Acadia National Park

On October 8^th, I embarked on a three-day photography journey to Acadia National Park, the only National Park in New England. I previously made a trip with my sister and brother in-law, but decided I would go alone this time around. I love traveling with my family; however, they are starting a family now and don’t have as much time to travel anymore. The advantage of traveling alone is flexibility, however, the obvious disadvantage is loneliness. The lonely drive took four and a half hours from Boston. Acadia has a variety of different geographical features; including mountains, beaches, a beautiful coastline, various natural ponds, and the Atlantic Ocean itself. In addition, delicious seafood can be found in Bar Harbor, a city right next to the park. It is a perfect place for vacationers and nature lovers.

I arrived at three in the afternoon and drove straight to the park headquarter to gather information I needed for the next three days. After I arrived at my campsite (blackwood), I registered my week pass with the park rangers and set up my tent. This panorama below was taken with my iPhone on the last day before I left the park.

 

 

After spending 20 minutes setting up my tent, I noticed the sunset was approaching—the Sun itself was emitting warm rays of red and orange, colors that define sunset. So I drove westward to Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse to catch this glimmering sunset. I managed to arrive about an hour before sunset, but it took me 30 minutes to find a parking spot. After wasting so much time looking for parking, I followed the trail to the cliff of the lighthouse where most of the iconic photographs of this lighthouse were taken. There were a number of photographers, and unfortunately, I was the last to arrive. As expected, all the good spots were taken, and I didn't have much time left before the sunset, so I asked one of the photographers to spare me a few inches. A kind German photographer helped me out, and I owe him big time. I found myself engaged in a very long conversation with him about photography. To return a favor, I told him some of the must-visit photographic places around the park since it was his first time visiting. Here is the best frame of the lighthouse at sunset.

                                                                   Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse at sunset

I was one of the last photographers to leave the lighthouse, but I was still unsatisfied. My job was not done. I drove back to the east side of the park and by the time I got back, it was already dark—this was around eight at night. I stopped at a restaurant in Jordan Pond and wondered if they were open. While I was walking from my car to the restaurant, I looked up in the sky and saw the Milky Way. I decided this view was too good to pass up on, so I decided to skip dinner. I drove to the summit of Mt. Cadillac to capture the Milky Way. After shots of the Milky Way, I found something very strange happening on the other side of the sky. It looked like a big light source was lighting up the sky and was moving in different directions. A few seconds later, I realized it was the northern light. See the photo below.

                                                       Northern Light at Cadillac Summit



By the time I finished, all the restaurants in Bar Harbor were closed, so I drove approximately 17 miles to the town of Ellsworth to get food. I got back to my campsite 30 minutes before midnight. It was consider a cold night in early October, with temperatures in the mid-30s. After a long day of driving and shooting, I decided to skip my shower and went straight to bed.


Day 2: I woke up at five in the morning and drove up to the Cadillac summit to catch the sunrise. Unfortunately, clouds were very thick and blocked the sun out completely. As I soon realized, the whole day was like that. As a result, I went back to my campsite and took a shower in a nearby area (which was $2 for 4 minutes hot water shower). Around noontime, I decided to visit a garden within the park, and I found it was a perfect time to capture the color of foliage. Here are some of the photos I took.

 

                                                  A photographer using a film camera to document foliage

colorful leave on grass

                                                 Sun breaking through the clouds and shining on the garden


As the sun began to break through the clouds before dusk, I rushed to Cadillac Summit in an attempt to make up for the shots I missed in the early morning sunrise. On my way up to the summit, there were numerous photographers and their cars pulled up on the side of the road awaiting for the sunset. I rushed to a location that I knew, and luckily, the clouds were no longer a problem.

Sunset at Cadillac Summit

A minute later I moved my camera and decided to include the sun in the shot.

Sunset at Cadillac Summit

 Shortly after dinner, I drove back to the park and was hoping to see the Northern Light or the Milky Way again, but only found the sky covered entirely by clouds.

Day 3: THE worst day of my trip! I woke up only to find out it was raining and the clouds were very thick and low at the atmosphere. Visibility was very bad. I took this photo to show you how bad it was. I was about 30-40 feet away from the car in the photo.

                                                                          Cloudy day at the summit

During the afternoon, visibility began to improve and the rain was getting lighter, so I decided to go to Jordan Pond and Bubble Pond to capture some color and small detail of the park.

                                                                       Cloudy day at Jordan Pond

                                                                       A small waterfall near Bubble Pond

                                                                  A small waterfall near Bubble Pond


Acadia never ceases to amaze me. Two trips, two fond memories engraved in me forever. As a photographer, Acadia National Park is truly a goldmine—its sunsets and sunrises are beautiful, perhaps the best I have ever seen. The diverse geographical features of the park (mountains, ponds, beaches, coastline, and the Atlantic Ocean) along with the newly discovered Northern Light are truly breathtaking, even to the common eye. If you are planning to visit Acadia, you should definitely check out some of the areas on the photos above. You can also visit their website for more information. I hope you enjoy this article.