Tag Archives: acadia-national-park-hiking

‘MegOMoose,’ ‘mustang,’ other virtual racers lining up in Acadia to aid charity

Ready, set, go! With fun names like “MuddyMom,” “SlowCrawl,” “BunnyButt” and “TheOtherButt,” virtual racers from around Maine and the rest of the country are heading out of the starting gate of the Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race today, to help raise funds for charity in Millinocket and Acadia. Join the fun no matter where in the world you log your walking, hiking or running miles. Everyone is a winner, whether you opt for a lobster- or moose-themed medal, or get an emailed milestone postcard after virtually climbing the 26 peaks of Acadia.

Virtual race marks 100th anniversary of Acadia peaks, Millinocket library

Virtually climb 26 Acadia peaks, run the MDI and Millinocket Marathons and scale Maine’s highest mountain in a new Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race that begins Aug. 2, to help raise funds for Friends of Acadia, Millinocket Memorial Library and Our Katahdin. The race celebrates the 100th anniversary of Acadia becoming the first eastern national park and the related effort of renaming mountains, such as Cadillac, as well as of the Millinocket library. Get a chance to earn a lobster or moose-themed medal, keep up with family and friends who join and log miles no matter where they are in the world, and see a virtual tour of parts of Maine you may not have seen in real life yet. Sign up now: https://racery.com/r/acadia-virtual-races/

Acadia deluged with hiking accidents, traffic on busiest day ever over July 4 weekend

The day after July 4 was hot and sunny and attracted so many people to Acadia National Park that it set a single day record for visits – and overwhelmed park staff with rescues of injured hikers and shutdowns of Cadillac summit and other areas because of heavy traffic. Among those rescued: A woman who suffered a heat stroke on Dorr South Ridge Trail and had to be airlifted by helicopter, and a man hiking down Cadillac West Face Trail who slid 40 feet and fell off a 15- to 20-foot cliff.

Gary Stellpflug leads highly skilled Acadia hiking trails crew

If you’ve ever marveled at Acadia National Park’s hiking trails, here’s a chief reason they look so good: Gary Stellpflug, the Acadia trails foreman. In this Q&A with Stellpflug, find out what he revealed during a National Trails Day hike on the Valley Trail, and his updates of trail work throughout the park. There’s no better way to celebrate Acadia’s 103rd anniversary of being founded as a national monument on July 8, 1916, than to appreciate the work of the Acadia trails crew and volunteers.

Acadia National Park visitors face roadblocks to buying pass

Visitors to Acadia National Park this spring and summer are finding it can be hard to get there from here. Two major places for buying a park pass are currently closed, with the Hulls Cove Visitor Center not reopening until the end of June as a $1.2 million renovation is taking longer than planned, and the Cadillac Mountain Gift Shop still getting cleaned up from winter damage. Heading into the park, visitors will face a long detour during Route 3 construction and a new paid parking system in Bar Harbor. Here’s a survival guide for where to buy a park pass, how to navigate the construction and parking and otherwise successfully get there from here.

Top 6 Acadia carriage road loop hikes for end of mud season

What better way to celebrate the end of mud season, than to hike the Acadia carriage roads, which recently opened to pedestrians, but not yet to bicyclists or horses? This special guide to the top 6 Acadia carriage road loop hikes of between 3 to 6 miles features interactive maps, elevation profiles and photos of some of the carriage road bridges and other sights to see. Thanks to reader Caroline, who posed this question as part of our “Ask Acadia on My Mind!” series.

Hike Acadia’s 26 peaks – in real life, or virtually! – and earn this gold medal

The Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race Medals are in! Whether you love hiking Acadia’s 26 peaks or Katahdin, or are in training for the Mount Desert Island Marathon & Half or Millinocket Marathon & Half – or just love seeing a Google Street View photo of one of those real-life places pop up as you enter your walking, hiking or running miles in the virtual race course for the day – you, too, can earn this special medal. Made by the same company that makes the Boston and MDI Marathon medals, it features a raised profile of the Bubbles and Katahdin.

Hike Acadia’s 26 peaks, earn gold medal, aid charity

Have you ever hiked the 26 peaks of Acadia? Or maybe you’ve been thinking about it? Now there’s a way to earn a gold medal for bagging the peaks, or even for virtually “climbing” them, by signing up for the Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race, which runs through Dec. 8, 2018. The virtual race helps raise funds for Acadia and Katahdin-area charities. We’re proud to co-sponsor the race with Mount Desert Island Marathon & Half and Millinocket Marathon & Half as the virtual edition of the Sea to Summit Series. Between now and Dec. 8, racers are virtually heading over the 26 peaks of Acadia, along the real-life MDI and Millinocket Marathon & Half routes, passing by the offices of the 3 charities benefiting from this virtual race, skirting by at least 6 sites associated with Stephen King, and finishing on Katahdin. Everyone’s a winner whether they complete the race route by Dec. 8 or not, because every participant gets a medal, helps charity and enters a giveaway of Acadia, Millinocket and Stephen King-themed gifts. You can log your hiking, running or walking miles anywhere in the world.

New virtual race links 26 Acadia peaks, Magic City, Stephen King

On your marks! A new Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race is open now to help raise funds for charity, connect fans of Acadia National Park hiking, Millinocket and Stephen King, and jumpstart training for real-life runners, hikers and fitness walkers. Earn a medal or two and be entered in giveaways of Acadia, Millinocket and Stephen King-themed gifts, while helping Friends of Acadia, Millinocket Memorial Library and Our Katahdin.

Valley Cove tops backlog of work on Acadia trails

Planning on hitting Acadia’s hiking trails this summer? Then you’ll want to find out which trails are being affected by the park’s more than $9 million in deferred trail maintenance. One trail has been closed for two years, and others are in line for gravel resurfacing or log bridge replacements.The needed work is part of Acadia’s nearly $60 million in overall deferred maintenance, and the national park system’s nearly $12 billion backlog, affecting everything from facilities to infrastructure.