COMPASS HARBOR AND OLD FARM

Compass Harbor is one of the biggest kept secrets in Acadia national Park, and the Park Service wants to keep it that way.  The nature trail which runs a loop through Compass Harbor offers the visitor a chance to sight many different species of birds, including a variety of woodpeckers and owls.  Deer wander the woods here as does wild turkeys, and on the nearby Dorr Pond one can spot wild birds near the shore as well as wild ducks on the pond.
The National Park Service considers the grounds of Compass Harbor to be of historical significance, mainly because the man considered to be the Father of Acadia national Park, George B. Dorr, had his summer estate located here, for which the remains of lie on a hilltop in the woods with the main trail leading you to them.  Without the money and tireless work of Mr. Dorr, there most likely would not be National park in Maine.
Mr Dorr was a man of great vision, yet in some areas his vision was limited, for he might never of left his estate, Old Farm, and its other buildings to the National Park had he foreseen them tearing them down after his passing.
Supporters of Dorr have tried for many years to get the National Park Service to recolonize him by placing a monument in his honor at Compass harbor, but the Park Service has refused to entertain such requests from the public.  All of the buildings Mr. Dorr owned were torn down by the Park Service but one, that being Storm Beach Cottage, a charming older cottage up on a hillside along the Old Farm Road, which runs along one side of Compass Harbor property.  It was at Storm Beach Cottage where Mr. Dorr lived out his final years, where from a window he could look out over the land he so loved, and see the lands that made up The Mount Desert Nurseries, a business he owned.

SMALL BEACH AT COMPASS HARBOR - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

Should you decide to hike even a section of the Schooner head Trail, which begins at the Compass Harbor path, it will lead you to a tiny parking area on the Old Farm Road, where it crosses the road, just a few yardsfurther and to the right is the Dorr Pond, a favorite spot for wild ducks.  A little further along the trail and you begin to see pipes sticking out of the ground along the side of the trail, these were once part of the watering system for the Mount Desert Nurseries.
Back at Compass Harbor, in the nearby woods are foundations, one being the foundation of a hot house that was once used by the nursery business.  A foundation for a servants quarters is also located in the nearby woods.
 An excerpt taken from a newspaper story recently read, "A “cultural landscape assessment” of the former Bar Harbor estate of George Dorr, a founder of Acadia National Park and its first superintendent, will be conducted to find and inventory remnants of the main house, outbuildings, gardens and other significant features."
The newspaper story goes on to say, " The privately funded landscape assessment will help Acadia officials make decisions about the future management and protection of the property."

STORM BEACH COTTAGE
OLD FARM ROAD
Compass Harbor - Acadia National Park

On a hot summer afternoon groups of locals can be seen along the Compass Harbor Trail, making their way to one of several swimming spots along the shore of Compass harbor.  At one spot along the trail is a long series of stone steps which run uphill through the woods, it makes for an impressive photo.  At the top of the steps lies the remains of the Dorr Estate, but not far from the base of the steps, just yards away, is a very steep cliff overlooking a hidden beach.  To the left of the cliff,  look for a worn path leading through the trees and out onto the rocky shoreline, go right a short ways to step down onto the beach.  In the evenings sometimes young people come here to play an instrument or two.
Along the trail you will also find a set of stone steps which led to Mr. Dorr's favorite swimming area.  To access the shoreline of the Harbor itself, which is steep in places, look for worn paths leading down to the shore below.
From there you can follow the shore inward from the sea, as it rounds the corner there is a beautiful swimming hole area there.  If your on the main trail look for a faint trail leading along the cliffs but to the left, this comes up to private property, but just a short ways further is a worn path down to that inviting swimming hole area.

STONE STEPS AT COMPASS HARBOR - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

And than there's the foundation of Old farm itself, the name of the Dorr estate, perched up on a hill top with old towering tree's all around it.  If you find Compass Harbor you will have no problem finding the site of Old Farm - the trail is well worn.  Exploring off the worn trail you can find areas of old stone work that were once park of Mr Dorr's gardens, as well as one or two other foundations that were most likely where the servants quarters were located.

