Customer Reviews

Discover Acadia National Park, 2nd: AMC Guide to the Best Hiking, Biking, and Paddling (AMC Discover Series)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

and we were sure glad we bought this book. The map that comes with the book is five stars for sure. There were countless times we used the map to find out where we exactly were. The map was used to help people on the trail know exactly where they were. The book itself was a helpful planning tool for our hiking and biking times. I didn't get to spend as much time before the trip in it as I would have liked. It could be a five star book, but I haven't read enough of the book to feel comfortable giving it that rating; however, I do know that what I did read was accurate and helpful. It will certainly be an excellent resource for our next trip to Acadia.

Because our trip focused on hiking and bicycling, this book was perfect. We didn't paddle, but the hikes and bike rides were well-described. Because this is not a general guide like the Moon book, more space can be dedicated to these activities. The appendices and index were a nice touch. Although the book comes with the paper version of the wonderful AMC Hiking, Biking and Paddling Map, I'd highly recommend buying the separate tyvec version, as it is more durable. You'll use the AMC map almost exclusively because it has all the hiking trails, the carriage roads, the regular roads, and the shuttle bus stops.

Unless you're just there for a day or two to do the driving tour, you'll find good use for this guide and map. In fact, the map alone is worth the price. For example, you'll find parking areas that aren't indicated on the NPS map; no small advantage for visitors to this often crowded park. Another plus, the book has well organized trail charts to use in choosing your outing. And finally, there are descriptions of natural history to help you appreciate the ecology of the park. We found nothing inaccurate in the map or trail descriptions, but it must be noted that we sampled only a small portion of the trips described in the book. And I must add, if you are planning a trip to Acadia and have two reasonably well-functioning legs, make sure you get yourself out on a bike on the carriage paths. I don't know that you can get a cycling experience like that anywhere else.

You are not going to Acadia to bag another national park; you are not driving hundreds of miles just to drive up another mile to the summit of Cadillac Mountain, or to take a tour bus to the popover capital of the universe, Jordan Pond House. No. You are going there to bike your buns off. You're taking your kayak to feel the salty Atlantic spray in your face. You are going to bag Acadia's peaks the old fashioned way, by hiking up. You are going to need the Appalachian Mountain Club's book, "Discover Acadia National Park, Second Edition." You are going to need the pocket-sized map inside the back cover, and when your trip is over and you put it back in its sleeve, it's going to be dog-eared and wet. Your souvenir will be your sunburn; you'll do Acadia your way.

Cycling
Most of you will bike, it's the national sport here. The carriage paths (so called because John D. Rockefeller Jr. had them constructed for horse-drawn carriages), criss-cross the entire park, including the high elevation parts with the best views. When the AMC classifies the "Around The Mountain Loop" as "Difficult," you can expect to perspire a little. But honestly, the AMC tends to exaggerate a little. That "Around the Mountain Loop" isn't going to take you anything like 4 hours; it's going to take 2.5 hours at most. That 4 hour estimate is going to give you time to change a flat tire. And the Eagle Lake Loop will take a fit novice 50 minutes, not 2 hours.

Kayaking
The freshwater kayak excursions are very popular, but you didn't drive hundreds of miles to the Maine coast to paddle in ponds. Okay, loosen up in Eagle Lake, but eventually you're going to want to paddle Frenchman's Bay, The Porcupine Islands, or Somes Sound. Look a seal in the eye; photograph a humpback whale surfacing nearby for air. The seals are locals (notice their distinctive pronunciation), but the whales are tourists like you; say "Hi," and ask `em where they're from.

Hiking
Many of the hiking trails described in this book are fabulous, but some are forgettable. On a nice day there are literally a thousand people on Cadillac Mountain's one acre summit, half of them jockeying for parking spaces. The National Park Service needs to close the summit road so that the only access is by hiking or biking. Unfortunately this book doesn't indicate which destinations are accssible only with perspiration. Do try the Penobscot and Sergeant Mountain Trail, The Western Mountains - Mansell and Bernard, and The Peak Baggers' Delight. Actually any part of the Western Peninsula is going to be better hiking than the Eastern Peninsula; it's simply less explored.

Nor should you neglect the book's shaded boxes on topics like whales, lichens, the boreal forest, moose, and loons. You are there to take it all in, not to speed past things you'll seldom be able cozy up to again.

And take a little zip lock freezer bag to keep that little map dry. It's extremely helpful to gain access to the park's attractions, but it's a little fragile, and you're going to want it to stay intact in order to find your way out.

We liked this book and did three hikes out of it. Overall the book was accurate. Probably next time we'd buy a pocket-size book, however, it was nice to read some of the detail and history about the areas we were hiking through. One item we suggest in the future is some drawing of the route. Although the book comes with a map and that worked (if we had it with us or handy).

Just returned from our 2nd Annual Bar Harbor trip. This book is extremely helpful and accurate. We've used the majority of hiking and biking trails with this book, but no kayak trips yet. Totally recommend!

Good book, but very general in nature. We didn't paddle or bike. We only hiked. The included, weatherproof map is a great asset. The hiking descriptions were brief, but accurate. I would recommend this book to anyone who is new to Acadia and wants to explore with a minimum of guidance. If you are specifically going to hike and do some very fun peak bagging, buy the Acadia Trail map in Bar Harbor.

I was very disappointed in this book. Though I was interested in the biking information, I am mainly a hiker, and the information on trails was woefully lacking. Sure, the map in the back was great, but I can buy a trail map when I actually get there. My time in Acadia is going to be very short, and I need something to help me chose which hikes I want to take BEFORE I arrive. This book was not it. Gave it two stars instead of one because of the map and biking information, though in all honestly, I haven't looked at any other books on biking to compare it with. I have looked at another hiking book -- Hiking Acadia National Park by Dolores Kong, a MUCH better book, in my opinion.

The Amazon preview pages would not work, so I bought this book soley on the user reviews. Wow, am I disappointed. I would recommend "Hiking Acadia N.P." instead. It gives you page size maps of your hike, not a huge fold up, pull out map you have to squint to see because of the colors and items. Also Hiking Acadia has an additional overall map with all the trails numbered so you can easily visualize where everything is. If you can't preview inside pages either, try going to Google books instead. Refunds?