When You’re Tired of Bar Harbor…Go to Schoodic Point

Looking west towards Mt. Desert Island and Cadillac Mountain from Schoodic Point—the mainland portion of Acadia National Park.

Mount Desert Island’s Bar Harbor village with its tantalizing shops and eateries and Acadia National Park with its trails, Cadillac Mountain, and ocean views. What more could a visitor want in Maine? Most only explore Mt. Desert and then rush back through Ellsworth to US Route 1 and home.

But some will take the time to explore the other part of Acadia, located on the mainland 30 miles east of Ellsworth: the Schoodic Peninsula.

The winding Schoodic road passes by several areas where you can park your vehicle and venture down to the ocean’s edge. The views differ depending on where you stop. And so do the rock formations. And then, at the end of the peninsula trail, is the Point….the point to all this traveling— to experience the antithesis of Bar Harbor and Mt. Desert traffic.

The Atlantic Ocean waves roar or rumble—depending on the tide and winds—to your left, right, and straight ahead. Boats and ships cruise by, seagulls and other sea birds cluster, delicate wild flowers bloom, and magma-formed black dikes hint of the Point’s early days of volcanic formation.

Our kids, back in the ‘90s, at Schoodic.

Fewer tourists end up here, but some do. And no matter how many or few, you won’t feel crowded. The ocean sounds muffle human voices, the blocks of stone, that look like they tumbled down from the heavens, hide some humans from view while making those you do see look like miniature dolls.

Dogs on leashes are allowed.

Some visitors, tired from the regular world, lie down on some flat, sun-warmed rock and take a nap. Some wander near where the waves either are crashing or rolling in and out, in and out—always mindful that one should never walk on wet surfaces and that the tide, if coming in, can bring surprisingly large, startling waves. People have died here, so caution and common sense are necessities.

Others look at the little pools of water along the stones, left from earlier high tides. Or at the flowers…Blue Flag or Wild Aster, daisies or clover. Some, like our two children when younger, climb up and down the more jagged areas to the right where the boulders are more distinct and challenging. Others prefer a gentler walk east on flatter stones.

Some do photography, some do selfies, and sometimes a “real” artist appears with a sturdy easel and paints. One is tempted to sneak around to see what he or she sees on the canvas.

The freshest salt air, the roar of the ocean against the rocks, the wide expanse of sky, the purple view of Mt. Desert, the ships, the birds, the rocks and their multifaceted designs. One is never bored at Schoodic.

Of course you take the chance that the view will be shrouded by fog or a light rain making rock climbing more dangerous. That’s life…nothing is fair. Rain hampers the experience, and fog may hamper some but not all who come.

Most days, however, are fantastic. Visiting Schoodic Point is an experience, you may find, unlike anything that can be found in a Bar Harbor gift shop.