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Posted by jin (70.33.141.95) on 06:18:51 03/12/06
In Reply to: Rental on MDI or off? posted by Ann
Hi Ann,
There are lots of good rentals both on and off MDI. Off-island is probably less expensive, but then you've got to fight traffic each day, especially in August, to get to MDI, which is connected to the mainland by a two-lane highway and bridge from Ellsworth. The free bus service extends only to Trenton, Maine, a town on the mainland just before the bridge to MDI. For off-island rentals check the Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce http://www.ellsworthchamber.org/
There are lots of houses to rent on MDI. In fact, the big controversy in my town, Bar Harbor, is the proliferation of rental houses in suburban neighborhoods. The Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce http://www.barharborinfo.com/home.html lists houses for rent. Two other chambers of commerce serving the island are http://www.acadiachamber.com/ for Southwest Harbor and http://www.mountdesertchamber.org/ for Mount Desert. Just contact one of the listed real estate agencies and they'll help you find a place.
August is absolutely the most crowded month on MDI. If you can, come some other time. You definitely want to use the free buses in August, but they run from mid-June through Labor Day with reduced service until Columbus Day. Bus routes fan out from Bar Harbor to several points in the national park. Other free buses run from hotels and campgrounds on the island to Bar Harbor so you can leave your car at the hotel or campground, take the bus to Bar Harbor, and change for a bus to some place in the park. Forget about parking in Bar Harbor in August. There is a two-hour parking limit in Bar Harbor, and the town usually attempts to enforce it in August.
The buses serve every village on MDI and travel every paved road in the park, except the road to the top of Cadillac Mountain. Two popular spots for riding the carriage roads are Eagle Lake and Jordan Pond. Parking is EXTREMELY LIMITED in those areas. The buses can carry a limited number of bikes and get crowded. The bus company has added bike trailers to routes serving Eagle Lake and Jordan Pond, and that should improve things a lot. The web site for the buses is http://www.exploreacadia.com/index.html
On one day you could go to Eagle Lake and ride the carriage roads near Witch Hole Pond (very easy) and Eagle Lake (moderate). On another day you could go to Jordan Pond where the roads are a little more strenuous. If you want more, you could go another day to Brown Mountain Gate and ride the roads in that area. All told, there are about 45 miles of carriage roads open to bicycles and free of motor vehicles.
Whether you take the bus or drive, the best approach is to get out early, like by 9:00 AM, knock off around lunch time, and then spend the afternoon at a museum or on a boat or bus tour or hiking some of the 120 miles of trails.
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