Dave & Marte's Simple Sundays

What can we say, we love Maine, especially Acadia and Mount Desert Island. This time we had company in the form of Martha’s brother Geoff and his girlfriend M.E. as well as their four legged friends Maya and Slygo.

As usual we stayed at Hancom’s Cottages. They are very close to the park and have some great amenities but we do recommend getting the bigger room so you have a full size fridge. The smaller cottages have a mini-fridge which isn’t great if you intend to cook for yourself.

We were only there for the weekend and this was Geoff and M.E.’s first time so we did some classic Acadia activities that were dog friendly.

Day 1 – Morning hike up Bubble Trail – Very relaxed trail, easy elevation, dog friendly up until the end at the summit. There’s a downslope that many hikers go down to see bubble rock that is not easy for dogs.

In the afternoon Martha and M.E. went on the LuLu lobster boat tour while Geoff and I went golfing at Bar Harbor Golf Course. Martha and M.E. really enjoyed the tour and the golf course was a good price and well maintained.

Diner was back at the cottage using their outdoor grills to cook corn and lobster followed by some beers, music and chatting around a campfire.

Day 2 – Back to Acadia park for a hike up Spring Mountain Trail via a link from the Jordan Pond House. This trail is NOT dog friendly! There are lots of steep, practically vertical parts of this hike that we had to physically lift and carry the dogs through. We then linked to the Penobscot Mountain trail which was much better for our four legged friends. The summit takes a while and part way through it rained which made the hike back down slippery and perilous.

We had lunch while on the hike and after we got back headed over to Thunder Hole. This is a very touristy and busy place but being Geoff and M.E.’s first time it is worth seeing once. It is best to go during the high tide transition. Afterwards we had diner and games back at the cottage.

Day 3 – This was pack up and leave day. Martha and I hit the road early but not before breakfast at our favorite place, 2 Cats in Bar Harbor. Awesome menu and very quirky yet cool environment.

Some Dog Tips for Acadia

• Acadia has a leash policy for all dogs
• Clean up after your pet and dispose of it properly rather than leave it on the trail
• For longer hikes bring some pet food and an extra water bottle to put in a bowl
• There is a small dog park by the Jordan Pond House
• Hanscom’s Cottages are pet friendly and super close to the park
• Visit this page for more information on pets in Acadia, trails and areas closed to them, etc. https://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/pets.htm