OLD FARM - COMPASS HARBOR - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

The main trail itself pretty much does a loop through the woods and along the ocean with a very long section of stone steps leading uphill to the site of Old Farm.  I had always thought that was the only area with long stone steps, but the other day I located a second set of stone steps which lead down to the area of the larger beach - though this second pathway is not well worn and not so easy to find.

DUCK AT DORR POND - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

If you follow the Schooner Head trail onward it comes out onto the Schooner Head road, and continues on to Schooner Head Overlook.  A narrow paved trail from the Parking lot there leads down to high cliffs overlooking the ocean, and just below those cliffs is Anemone Cave, which can only be entered at low tide.  Over the years I have read and heard about people being trapped in this old sea cave and drowning and for years I tried to find some documentation  on this.  Recently I did find an old newspaper article of just such a case where two students from a local college entered the cave and got trapped in it, one narrowly escaped and the other drowned - I have the story posted on my blog DEATHS IN ACADIA NATIONAL PARK.

Back to compass Harbor, like I said, if your not from the area it can be a bit tricky to find, as it is unmarked.  Even the parking lot is tiny and only fits a few cars and it is hidden somewhat from the main road by tree's and brush.  As your driving along Main Street in Bar Harbor heading toward Otter Creek, you will pass the Grand Motel, the Bar Harbor YMCA and the town ball fields - all on the right.  The road rounds a corner and heads down a section of flat roadway, but just as the road begins to go uphill, to the left look for a tiny parking area on the left, it is unmarked and that is the start of Compass Harbor.  If you drive pass the Old Farm road, the Schooner Head Road or the Jackson Labs complex, you went too far.
To the far right corner of the unmarked parking lot is the start of an unmarked trail, that is the Compass Harbor Trail.
Below I will post a few other photos we took the other day at Compass Harbor.

COMPASS HARBOR PATH - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

With all of its beauty and wildlife, along with its historic value, one has to wonder why the national Park Service refuses to acknowledge George B. Dorr with some type of monument, after all, the man often referred to as the Father Of Acadia national Park deserves to have the ground he called home acknowledged in some fashion.  Without Mr. Dorr's vision, and more importantly, leadership and money, Acadia national Park may very well never come to be.

SECOND PATH WITH STONE STEPS, COMPASS HARBOR, ACADIA

UPDATE:  
A little bit of credit has to be given to the National Park Service, as on my last visit to Compass Harbor I found they had put up a sign giving a little information on Old Farm and George B. Dorr.  The sign is in the woods, near the start of the Compass Harbor Trail.  The parking lot remains unmarked and easy to miss unless your looking for it.   While it is not a monument, I guess one could say it is a baby step in that direction.

UPDATE;

For some time now I have been trying to find a natural landmark of some kind to let people know where the tiny unmarked parking lot is for Compass Harbor.  Well, today, as we approached the parking lot, I once again said, too bad there isn't something we could use as a landmark for this parking lot, and my son replied, yeah, well, there's that mailbox on the other side of the road.  Bingo, why had I not seen that mail box before now, so as your leaving town, heading along route 3 toward Otter Creek, you will pass the YMCA and town ballfields, up ahead be looking for a white mail box on a box very close to the side of the road, nearly impossible to miss, with the number 399 on it, the unmarked Compass Harbor parking lot is directly across from that mail box.

Mail Box 399 - Compass Harbor Parking Lot directly across the road
Acadia National Park

 

GPS MAP - COMPASS HARBOR - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

WHERE SCHOONER HEAD TRAIL CROSSES OLD FARM ROAD - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

NICE SWIMMING AREA - COMPASS HARBOR
Acadia National Park

WILD TURKEY NEAR DORR POND - COMPASS HARBOR, ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

FOUR SEASONS OF BAR HARBOR MAINE VIDEO

WOODPECKER BY DORR POND - COMPASS HARBOR - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK