Month: September 2022

Gorham Mountain, Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park, located in Maine, is actually on my list to visit this upcoming summer. Although, this park is rated number three for best places to visit in October because of their beautiful Northeast Atlantic views next to forests of color changing leaves. From hiking mountains, to driving down unforgettable roads, or even putting your feet in the the waters of their show stopping beaches, Acadia National Park is full of activities for anyone.

A Little Acadia Background

Mount Desert Island was a popular place for wealthy summer residents and tourists to settle. As the communities of Mount Desert Island and its surrounding areas grew, so did the pressure for the island’s infrastructure to become more developed. During the late 1800s, civic groups were created by summer and year-round residents to manage the new development. This development ranged from maintaining hiking trails to cultural events.

One of the most influential moments to the creation of this national park was the formation of the Hancock County Trustees for Public Reservations (HCTPR) and the Village Improvement Associations. These groups built an island wide trail system and some of their wealthier members came together to purchase land in the area that would later be donated to the United State’s federal government in support of making the area officially a national park. Unfortunately, many of these civic groups excluded women and people of color. There were even times these groups of minorities were targeted, but many of the land donors were surprisingly women. Eliza Homans, a summer resident of Bar Harbor, donated about 140 acres of land. This donation was the first of its kind in Acadia to HCTPR and started the momentum for more large land donations and purchases to come which would later become Acadia National Park land.

Unique to other U.S. national parks, Acadia was the first national park that was created from the privately owned lands gifted to the public by citizens who intended to conserve the land. These conservation efforts still contuse to this day due to the largest conservation easement program in the national park system and private philanthropy. Not unique to this national park though, this conservation legacy sadly grew from the government and other citizens forcefully eradication and displacing native people from their homeland in Maine.

Acadia’s Best Sites

Cadillac Mountain: Looking down at the rest of the land, at 1,530 feet in height, Cadillac is not only the tallest mountain in the park, but it’s the tallest mountain on the North Atlantic seaboard. This location is the park’s most popular site, but the views at sunrise make the traffic all worth it.

 

Park Loop Road: If you are looking for the quickest tour of Acadia, then the 27-mile Park Loop Road is for you. This road connects to other popular sights and trails all while providing the visitor with phenomenal views.

 

 

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse: If you are looking to enjoy the sunrise without the crowds on Cadillac Mountain, then the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse is for you. This U.S. Coast Guard owned structures is considered one of the most picturesque lighthouses in all of Maine and the only lighthouse that resides on Mount Desert Island.

Precipice Trail: If you are the type of tourist looking for an adrenaline rush, then your most rewarding visit will be hiking up the challenging, 2-mile path of Precipice Trail. This trail travels up the side of Champlain Mountain where hikers hang on by iron rungs and ladders, but the views are unparalleled.

Olympic’s Enchanted Valley

Olympic National Park Background Check

Even though I have not had the pleasure to visit this beautiful place yet, it is definitely on the top of my list for the next national park I want to visit. Olympic National Park is one of the most diverse national parks with several different ecosystems. These diverse ecosystems include glacier-capped mountains, temperate rain forests, and coastline spreading over 70 miles. This park is enriched with thousands of years of human history that the park protects right alongside its diversified wilderness.

 

Tribes of the Olympic Peninsula

The original human residents of the Olympic Peninsula were tribes who lived off of the land’s rivers, mountains, forests, animals, and oceans to survive. These lands provided rich resources for the inhabitants both physically and spiritually. Even though the ancestors of these tribes gave their land and waters to the federal government through treaties in the 1850s, those connections to the land and culture remains rich in the park. Today, these tribes live on reservations along the shores of the peninsula and continue to rely on the land in both physical and spiritual practices.

 

Now, after reading some tribal history, you may be wondering how this land officially became a national park. Well, ever since the 1880s, the Olympic Peninsula’s incredible views and unique wildlife have caused visitors of all walks of life to come witness the beauty in person. Naturalist John Muir, Congressman James Wickersham, and Lieutenant Joseph O’Neil led the first thoroughly documented exploration of the peninsula and consecutively proposed the creation of a national park in the region. In 1897, after the forests began to disappear, President Grover Cleveland designated the peninsula as the Olympic Forest Reserve. Then, in 1909, part of the reserve was designated as Mount Olympus National Monument by President Teddy Roosevelt to protect the habitat of the declining population of the Roosevelt Elk. Finally, in 1938, the land was signed as an official national park after yet another president visited, President Franklin Roosevelt. He publicized his support for protecting the wildlife within its borders and it became what is now know as Olympic National Park.

What is so special about this park anyways? Looking at more modern times, Olympic National Park has been recognized internationally when it was designated an International Biosphere reserve in the Man and the Biosphere Program by United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Another international recognition arrived for the park in 1981 after it was declared a World Heritage Site by the World Heritage Convention. Throughout the park’s diverse landscape, there are unforgettable cultural and historic sites that tell the stories of the humans who once inhabited the land.

 

Now that you are planning your trip to the Northwest coast, what should you expect to see while on the peninsula?

Exploring Olympic’s Mountains

Mountains: Rising from the depths of the ocean 34 million years ago, the Olympic mountains are considered “young.” This preteen of a mountain range will cause any jaw to drop. The Olympic Mountains are decorated with meadows, lakes, and plenty of forests.

 

Olympic’s Rivers

Rivers and Lakes: Incase you wanted to get your feet wet, Olympic National Park is known for its water features coming from its abundant rain and snow gifted by the northern coast’s climate. Whether you are fishing or walking along stream, you can experience this park’s different ecosystems and geologically diverse land.

 

Olympic’s Rainforest

Forests: Being that the park was officially created to preserve its forests, you won’t be disappointed. These forests contain a diverse group of trees and help the 62 species of mammals that roam the forest floors.

 

Olympic’s Coast

Coast: Whether you want to smell the salty air form the crashing waves, listen to the barking sea lions, or witness a breathtaking sunset, I think the coast of Olympic National Park might just be for you.