriage road system.
Before the carriage roads were completed, Acadia National Park had been created. The Cadillac Mountain road was actually completed after the land had been donated by Rockefeller, with a big push from then-park superintendent George Dorr. By the 1940’s, carriage use had declined to the point that bicycle use was promoted along the roads. In the 1990’s, the Friends of Acadia, a non-profit group
That’s Enough History…Let’s Talk About Me!
But now, let’s talk about me!
The Silver Lady likes to ride her equally Silver-aged Trek mountain bike around the carriage roads. It occurred to me during my ride last week that my bike was actually older than the young man who passed me (twice) during my ride around Witch Hole, the bike being from the very early 1990’s and the young man being, well, younger.
At some point, when the world and the Trek were new and I was a lot younger, I rode all the carriage trails. Back then we generally didn’t wear helmets on the carriage trails, but now almost everyone (including me) does. I don’t rely on Google Maps, as service is virtually non-existent in the park and I don’t remember that I need to download the map till I’m in the park, with predictable results! So download ahead of time, or carry the carriage trail map with you.
The carriage roads are beautifully graded with layers of stone covered with about eight inches of crushed gravel. If you are a serious mountain biker, you will not find any thrills here. You can use any bike to ride on these roads and people do use about anything. I saw one woman last week riding an older bike with a basket on the front, although no small dog was being carried in it, to my vast disappointment.
Speaking of Small Dogs…
But I Digress!
As with anything at Acadia, the earlier you are there, the better. I disregarded this last week, in mid-September, at my peril when I arrived around 10:00 a.m. Dear readers, it is no longer possible, as it was years ago (when my Trek was new), to arrive at that time and find parking inside the park. I attempted several areas inside the park (including, foolishly, Jordan Pond) and found gridlock instead. So back to the Visitor’s Center I went…but I did take a detour past Northeast Harbor, a classic Maine fishing town.
The Ride
On all of my recent trips, I started from the Visitor’s Center (this gives the aged bladder relief before starting the ride, as well as an assured parking place) and headed out from the far side of the parking lot, where a narrow path leads to an informational sign where you might be able to pick up a carriage road map.
The path from the Visitor Center begins with a hill. It’s a steep enough hill that as you return, you’ll see an exciting sign warning you that it’s steep and might be dangerous! Since I had Covid last month, I haven’t been able to make it all the way up without dismounting and walking, but if you’re planning to cycle Witch Hole or Eagle Lake, be comforted by the fact that there will not be another hill this steep.
From here, you can ride straight on until you reach the signposts. The ones for Witch Pond and Eagle Lake are self-explanatory, as long as you realize that the one that says “Around Lake” means “go this way to get to Eagle Lake.” On the return, look for signs taking you towards Hull’s Cov
You can do both Witch Hole and Eagle Lake on the same ride, or just Witch Hole, or just Eagle Lake from this spot. I did various combinations of these on the last three rides I did. All of these have wonderful views, and you can extend the ride by turning at any of the other signposts along the way (or, of course, plan a lengthy route that incorporates a number of different trails. I have an unfortunate tendency to get lost when I do this, though!) I did a few extra miles on one ride by heading towards Bubble Pond.
On another ride, I added a giant hill by turning off towards Aunt Betty’s Pond. Then I turned around and went screaming back down. Sometimes, enough is too much!
Each ride ran between 8 to 13 miles. This would be a pretty short ride on my road bike, but traveling along the carriage roads, I make a lot of stops for pictures. And snacks. Lots of snacks! And the occasional breather after a big hill.
As you can see from the picture above, taken on September 15, 2022, the leaves were just barely starting to turn, although it was one of the chillier days so far this month.
Each ride was a great workout, filled with stunning views and some lovely moments of solitude. It’s an amazing way to spend a morning.!
Last But Not Least…
I really enjoy my rides, but I don’t pack a lunch. Because afterwards, I’m going to reward myself with the ultimate Maine treat:
Because yum.