Suggestion for cycling around Boothbay Harbor/Bar Harbor

[PrairieDog]

Hi all--

I'm giving a paper at a conference in Boothbay Harbor, ME this coming week. My DH will be with me at the conference, and afterward we plan to go up to Bar Harbor for a few days. Des anyone have experience cycling around these two places? Any suggestions for places to rent bikes or places to go for short (<10 miles) rides?

[RoMad]

We have been to Bar Harbor a few times on vacation but not in quite a few years. We rode our hybrid bikes on the carriage roads in the Acadia National park.http://www.acadia.national-park.com/info.htm. It was great riding but pretty hilly for us floridians. At the time I was pulling a small trailer with one of my boys in it. We stayed in Bar Harbor Campground and the road into town was way to narrow and busy for cycling, but it may be better or wider now.

[Jet Travis]

Acadia is great but Bar Harbor is a bit crowded. On previous cycling trips, I stayed in Southwest Harbor, which is quieter but very accessible to all the good things Acadia National Park has to offer. Also I would suggest exploring in the Blue Hill, Castine, Deer Isle area, which is north of Boothbay and South of Bar Harbor. Don't be put off by Route 1. Once you begin to meander down the peninsulas, it gets beautiful in a hurry.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&rlz=&q=Deer+Isle,+ME,+USA&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title

[colorado dale]

the carriage trails !!! its been 10 years since we did them and we still remember how great it is

[DnvrFox]

Nora and I did the carriage trails two years ago. They are GREAT!

We rented bikes in BH. As I remember, there are buses or something to get you to the trail system. The CR's go around lakes, etc., in Acadia National Park.

If you have time, take the boat ride/ranger tour to Cranberry Island.

Great fun.

We stayed on the outskirts of BH in a little motel.

[Rod Arnold]

The carriage paths are okay, sort of like road riding on unpaved roads. Lacks the excitement of mountain biking, but plenty to see.
For road riding, the main ride in Acadia is the Park Loop, which runs along the side of the island and thus gives spectacular views of the coastline. And while on the Park Loop, you have to climb Cadillac Mountain. It's an enjoyable climb with several switchbacks. The best part is near the top, where there is always a tailwind and you fly into the car parking area at 30 mph, uphill. It always impresses those who drove up. And the descent is even better, although you'll often have to pass vehicles as they slow on the corners.

[PrairieDog]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! The DH and I finally made it here and have scoped things out. We plan to try out the carriage trails on Monday. I'll post a short report.:)

[late]

You can rent Mtn bikes, road bikes and the last time I was there they had a tandem. I like the place on the corner as you are coming into town better.
There is a perimeter road that is fine for road bikes. This is also the road you would use if you wanted to ride up Cadillac Mtn.

You should eat at the Jordon Pond Tea House. Have chowder and popovers.
You can park there early in the morning, ride the carriage trails on Mtn bikes for a
few hours, and then have lunch by the pond. It's quite nice.

Havana was pretty good.

I don't know how much time you have to get touristy but there are several areas
along coastal Maine that would be nice to visit.

[PrairieDog]

You can rent Mtn bikes, road bikes and the last time I was there they had a tandem. I like the place on the corner as you are coming into town better.
There is a perimeter road that is fine for road bikes. This is also the road you would use if you wanted to ride up Cadillac Mtn.

You should eat at the Jordon Pond Tea House. Have chowder and popovers.
You can park there early in the morning, ride the carriage trails on Mtn bikes for a
few hours, and then have lunch by the pond. It's quite nice.

Havana was pretty good.

I don't know how much time you have to get touristy but there are several areas
along coastal Maine that would be nice to visit.

I know the bike shop you're talking about--it was the one the kayak guide also recommended. We'll definitely check it out.

And a tandem! I hadn't even thought about that. What a great idea--I hpe they have one available.

The Jordan Pond loop is the one we were thinking about. You mentioned parking at the tea house--how did you get your bike there? Did the bike shop provide a rack for your car?

Popovers and chowdah. Yum. Popovers are a pie, aren't they?:D

[DnvrFox]

I know the bike shop you're talking about--it was the one the kayak guide also recommended. We'll definitely check it out.

And a tandem! I hadn't even thought about that. What a great idea--I hpe they have one available.

The Jordan Pond loop is the one we were thinking about. You mentioned parking at the tea house--how did you get your bike there? Did the bike shop provide a rack for your car?

Popovers and chowdah. Yum. Popovers are a pie, aren't they?:D

There is a bus system, as I recall, that carries bikes.

It was reasonable and timely.

I believe you catch it in the Bar Harbor village square area.

[late]

I know the bike shop you're talking about--it was the one the kayak guide also recommended. We'll definitely check it out.

And a tandem! I hadn't even thought about that. What a great idea--I hpe they have one available.

The Jordan Pond loop is the one we were thinking about. You mentioned parking at the tea house--how did you get your bike there? Did the bike shop provide a rack for your car?

Popovers and chowdah. Yum. Popovers are a pie, aren't they?:D

I'm glad DnvrFx had the answer. We just drive over in our car, which has a rack.
There is a mountain behind the pond, and one of the carriage trails goes up it. It makes a nice start to the ride.

Popovers are made in a special muffin pan. They are like a dinner roll, but have a big empty middle perfect for putting the fresh butter and jam in. It's what they're famous for. Don't forget to get a map, one time I took a wrong turn and
wound up pretty far away from the pond.

There is a scenic area that goes by the water on the perimeter road. That's a must see, and nice to do on a bike. At high tide there is a flume that sprays up
and that's popular.

If you like strong coffee and rich breakfasts, try 2 Fat Cats. The Pancake House
down the street is more of a regular breakfast joint, and the blueberry pancakes are pretty good.

If you have the time, there's lots of other places down the coast we could talk about. There is also a winery in the area.

[V1per41]

Sorry to bring back a somewhat dead topic, but I have a question about biking in the Bar Harbor area.
My wife and I are planning on doing a ride around MDI in the morning and exploring Bar Harbor in the afternoon. We will just be there for the day and was wondering where we should keep our bikes after we finish riding.
We are a little hesitant about just leaving them sitting on the back of the car. Does anyone who knows the area well have a better suggestion?