nature

Fall New England Trip Itinerary

Published on September 6, 2025September 6, 2025 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

Fall in New England is a magical time of year that feels like it should only exist in a hallmark movie. Last year, Patrick and I planned a ten day road trip traveling through some of the most beautiful places throughout Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. I wanted to create a post based on the itinerary we used last fall that will highlight our trip throughout this region of New England. I would highly recommended visiting this part of the country in the fall if you’re able!

Things to Know About Planning a Trip in New England

🍁 The foliage varies year to year, but typically the first two weeks of October are a safe bet on when to plan your trip. I’d recommend using and regularly checking a fall foliage tracker, this surprisingly gives an accurate prediction on when the leaves are expected to change.

🎫 Some areas I’ll mention in this post will require additional reservations (i.e., the Flume Gorge in New Hampshire & entrance fees in Acadia national park). It’s always best to purchase tickets and reservations as soon as possible.

🎃 This region of the country is extremely popular during the fall season, for very good reason! I would recommend booking accommodations as soon as you’re able because things do fill up quickly. Also, keep in mind, this area will be busy and crowded, especially in popular sites and tourist attractions.

📆 Although this is a busy and popular time of year to visit, be sure to look up hours of availability of things you’d like to do as it will vary in the fall season. We learned, a lot of places start to slow down and prepare to close up for the winter by mid October, so be sure you check timing of things. We almost missed a chance to tour a maple syrup farm because we didn’t realize they were closed certain days of the week in the fall!

When To Go

Like I mentioned, it’s hard to recommend a specific time to book and arrange your fall trip since the fall foliage varies each year. However, it seems like the first two weeks of October are pretty consistent and a great time to visit. We also made sure to start our trip in Vermont and end it in Maine since it seemed like the leaves in Vermont were predicted to change sooner.

What To Pack

During the fall, it’s typically cooler temperatures and rainy days so layers are a must! Here’s a basic list to base your packing needs off of:

Rain jacket
Umbrella
Sweaters and cardigans
Layered bottoms (leggings, pants, etc).
Hiking shoes
Beanies and gloves for extra warmth
A warm jacket or a winter coat
Hard warmers (these were amazing to have on the early cold mornings!)
Warm socks

Where to Stay

Throughout most of our road trips, we typically stay at campgrounds because it’s enjoyable and less expensive. For this trip however, it was a little different. We had difficulties finding campgrounds nearby the spots in Vermont we were trying to visit so we only stayed at airbnb’s during that part of our trip. If you’re hoping for convenient locations in each spot, hotels are probably the best option. Keep in mind, because this is a popular time of year for visitors, hotel prices can be expensive and rooms book up quickly. Similarly for airbnb’s, I booked most of ours 6-8 months in advance just to ensure we could find places nearby within our budget.

Some well known hotels in the areas on this itinerary:

Von Trapp Family Lodge (Stowe, VT)
Stone Hill Inn (Stowe, VT)
Woodstock Inn (Woodstock, VT)
Bar Harbor Grand Hotel (Bar Harbor, ME)
The Bayview Hotel (Bar Harbor, ME)

Itinerary Outline

Starting the trip will depend on where you are coming from. Since we were driving from Ohio, we started our trip in Vermont. If you fly in, you can decide which location you’d rather start at (you can’t go wrong either!). Most people seem to fly into either Boston or NYC to start their journey into the New England area. There doesn’t seem to be a convenient airport closer to Vermont or New Hampshire. For this itinerary, I’ll be sharing things to do in the Woodstock and Stowe areas of Vermont, the White Mountains national forest in New Hampshire, and Acadia national park and parts of coastal Maine.

Vermont

We started our trip exploring parts of Vermont. We spent 3 full days here splitting our time between Stowe and Woodstock. After our experience in both, Stowe seemed to have more options for restaurants, activities, and shops compared to Woodstock so keep that in mind! If you’re interested in more details, be sure to check out my Woodstock, VT blog post.

Stowe, VT

Day one

Wake up early to visit cold hollow cider. Take time to explore inside and have breakfast at their cafe.
Take a maple syrup tour at Nebraska Knoll Sugar Farm (tours are free and times vary on the day).
Head back into downtown Stowe and explore shops along main street.
Take a drive through the smuggler’s notch area.
Find dinner in town before heading to airbnb for the night.

