Hubby and I just got back from spending a week on Mount Desert Island, adventuring in Acadia National Park. Can I just say from the get-go that this place is stunningly beautiful!

Most of the folks who visit this area stay on the east side of the island, in popular Bar Harbor, where there are tons of eateries, shops, and touristy attractions; we opted to stay on the west side of the island – in Southwest Harbor, which is commonly called “the quiet side.” We figured, we could stay near the stores and spend big bucks, or we could lodge in a less crowded location and feed them!

Yep, the yard of our Airbnb had a steady stream of bucks and does and fawns showing up to eat from the apple trees on the property. I felt right at home!

The weather was picture perfect during our trip, and we spent A LOT of our time out exploring the trails.

I’ll start with our favorite hike, which was a five mile loop around Eagle Lake. Rather than traveling the carriage roads (popular for biking) we opted to take the lakeside trail, which started off deceptively smooth…

…but soon turned into a mile section of rock hopping and boulder scrambling.

The beauty we saw made the effort oh-so-worth it…

…as did the ice cream that we ate guilt free afterwards!

We spent one morning making our way around the Jordan Pond loop…

…and another carefully climbing down a rocky slope to get a photo of Bass Harbor Lighthouse.

I’ll be honest, that one challenged my balance a bit!

The Ocean Trail, found in one of the main sections of the park, was a favorite hike as well. Once again, we scrambled down some boulders (are you sensing a theme here?) and made our way down to the water’s edge for a photo opp.

I (wisely) opted to leave my camera and long lens behind on most of our outings, so the scenery is all cell shots, but you can still see how lovely the area is.

For a change of pace (and to celebrate hubby’s birthday) we spent a day sailing on the Ambergris, a stately schooner that wove in and out of the islands nestled around Acadia.

This fella and I had an incredible time, and definitely earned every calorie we consumed! I’m already missing my daily scoops of Maine Deer Tracks from the Salt Shop!

Let me just close with a word of encouragement – if you like being outdoors and immersed in rugged beauty, put Acadia National Park on your list of must-visit places.