Day One of Acadia Park

After 18,000 steps, our Study in America group has wrapped up the first day of our stay in Acadia National Park. We began our day with a quick meeting and were on the road by 8:00 a.m. to drive on Park Loop Road. Our first stop was exciting-- the Wild Gardens of Acadia! My feature story will be on the invasive plant species in Acadia, and this part of the park had plenty of information that I took in about Leave No Trace Principles, invasive species, and why they are dangerous. It was also beautiful to see the wildflowers in bloom in the garden at this time of year. After a walk around the garden, I was off on a walk with Juliana and Helena on Jesup Path. This was a perfect, quiet walk to start off our morning. 

The Wild Gardens of Acadia Entrance

Next up, we headed to Sand Beach, where we walked along the beautiful coast with the cool sea breeze. We hung out on the beach for a while, then headed back to walk the Ocean Path. This was a simple trail that had multiple different jutted out areas to walk out and see the ocean. We went out on one of these for lunch and rested up. The rest of the afternoon was spent walking through those lookout points and walking over the gorgeous rocks along the coast. 

Walking the rocks at Ocean Path

Finally, we ended our day with plenty of shopping and exploring in Bar Harbor. I was able to get some cute souvenirs for my parents, including Christmas ornaments and some Maine specialties. For dinner, we got lobster rolls at The Traveling Lobster. I love seafood and I'm a big foodie, so of course I tried a classic lobster roll (amazing!). We ended the night with s'mores and a campfire (even though it wasn't a great one), and I can confidently say that I had a wonderful first day in Acadia National Park. 

Scenic views at Acadia