🌛Airbnb nearby

Day two

Start the morning with coffee and breakfast at Woodland Baking and Coffee.
Drive over to the Stowe mountain resort to take a gondola ride at mtn mansfield (tickets can be purchased in advance or on site).
Drive by the Von Trapp family lodge and grab a drink at the brewery!
Stop by Stowe maple products to stock up on maple souvenirs.
Have dinner in town.
Stop at original ben and jerry’s for an ice cream before heading back to airbnb.

🌛Airbnb nearby

Day three

Woodstock, VT

Start the day with breakfast at Mon Vert Cafe .
Take time to explore the shops downtown and collect souvenirs
- Yankee bookshop
- Vermont flannel
- Woody’s Mercantile
Walk over to the Woodstock covered bridge.
Walk around the grounds of Woodstock Inn and resort.
Find the iconic pumpkin lined house on Pleasant street.
Grab ice cream at Woodstock Scoops and try a maple cremee!

🌛Airbnb nearby

New Hampshire

Our time in New Hampshire was short and sweet but the fall foliage was incredible! We focused our time here in the White Mountains area exploring the kancamagus highway and the Franconia state park. This was a heavily crowded and congested area so be prepared for lots of wait times.

Day Four

Start drive to New Hampshire (1.5 hour drive from the Woodstock area).
Stop for breakfast on the way at Polly Pancake Parlor (get there early to beat the crowds!).
Drive to Flume Gorge area to hike.
- Reservations required, I recommend booking online in advance for a cheaper price!
Drive parts of the kancamagus highway and stop at pull off spots:
- Hancock Overlook
- Pemigewasset Overlook
- CL Graham Wangan Overlook
- Sugar Hill overlook
- Sabbaday Falls
- Albany covered bridge
Check into campground along kancamagus highway.

🌛Hancock campground

Day Five

Wake up early and head to Artist’s Bluff trail for a morning hike (get there early to beat crowds).
Continue exploring highway and making stops at pull offs.
Drive all the way to Conway, NH along the highway.
Spend downtime relaxing back at camp/accommodations.

🌛Hancock campground

Maine

We took this trip nearly a year ago and I’m still thinking about Maine. It’s truly a magical and dreamy place, that has it all; lakes, ocean, and mountains! This section of our trip was one of my favorites and I cannot wait to return someday. Over the years, Patrick and I have visited several national parks and Acadia is definitely in our top five, it’s such an amazing park. I have a separate blog post with more details about our time in Acadia, you can read here.

Day six

Drive to Acadia national park (4.5 hours from NH).
Take a photo at the national park entrance sign.
Stop by the Hull’s Cove visitor’s center and purchase park pass.
Head into bar harbor to explore the shops and grab dinner.
Head to camp to set up and settle in for the evening.

🌛Blackwoods campground

Day Seven

Watch the sunrise at Cadillac Mountain (timed reservation tickets required, see park’s website for info).
Have breakfast at Cafe This Way.
Stroll around Bar Harbor to collect more souvenirs.
Head into the park and begin first hike at the South Bubble trail .
Drive along the park loop road and stop by ‘Thunder Hole.’
Head back into Bar Harbor for dinner. Some of our favorite restaurants:
- Bar Harbor Lobster Co.
- Side Street Cafe
- Dog and Pony Tavern
- Frenchman Bay Lobster
- Mount Desert Island ice cream
Head back to camp for the night.

🌛Blackwoods campground

Day Eight

Start with an early hike at the Beehive trail (this parking lot + hiking trail get busy fast so arrive early).
Head into Bar Harbor to grab coffee at Acadia Perk.
Drive over to the southwest harbor side of the park and hike the Beech Cliff Ladders trail.
Make a stop at the Bass Harbor Head lighthouse. I’d recommend walking down to the rocks to see the lighthouse from a further angle.
Drive back along the park loop road and spend some time stopping at the ‘Otter Cliff’ lookout.
Head back to camp for dinner and relaxation.

🌛Blackwoods campground

Coastal Maine

This part of the trip, we devoted time to exploring small towns along the coast of Maine. I wish we could’ve had more time here so I’d recommend spending some extra time in these towns if you’re looking for the slow, small town feel. If you’re interested in learning more, check out my coastal Maine blog post here for more details.

