Item | US dollars | Comments |
| Two one-way tickets to Boston | $198.40 | Alaska Airlines. Nonstop redeye - 9:56 PM to 6:15 AM |
| Two one-way tickets to Seattle | $11.20 | Alaska Airlines. Nonstop 11:15 AM to 2:15 PM. Bought w/ frequent flyer miles |
| National rental | $805 | Compact car w/ unlimited mileage |
| Acadia Sunrise Motel | $549 | 6 Nights. Microwave & Fridge. No breakfast. |
| Hampton Inn Boston Logan Airport | $151 | 1 Night. Fridge in room. Free breakfast. Free shuttle to airport |
| McDonald's | $1.08 | One large drink |
| Dunkin Donuts | $13.75 | Half dozen donuts |
| McDonald's | $14.88 | 2 Chicken McNuggets lunchs |
| Groceries at Acadia | $42.69 | Breakfast and lunch foods |
| 7 Day Park Pass | $30.00 | Acadia National Park entrance fee |
| Dairy Queen | $11.86 | Ice cream treats |
| Darny's Gas | $25.63 | |
| Angelo's | $22.00 | One large Hawaiian Pizza |
| Beacon's | $40.84 | Lobster roll & fish sandwich |
| Laundary | $4.00 | Quarters for guest laundry at Sunrise Acadia |
| Groceries | $7.66 | More breakfast foods |
| Angelos's | $20.00 | One large half Hawaiian / half vegetarian pizza |
| Shell Gasoline | $22.03 | |
| McDonald's | $6.67 | Hamburgers |
| Dairy Queen | $11.86 | Ice cream treats |
| Subway | $11.00 | One footlong + chips |
| McDonald's | $14.22 | Chicken McNuggets |
| Mobil Gas | $19.24 | |
| McDonald's | $4.37 | Hamburger |
Grand Total | $1977.69 |
The National Geographic hiking map for Acadia National Park is a must have resource. It gives trail distances, it shows contours, it allows all of the trails to be seen in context with the rest of the park. It identifies nearby landmarks (islands, peaks, bodies of water). The National Geographic map is the only one you will need for an Acadia hiking vacation.
The Falcon Guide is a decent reference. I relied on the list of most scenic trails when trying to plot our hikes. Page 12 provide lists of trails such as Best Hikes for Children, Best Loop Hikes, etc. I looked at Best Hikes for Great Views. The Falcon Guide list of most scenic trails:
Champlain North and South Ridge Trails We did the Champlain South Ridge trail as an up and back hike and got some clear views along the way. Sand Beach and Great Head Trail We did not do this hike. Ocean Path We walked all of the Ocean Path between Sand Beach and Otter Point Dorr Mountain Loop via Ladder and Dorr South Ridge Trail We went up the Holman's Trail instead of the Ladder to reach Dorr Mtn Cadillac Summit Loop We walked this trail in thick clouds, but we waited a few minutes, and clouds parted to give us some nice views. Pemetic North and South Ridge Trails We did not have time to hike these trails. Another day in the park, and this would have been our hike Penobscot Mountain Trail via Asticou and Jordan Pond Path We hiked Penobscot and the Jordan Pond path on Friday, which was a day of ideal weather. Sargent South Ridge Trail via Carriage Road We had great views and clear day when we hiked to the Sargent Summit and took the Sargent South Ridge trail down to Sargent Mtn Pond. Acadia Mountain Trail We did this hike in dense clouds and could see nothing from the summit. Flying Mountain, Valley Cove and Valley Peak Loop Valley Cove trail was closed during our visit due to peregrine nesting season, but we did hike the Valley Peak Trail in dense obscuring clouds. We stayed at Acadia Sunrise Motel, a budget motel located in Trenton, a town between Ellsworth and Mt. Desert Island (which is where Acadia National park is located). Acadia Sun Rise Motel is located directly off of Route 3, and it was truly astonishing the volume of traffic that swooshes ceaselessly
up and down that road. Even in the wee hours of the morning, there is a constant stream of cars and heavy trucks heading onto Mt. Desert. It seems incredible that so many vehicles drive to the island. I know that Acadia is a super popular park, and that we visited in the peak of the summer season, but I still didn't expect such incredible
number of cars at all hours. There is an advantage of staying in Trenton instead of nine miles further north in Ellsworth - it saves an extra 9 miles of driving each way in heavy traffic. There is a small market and some restaurants in Trenton, so travel to Ellsworth for food is not required, especially if you like lobster. I would stay at
Acadia Sunrise Motel again, but would definitely request a room that doesn't face the street!
