Adirondacks and Acadia National park

[meg]

Already planning 2015 summer vacation!! We are planning to go to Adirondacks and Acadia late Aug early Sept any suggestions on what is great to see? We will be gone 5wks. Have a 32ft motorhome. Don't care too much for touristy areas. Prefer state parks. We are two retired adults that are very active.Like quaint towns and wildlife viewing.

[KMP44]

Depending on how you map out your route, I would recomend a couple stops in the ADK's. In the southern part of the park, Old Forge is great. Lots to see/do. We like the Old Forge Camping Resort since its right outside the village. Lots of great SP's too - Nick's Lake or our favorite is probably Golden Beach. Check out the village of Racquette Lake if you get a chance - but don't driv the MH in there. Park at the post office.

From there, in the central ADK's you can take a couple different routes, but if you can stop in Speculator. Our 2 favorite SP's in NY are Moffit Beach and Lewey Lake, both in that area.



Then the High Peeks are the highlight of the northern part of the park. The Olympic venues in Lake Placid are fun to check out. Lake Placid KOA is very rustic, or there is Fish Creek / Rollins Pond SP's near Saranac Lake.

There are something like 52 state parks just in the ADK's, so lots to choose from. Haven't made it to Acadia yet, but we are planning trip. I'm leaning towards Sea Wall CG based on recomendations from others.

Enjoy your trip!

[sherman12]

KMP44has some excellent suggestions, however many of the state parks in the ADK's have no hook ups. Don't forget the Lake George area. The village is typical tourist stuff, I.E. T-shirt shops, but the lake and surrounding area is beautiful with a lot to do. Going to Acadia, look up Bar Harbor Campground on campgroundreviews.com. Family run, over three hundred site's, great reviews and only a couple of miles from the main entrance to Acadia. There are two KOA's with one also getting great reviews. Careful, Bar Harbor/Acadia has many chain/corp. CGs that charge in peak season around $80-$85 a night whereas BH CG is half. Acadia has a CG but it's all the way on the opposite side of the park, though near the ocean which is neat, but a good drive to most of the attractions in the area. If you like lobster, don't forget to buy it fresh from the ocean that morning at the many roadside shacks, take it to the campsite, throw a nice steak on the grill and you'll have a memorable evening.

[mrmichael]

I would second the recommendation of Bar Harbor CG. Unusual that they take no reservations or credit cards. You drive around, find an open spot and leave something on it to indicate it's taken, and go back to the office and pay. We stayed at the KOA in the woods there also and it was good but BH was much better and cheaper. They even had a guy drive thru the CG selling blueberry pies! (had to get one=Yum) Already planning to be back there next September

[whj77372]

If it were me I would have reservations at all of the RV parks/camp grounds because they get full fast due to the short season and because it is so nice there. The cost will be more then some other parts of the country but well worth it. I did notice that some of us on this forum list our locations and I like that! Example: above western and central NY tell me that those two posters will know about the Adirondacks and I would listen to them. My posts have a Texas location but I was raised there, many years ago. Good Luck and have a great vacation.

[oxcamper]

We've backpacked extensively through the Ads when we were younger, lots of great places. Aug and early Sept will be beautiful weather (generally) warm sunny days and cool - cold nights depending on the fluctuations. Can be rainy and cold too. Black fly season will be over, as well as school vacations so you can find some quiet secluded areas. Lake George and Lake Placid areas are great, but If you boondock, head out into the firetrails and wilderness areas, Moose Creek area is great. Blue Mountain lake is home to the Adirondak Mountain Museum, a full day or two are worth the time spent and a good campground there too.

You may be a little early for colors, but then the "leaf peepers" (tourists who decend on the area to drive through the color forests) won't be out yet either.

the area is extensively more built up than in the 1970-1980s when we backpacked so access is a lot better with a camper.

Depending on your likes, head out to the wilds if you want seclusion, head to the big lakes (George and Placid, Tupper, and Saranac) if you want more conveniences. Either way, you will not be disappointed.

[blsst16]

I heard a lot of good things about bar harbor campground, but I can't imagine driving all the way to Maine (from maryland) without a guaranteed place to stay. We stayed at Hadley s point, just down the road from the bar harbor campground. It was fine, nothing special, but close to Bar Harbor and Acadia.

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[Sirsea]

We stayed at Hadley's Point in late July, $41 a night but nothing special, just not as expensive as the rest. Spent almost 7 weeks on a trip from NC to Nova Scotia and had no problems finding a site without advance reservations. Plan on a full day in Acadia, it is a great place for picnics and site seeing.

[sherman12]

In Acadia if you don't bring bicycles rent them in Bar Harbor and you start right at the bike shop into the park. You ride the very wide and nice carriage trails developed in the early 1900's I believe for Teddy Roosevelt. Bring a backpack for a picnic along the many beautiful places to stop and rest.

[breul]

Spent the 1st 2 weeks of Sept on our 1st trip to Maine. Spent 4 nights at Camden Hills State Park. Nice park with big sites with electric and water. Lot of hiking up steep hills, beautiful views, kayaking on a close by lake, lobster in the village of Camden Hills. Campground was quiet and not too crowded (after labor day). Made reservations ahead.
Drove a couple hours up the coast to Acadia and spent 4 nights there. Unbelievable scenery, biking and kayaking. Stayed in the park at Blackwoods campground. No hookups, lived off our batteries while there. Lot of generators running during the day.
Nice campground but I think it was close to being full. We did have reservations.
Wanted to see the Mountains and Lakes area next. Found a private campground outside of Andover Maine called South Arm Campground. It is on the shores of Lower Richardson Lake. The lake is around 16 miles long with a lot of kayaking opportunities. Beautiful sites right on the water. Appalachian Trail is close by. They run a generator from 7AM till 9PM for power and have water hookups. Not crowded but they close for the year at the end of Sept. We are also empty nesters and have a dog and cat with us. Like peace and quiet and open space. It was an excellent trip but a bit of a haul
from Wisconsin with a 25ft TT and only 2 weeks. Ecoboost did a great job.

[JLeising]

Visited Acadia last fall. Beautiful. Be sure to stop and get a park map, as there are some low clearance bridges over the park road. Plan your route accordingly. There are ways to avoid /drive around.