Day Nine

Pack up camp and head into Bar Harbor for one last breakfast and time to walk around.
Stop by the Jordan Pond house to try and have an early lunch (I recommend making reservations in advance, we didn’t think to do this so the wait was too long). Be sure to order a popover!
Explore the Jordan Pond path afterwards.
Start driving to Portland, Maine area (3 hr drive).
Stop by Holy Donuts for a sweet treat once you arrive!
Explore downtown Portland and grab lunch or an early dinner at Portland Lobster Co.
Head to Portland head lighthouse for sunset.
Drive to accommodations in Kennebuckport, ME.

🌛 Airbnb in Kennebuckport

Day Ten

Explore downtown Kennebuckport and grab breakfast and coffee at Dock Square Coffee.
Souvenir shop around town.
Take a drive to Ogunquit for the day
- Walk along the marginal way path
- Explore the Perkin’s Cove area
Have one last lobster roll for lunch in town.
Drive over to York, ME and watch the sunset at Nubble lighthouse
- Fun fact: This is where Patrick and I got engaged :)

🌛 Airbnb in Kennebuckport

This is truly a trip of a lifetime and should be on everyone’s bucket lists, I can’t recommend spending the fall in New England enough!

Things to Know About New Changes Occurring in U.S. National Parks

Published on February 19, 2025February 19, 2025 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

There’s been a lot of recent news and updates regarding the future of national parks. If you’ve read my blog before, you probably know national park travel is so important to me. If you’ve visited a national park before, you likely understand why they need to be protected. I consider it such a gift to have these stunning places throughout the country, full of beautiful scenery, incredible wildlife, and wonderful hikes and activities to explore. These places wouldn’t exist or thrive without the work and dedication of so many park rangers, forest service workers, and volunteers of the national park service.

The current administration recently fired thousands of public land and national park employees, leaving these magical places at risk. Not only for the visitors who cherish these places but for the wildlife that are able to call these places home.

The current updates have been very unsettling for me and I wanted to create a post sharing resources and things to be aware of if you also love and appreciate our national parks. I will also be sharing ways to advocate and do our part in maintaining the national parks to the best we can.

Things To Be Aware of Moving Forward

Due to the lack of staffing, there may be many changes within major national parks. It’s easy to not always recognize how much these workers contribute to the parks because of how much time and effort goes into caring for these areas. Now more than ever, it will be important for all of us to do our part. There’s a lot we still don’t know but, for now, these are things that may be a result of less staff to assist in maintaining the parks and public lands.

There may be unmaintained trails. With the reduction of staff, some hiking trails may not have their usual attention and care which could mean more fallen trees, rocks, or other obstacles that could interfere with the safety of a trail. Please keep this in mind when exploring and hiking. It will be important to do your own research, look up weather conditions before hiking, and use your best judgement!
More trash and litter. With less workers to care for and manage waste, this could possibly cause litter to accumulate in the park. Please do your part in picking up trash when you see it!
Less search and rescue availability. This is arguably the biggest loss with these new changes. If you run into a safety concern on a hiking trail or within the national park, there may not be help available for you. Again, it will be important to use your best judgement and come prepared with proper gear.
Campground and closures. There could be temporary closures and less campgrounds that can be maintained with less staff. Similarly to other tips, it’s important we are more aware of trash and leaving no trace. It will also be beneficial to check park websites to find out if there are any closures ahead of time when planning a trip.

Things We Can Do

Respect these parks and spaces. This should be the case anyways but with fewer staff, it will even more important to follow rules and respect these places, especially when it comes to wildlife! We are a visitor in their home, which is so important to remember when visiting a protected area like a national park.
Be patient. With fewer staff, national park workers will be even more overworked and understaffed. This could cause an increase in delays, lines, and less help available during your visit.
Sign a petition that helps protect these parks during this time. I will link a petition from the National Park Conservation Association that you can sign if interested. On the website, you’ll find a few different petitions and actions you can sign regarding the matter. Please consider signing or finding out more information on their website.
Call your representatives and share your feelings about the matter.
Volunteer at your local national park or national forest!
Continue to spread awareness about this with others and while visiting national parks moving forward! Share this post, write your own, talk with friends and family about this matter.

I will be sharing more information as we continue to learn more about these changes. National parks are truly so special and I hope we can all make an effort to continue to protect them.

