Erica’s Adventure Across Maine & Acadia National Park
What do Maine and our Summer Vibes Granola have in common? Neither would be complete without blueberries! One of our cafe crewmembers, Erica, recently took a trip with her family to coastal Maine- exploring Acadia National Park- and, being a big foodie, she particularly enjoyed the wild blueberries- a Maine speciality. Read on to hear all about her trip-and don’t be surprised if you find yourself craving your own slice of Maine blueberry pie, while overlooking the rocky coast and alpine Maine mountainside.
Erica’s travels began with a pitstop in Freeport Maine to visit L.L.Bean’s flagship store. She recommends their flannels- because “they’re great”- and of course, taking a picture with the massive bean boot, a bucket list item for this L.L.Bean lover. Also on the way to Acadia, she visited the Portland Head Lighthouse- an iconic landmark and “picture perfect spot,” with beautiful panoramic ocean views.
Her family stayed in Winter Harbor, opting for a quieter homebase than often over-crowded Bar Harbor. From here, there is still the option to take the ferry to Bar Harbor, allowing time for sight-seeing from the ocean.
Erica’s family explored much of Acadia on foot- starting with a hike through the blueberry hill section-the secluded Annville Train trail. If you’re looking for a hike that’s not highly trafficked; Erica would recommend, but fair warning, “it is all uphill and rocky, but with a super pretty ocean view when you reach the top!” Aside from being a swimmable beach, the Sand Beach Area also has hikes that overlook the ocean. Other trails to note- Ocean Path is a leisurely hike that follows the seaside trail of the Acadia coast line- leading to “thunder hole-” affectionately named for the clapping sound made by water slapping on a certain section of rocky coast during high tide.
A must-see, Cadillac Mountain, is the highest point of the eastern seaboard- with options to hike or drive, Erica’s family opted to take the car to the peak. But, she has the hike on her short list for next time- along with the infamously treacherous Beehive Trail- both of which offer stunning panoramic ocean/mountain views.
No adventure would be complete without sampling the local cuisine and in this case, Erica recounts, it’s all about blueberries and seafood! She shares there were lots of blueberry-flavored things but her personal favorite was the blueberry ice cream from “Me and Bills.” She also mentions great blueberry pie from “The hot dog cart,”a food stand that serves seafood! Another spot for fresh local seafood which Erica recommends is “CJ’s seafood”- although she affectionately describes it as a “shack,” the mussels and lobster melt were both “really tasty!” According to her experience, Maine is “up there” on the foodie scale.
As Erica reflects on her trip, she shares “I love the New England atmosphere; people are very proud of where they live, and I can definitely understand why!” Erica notes that while people often look to the west for outdoorsy trips, “a lot of times, the east coast gets overlooked” and she would “definitely recommend Maine if you’re looking for a place to hike and be outdoors [especially] during the summer!”