Bar Island



Bar Island, Acadia National Park, Maine (5/11 & 5/12/2009)

This is hike #1-1 ("Bar Island") in the book A Walk in the Park: Acadia's Hiking Guide (Tenth Edition). This was the fourth of nine hikes we did in Maine the week of May 10.

Bar Island is within Frenchman Bay, just across from Bar Harbor. The most interesting thing about Bar Island is that during low tide you can actually walk to it. Yes, you actually walk on the ocean bottom. Until recently there was one private resident on the island but now the entire island is part of Acadia National Park. The island itself is not spectacular. The thrill is in walking to it, wandering around it in utter isolation, and then getting back to Bar Harbor before the tide rolls back in. At low tide there are about three hours for one to wander around. But the two times we walked over it was sunset. Not fancying walking around a remote island with just a flashlight, we limited the amount of time we wandered. I did manage to get some really nice shots of evening Bar Harbor from Bar Island high point, though.

(Click on the thumbnail to bring up a bigger image in a pop-up window)


Unbelievable sunset over Frenchman Bay

A lone water bird


Walking on the ocean floor





Lights of Bar Harbor ...

 

... from Bar Island after sunset

Earlier evening the next day

Sun is about to set

Boats in Frenchman Bay
 


Strolling on the ocean floor

Look at my long shadow!

Ocean floor

Algae
 


Footsteps


Snails

 



More algae

Sunset nears

 


Mansion across the bay

Beautiful red rock

Dead tree near trailhead

Trailhead
 


Path through open field

Birches

Bar Harbor

[photo by Laura]
 


View up Main Street

Bar Harbor Inn and Margaret Todd schooner

One of the Porcupine Islands

Dorr & Cadillac Mountains dwarf the village
 


Giant cairn ...

... marks Bar Island peak

Deer

Dark path back
 

Photographs and content copyright © Dan Balogh
Web design by Dan Balogh