A Guide to Woodstock, Vermont

Published on January 15, 2025 by Skylar M. Beck2 Comments

Woodstock, Vermont seems like a town right out of a hallmark movie! It’s one of the coziest places I’ve ever visited, especially during the fall season. Patrick and I had the opportunity to visit this past fall while traveling through Vermont and we had such a fun time strolling around this area for an afternoon. Here are some of my tips and favorite spots:

How to Plan a Trip to Woodstock

Woodstock, Vermont is a small town that offers local shops, restaurants, covered bridges, and the perfect place to soak in the fall foliage. That being said, I would recommend combining a trip to Woodstock with another nearby Vermont town. We visited Woodstock and Stowe within the same trip which was ideal and gave us more site seeing and activities to enjoy.

Best Things to do in Woodstock

Stroll the shops! We had so much fun going in and out of the local shops within the town. Some of our favorites:

Woody’s Mercantile
Vermont Flannel Co.
Yankee bookshop
F.H. Gillingham & Sons
Encore Designer consignment
Clover gift shop

Enjoy delicious food. Woodstock has a few great food and coffee options! Here were some of our favorites:

Mon Vert Cafe– the best breakfast & coffee!
Woodstock scoops- be sure to try a maple creemee!
Soulfully good cafe- this was closed when we visited but we’ve heard great things about it!
Village Butcher shop- delicious deli sandwiches and quick to go meals

Visit a covered bridge. Woodstock is known for some of their covered bridges! You can drive under the bridges or walk along the side.

Middle covered bridge
Taftsville covered bridge
Lincoln covered bridge

Check out the Woodstock Inn. This is a famous hotel right in the heart of Woodstock. The public is welcome to their restaurant and to walk around the grounds. If you’re able to stay here, I imagine it would be a wonderful experience!

Walk to Pleasant Street. This street captures so much charm Woodstock offers and it feels like you’re walking on the set of a hallmark movie. The homes are also so fun to look at and imagine what life here would be like. Keep your eye out for one house on Pleasant street that has become well known during the fall for simply placing little pumpkins along the fence line. It makes for a really sweet view and picture!

Enjoy a maple creemee! Woodstock scoops has amazing ice cream and they are famous for maple creemees. A creemee is essentially soft serve and is a popular treat in this area. I would highly recommend trying while passing through!

Stop by a maple syrup farm. Sugarbush farms has become a famous spot in Woodstock for their tours of maple syrup and cheese making. We didn’t have a chance to do this but I’ve heard such great things about this farm it seems worth recommending!

Selecting some maple syrup goods from F.H. Gillingham & Sons general store

Planning a National Park Trip in 2025

Published on January 8, 2025 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

National park travel has become such an important part of my life and easily my favorite kind of travel. There are currently 63 established national parks in the United States and each year, there are new rules, permits, reservations, and important information you need to know before visiting. Gone are the days of spontaneously showing up to some popular parks and having an impromptu trip. Planning is required to ensure your trip is what you hope and expect it to be! I created this guide, similar to last year’s with important information about certain national parks you may need to know before visiting.

Reservation vs. Park Pass

Many national parks require a park pass to access the park and are typically valid for 7 days. This is still needed on top of any reservation or permit required. I would recommend looking at your desired national park’s website to make sure a park pass is required or not, however, this can be purchased when entering the park. The main difference between the two is a reservation or permit that is required needs to be purchased in advance before trip dates. The entrance kiosks and visitor’s centers will not sell these types of reservations in person.

Types Of Reservations That May Be Required

It’s important to check on park’s websites when and what kind of reservations may be required. Typically, these kinds of reservations are specifically required during peak seasons (summer-fall).

Timed entry. These kind of reservations are becoming more and more popular amongst certain national parks. Although it’s an additional step and hassle in some way, I do believe these are actually helpful in reducing the amount of crowds during certain times of day. It also just helps everyone enjoy and protect the park in the best way! These kind of reservations may give you access to one section of the park, the entirety of the park, a road within the park, etc, depending on the park. If you aren’t able to access a timed entry reservation (if you’re planning a last minute visit) there are ways around this. If the time slot is 6am-4pm, that means if you enter the park BEFORE 6am, you’ll be able to get in. However, if you leave the park at any point before 4pm, you won’t be able to get back in until after 4pm. Similarly, you could access the park after 4pm. I touch on more tips on what to do if you don’t secure a timed entry reservation later in this post.
Vehicle reservation. This kind of reservation varies depending on the park and again, the purpose is to limit the amount of cars gathering in one area or section of the park. For example, in Glacier national park, a vehicle reservation is required to access the ‘going to the sun road’ during certain times of day and seasons.
Hiking permit. This kind of reservation is required when hiking certain trails that are typically more popular. For example, Angel’s landing in Zion national park now requires a permit to complete the entire hike.

