I bought a National Parks Pass for my cross-country road trip last summer and really wanted to get my money’s worth, but Massachusetts doesn’t have much in the way of National Parks. The closest park to Boston is Acadia, way up north in Maine along the water 5 hours away, so our decision was made for us: if there’s only one park around, where else could we go? We looked into going in August when the weather was still balmy in New England but all of the camp sites were reserved through Labor Day so we settled on a weekend in mid-September, keeping our fingers crossed that the weather would stay warm enough for sleeping under the stars.
As we got closer to the park, driving curvy roads in rural Maine, we realized that crossing our fingers hadn’t been enough. Fog as thick as a San Francisco day in June dominated the landscape and forced us to slow down to see the road ahead. The fog was so thick when we got to the park that we couldn’t see more than 100 feet into the ocean. It did mean, however, that our campsite was almost empty, giving us a nice break from the hustle and bustle (and people) of the city.
Over the next two days we hiked the precarious Precipice Trail, explored Bar Harbor, and made sure to scarf down a humongous lobster roll on our way out of town. I’ve never been to Acadia without all the fog but by the end of the weekend getaway I was grateful for the moody fog that enveloped the landscape and added an heir of mystery to the beautiful coastline of Maine.
