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Date: Saturday, August 11, 2001
Trails: Bowl, Beehive, Bubbles 
Conditions: Excellent visibility

Trip Report: The day started at 4:30 driving to the top of Cadillac Mountain to watch the sun rise at 5:25. We then started to drive the Park Loop Road to the Sand Beach Parking lot to hike the Beehive (best to arrive early to beat the crowds). Starting at the Bowl Trail, it is a short hike to the beginning of the Beehive trail. From the marker it is .3 miles to the Beehive summit. It is a short hike to the top however the trail is narrow and uses iron rungs and ladders to climb some of the steeper inclines. This trail is not recommended for those who have a fear of heights. From the summit you can see a good view of Sand Beach and hear the waves breaking on the shore. We then took a short hike down the backside of the Beehive, to the bowl (a pond) which has a good view of Champlain Mountain. Then back to the Beehive summit where we returned to the parking lot via the Bowl Trail. It is not recommended to descend the Beehive trail as the trail is fairly steep, narrow and can be very populated at any given time.

At 10:15 we took our time driving the Park Loop Road to enjoy all the views along the ocean. We then headed over to Jordan Pond for lunch (famous for thier popovers). We ate outside and enjoyed views of Jordan Pond and South Bubble. Then off to the Bubbles Parking lot where we set off for South Bubble. 

Starting on the Bubble-Pemetic Trail to the North Bubble Trail then to the South Bubble Trail to reach the South Bubble summit. Excellent views of Jordan Pond and the ocean in the background can be seen as well as Bubble Rock. Now heading back down South Bubble Trail back to the North Bubble trail junction, where we took North Bubble Trail to the summit. The North Bubble summit provided excellent views of Eagle Lake and ocean views in the distance. Most will return to the parking lot from here but I always prefer to take a different way down so we headed off to Connor's Nubble on The North Bubble Trail. Connor's Nubble is directly above Eagle Lake. After a short rest we then headed down to the Eagle Lake Trail. The trail is very rocky and followed along the lake side. We followed this to the Carry Trail which returned us to the Bubbles parking lot. Now 4:00 we finished driving the Park Loop Road to finish up the day.

Hiking in Acadia is not the most challenging in the North East but has many rewarding views and there is nothing like it

View all the images from this hike.

Submitted by Joe
New Hampshire
Fri, 17 Aug 2001