ABANDONED TRAILS OF ACADIA NATIONAL PARK: BAR HARBOR SHORE PATH

I was looking over older photos of Balance Rock along the Bar Harbor Shore Path, interesting to see how over the years the rock has faired. The early photos where the rock narrows to a point were taken around 1900.

Though the Shore Path is not an abandoned path or trail, over the years the length of the Shore Path has shrunk as newer land owners closed off sections of the path from the public. I had heard at one time the Shore Path ran almost all the way to Compass Harbor, back in the day. I had also read where a turret or tower was located along the Shore Path, a photo of it is below, though I don't know if it is still there today or was torn down at some point. It may of been along the section of path no longer open to the public.

The Bar Harbor Shore Path begins at one corner of the Town pier, next to Agamont Park, with two old large cannons overlooking the start of the path. At over a century old the path winds along the shoreline offering fine views of the Porcupine Islands, including Bald Porcupine Island where a deep cave is located and where a mysterious bright glowing fern grows, according to several articles this strange moss only grows in this cave. A break water can be seen at low tide extending from Bald Porcupine Island almost to the shoreline. The start of the path also passes one of the oldest inns along the water front, the Bar Harbor Inn before passing Grant Park, a perfect spot for afternoon picnics. You can also view Egg Rock Lighthouse and the Schoodic Peninsula off in the distance. and the famous Balance Rock is a perfect spot for photos. Sadly the path today ends after crossing a short footbridge and turning toward Wayman Lane, but back in the day there was a time the path continued onward, passing a turret along the side of the path, with the path ending by Cromwell Harbor. The path dates back to about 1880 and has some steep drop offs along some sections of the path, so caution should be used if your hiking the three froths of a mile path with young children.