Are you spending time on Mount Desert Island this summer? Good. You should.
It’s my - and countless others - happy place. And you should do all of things - hike the ever popular Beehive trail, wade through gazillions of people at Jordan Pond (okay, honestly, maybe don’t. I much prefer to snowshoe around Jordan Pond in the dead of winter!)
If you are a major (neurotic/joy-killing/intense) planner like me, you aren’t going to like what I say next, but…you shouldn’t plan every second away in Acadia National Park. Honestly, I am shocked that sentence even bounced off of my fingertips.
The majority of the hiking trails intersect each other, so if you’re game, you can get lost in adventure all day long. You can discover your own hidden beach or cave tucked at the end of a winding coastal trail. Find a hidden pub you’ve never heard of, an incredible trinket shop far from the main streets of Bar Harbor, chat up a local on their favorites. Pretend like you don’t have service and ignore your phone, the internet, google maps.
It’s a place that is screaming (full volume, top of lungs) to be discovered. There’s no newsletter (like this one) or Instagram reel (out of the billions) that is going to provide you with the key to unlocking the perfect weekend in Acadia National Park.
In queen Alison Roman’s last newsletter titled “I Went To Paris” (her Substack is aptly called
) - she provided a list of some of her favorite Paris food finds, both inherited ones and discoveries she’s stumbled upon. But first she shared this:In 2019 I posted a casual photo of a slice of pizza. It was good, not great—I didn’t mention where it was from. There was an aggressive onslaught from people who found this photo of pizza but didn’t follow me, demanding I answer “WHERE IS THE PIZZA FROM?” followed by accusations of “gatekeeping” (lol) when I didn’t immediately respond…
I want to bash recommendation culture and also give you recommendations because I think they’re helpful (and you asked). I want to take a trip knowing nothing about the restaurants I’m supposed to go to and also will feel DEEP longing and regret if I do not go to the restaurant I am supposed to go to. I want to be a unique gorgeous creature in this world and also buy the sweater you look so good in so I can also look so good.
The timing of her Paris-themed newsletter was kismet for two reasons:
I wrestle with these ideas on a very regular basis. How to strike a balance of helping promote a small business in Maine, say, but simultaneously safeguard people’s favorite places. Accepting that people want the intel, but don’t want anyone else to have the intel. Being conscious of contributing to over saturation - and cognizant of what exposure can do. Being entirely quilty myself of wanting all of the information before I travel and all of the jam-packed schedules!
And…I’m in Paris. Right now! And tonight, I’m planning on having dinner at one of Alison’s recommended restaurants. So.
Similar to me receiving a newsletter devoted to Paris while packing for Paris - if you’re going to Acadia National Park, you were always going to Acadia National Park. That’s been the plan. And you want to know what people love, the absolute best of the best for your short window of time, the bang for the buck. But maybe (as Alison nailed later in her newsletter) we can treat these recommendations as they were intended - just, well, some recommendations. Fillers when you need it, not steadfast rules to conquering the 108 square miles of Mount Desert Island.
And looking at it from the other lens - the-how-dare-you-share-my-favorite-place lens - I think spreading the love all across MDI is a great thing. For the folks that were going regardless, maybe introducing them to a trail that isn’t on a “top ten hikes in Acadia” list would be stellar - because, you know, one day I’m hopeful to visit Jordan Pond again in the summer without pretending to feel peaceful while being elbowed by a thousand strangers.
So, if you’re curious and perhaps in need of some recommendations for your trip to Acadia National Park, here are some of my tried and true favorites.
My favorites - maybe yours too? We’ll just have to see what you find!