I read somewhere that Bar Habor is supposed to have some of the best sea kayaking in the country. We will be there on a cruise Oct 12 and there are kayaking tours still running then. There is also an option of a kayak tour on the Sanguenay River in Quebec. We'll only have a day in Acadia and the one kayak guide I looked at had a 2 hr harbor tour from 9-11 or a 3 hr tour to the Porcupine Islands from 12-3 so we might get a little bit of hiking in before or after but not much.

Any idea what makes the kayaking there so special? If we're only there 8-5, do you think it's worth spending half the time kayaking (in Oct!)?

I think the rocky coast and the beauty of the mountains and islands is what makes the kayaking special. If you're an experienced kayaker the tour might be a bit slow, but the area is beautiful. Keep in mind that the weather might nix your plans. If its really cool you might have more fun hiking or renting bikes to ride the carriage trails. I would probably do the longer tour if you do kayak. The Porcupines aren't far off the harbor.

The other thing about kayaking here is that there are so many options - all around the island and in Sommes Sound, plus some beautiful freshwater lakes.

Yeah, it's the scenery...I second cindyj's comments.

~Liz

Thanks for the replies. I'm kind of worried about the weather in mid-Oct. If it's scenery vs, wildlife, I think we'll stick to hiking. If we arrive and it looks like a gorgeous day, we might see if we can luck out and get a kayak trip that day.

Sounds like a good plan. Don't forget the bike option. Rockefeller's carriage roads are truly unique and the stonework bridges are amazing. IMHO, you won't see much 'wildlife' in Acadia. I just mean that you are unlikely to see moose and sighting deer is rare in my experience. Kayaking you might encounter seals and small dolphins although that is also rare. Birds are plentiful and eagles are often spotted. Not sure about seeing the Peregrine Falcons that time of year.

So much to do, too little time. Right now I'm interested in combining the Precipice trail and the Beehive Trail. Any idea how long it would take to hike those two combined? My husband loves climbing to the top of things and I figure we have to do things like that while we still can!

The buses don't even start until 9:15 and low tide is at 9:32 so we'll probably walk out to Bar Island first thing. Then we'll head over to Precipice and Beehive and see what we have time for after that. Maybe go to Sand Beach and Thunderhole.

Well, your husband should love those trails! I'm not good at estimating times or remembering how long those climbs take, but I would guess maybe 3 hours round trip including some time at the top of the Precipice. I would recommend going up the Precipice and down the Beehive, but then again I get a little afraid of heights and couldn't imagine coming down those iron rung ladders! (The time I did it with my boys my husband came up the backside of that mountain and met us at the top. The Beehive the year before had been enough for him - very afraid of heights!)

I actually think my husband is a little afraid of heights (he hates Ferris Wheels) but he's so competitive that the challenge of getting to the top trumps the fear of heights.

I was wondering what order to take them but the comments I've read have all said Precipice to Beehive so I figured that was probably the best route. I was also wondering about those metal rails is it rains. I've seen comments that Oct can be rainy. Any idea if we have to worry about those ladders, or the trail in general, being slippery if it's wet? Obviously I don't want to be up there if there's a downpour but I was wondering if it needs to be dry to be safe.

Anytime you do it you have to be careful. In some spots there are narrow ledges for your feet and iron rails to hold on to. There is often water seeping out on the rocks.

This may challenge your husband's competitiveness - its not hard but can give you a bit of vertigo if you're prone that way.

He should be fine. We hiked Angel's Landing in Zion and it's got some steep drop-offs and areas with chains.

I'm hoping we'll get decent weather in La Baie so we can kayak there. fjord en kayak's website said they run trips through mid Oct so I emailed them to see if they were still running Oct 15th. He said they stop Oct 12 Th (Canadian Thanksgiving) but if we call him when we get into port and the weather is alright, he'd take us out. I couldn't ask for anything better than that!

Precipice and Beehive are too VERY different hikes. You see kids doing Beehive. I believe you need more expertise to do Precipice. (I've only WATCHED from the bottom !)

carolsc