Acadia National Park - The Beehive

For many who come to America’s National Parks, their first experience with the National Park Service is Acadia National Park. The park, first established as National Monument in 1916, was established as Lafayette National Park in 1919 and renamed Acadia in 1929. The idea for a national park east of the Mississippi came from the landscape architect Charles Elliott. Much of the park’s charm comes from the carriage trails that weave throughout the park. The trails were financed by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and designed by Beatrix Farrand.

I was there early in the season, before most of the roads in park were open to cars. Clearly, the carriage trails were popular with bikers and joggers, and next time I am there, I plan to bring my bike.  But for this trip, I wanted to try my hand at the Beehive. I heard about the trail the last time I was in the park, and it didn’t disappoint.  

The bulk of my hiking is done in Greater Yellowstone, where the volcanic history makes good vertical climbing a rare treat. But on Mt. Desert Island - the coastal Maine Island that is the home of Acadia - strong hard granite is the norm. So, the cliff faces of the beehive can support iron rungs used to go pretty much straight up a 500 foot rock outcrop.

In short, it is a thrilling hike.  But the best part of it is not the adrenaline rushes (although they are pretty amazing), but what is nearby. It is often said that people are either ocean or mountain people, but this trail offers the best of both worlds. The trail head is only a few hundred feet from the ocean. After a long winter of snow and skiing, a warm spring climb in the sea salt air, with waves crashing below was one of the most satisfying hikes I have done in years.

To finish off the hike, I headed south to the summit of Gorham Mountain and enjoyed the views of miles of untrammeled Maine coast.  From the bottom of the mountain, I hiked north along the ocean back to the car.