Parks that Require Reservations

*as of January 2025*

Acadia National Park, Maine– requires a vehicle reservation to access Cadillac mountain if visiting between May-October. This reservation costs $6 and can be purchased on the park’s website. The park hasn’t officially released 2025 dates required for this permit, but I’m sure they will soon. Check out my blog post about Acadia National park here for more information on the park.
Arches National Park, Utah– requires a timed entry reservation (7am-4pm) between April-October. This year the park is not requiring tickets during some days between July and August. Tickets will be required from 7 am to 4 pm each day between April 1 – July 6 and August 28 – October 31, 2025. This reservation costs $2 per vehicle. Learn more on the park’s website. Check out my blog post about Arches National park here for more information on the park.
Glacier National Park, Montana– requires a vehicle reservation (7am-3pm) in various areas.
- Due to Glacier’s popularity, the park has split the major areas of the park into three sections that ALL require reservations if you plan to visit. Reservations can be made four months before your trip dates and booking will become available starting February 12th, 2025 for this year. All sections require a reservation between the hours of 7am-3pm during June 13-September 28 time frame. The sections within the park that all need a reservation include:
- Going to the sun Road
- North Fork
- Many Glacier

keep in mind, if you plan to visit all three areas of glacier, you may need three different types of reservation tickets. Check out my blog post about Glacier National park here for more information on the park.

Haleakala National Park, Hawaii– requires a vehicle reservation (3am-7am) that costs $1 per vehicle to watch the sun rise above the clouds at Haleakala Summit. Learn more on the park’s website.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado-requires a timed entry ticket from May through October. RMNP has split the timed entry tickets into two sections:
- Bear Lake corridor, timed entry reservation required to access the bear lake trails + access to the rest of the park, costs $2. Timed entry from 5am-6pm.
- Rest of the park, timed entry reservation for the Rocky Mountains national park, excluding the bear lake trail area, costs $2. Timed entry from 9am-2pm. Check out my blog post about RMNP here for more information on the park.
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia– requires a day use hiking permit if you plan to hike ‘Old Rag trail’ which is one the most popular hikes in the park. Reservations are required from March-November and costs $1 (each person is required to have a ticket). Learn more on the park’s website. Check out my blog post about Shenandoah National park here for more information on the park.
Yosemite National Park, California– the park has changed it’s requirements each year and as of right now, Yosemite hasn’t released the requirements for entrance reservations or permits needed during peak season. I will be sure to update this post when any news is posted. Patrick and I plan to visit Yosemite this year so I will definitely need to have reservation information before visiting! The park has released other types of reservations that are required:
- Horsetail Fall reservation– ticketed entry during the months of February on the weekends of February 8–9, February 15–17, and February 22–23, 2025. Note, this reservation is only required if you plan to visit on the listed days in February. This is a big attraction during the month of February in the park, so the reservations are listed for the weekends. However, if you plan to visit the park during these weekend dates even without going to Horsetail falls, you still need this reservation ticket. This reservation costs $2 and is per vehicle. Purchase tickets on the park’s website.
- Half Dome hiking permit– this popular trail now requires a permit to hike as an attempt to reduce crowds. Learn more about how to obtain a permit through the park’s lottery system here.
Zion National Park, Utah– requires hiking permits for these trails; Angel’s Landing, the Subway, and the Narrows from top-down.
- Angel’s Landing– the park now requires a permit to hike the entirety of this trail (without a permit you can hike all the way to “scout lookout” point). Similarly to Yosemite, permits are selected by a lottery system. It costs $6 to apply and if selected it’s $3 per person to hike this trail. Learn more on the park’s website. Be sure to figure out when the time period is to apply for the permit through the lottery that lines up with your trip dates.
- The Subway- this hike requires a permit if you plan to hike it between the months of April-October and is selected through a lottery system as well. Learn more here.
- The Narrows from top down– the narrows is one of the most incredible hiking experiences within the park! Many visitors hike this from the bottom up (I did!) but if you wish to hike the trail from the top down (16 miles total), you’ll need a wilderness permit. Learn more here. Check out my blog post about Zion National park here for more information on the park.
Mount Rainer National Park, Washington– last year the park decided to require a timed entry reservation for vehicles driving to either the Paradise Corridor and/or the Sunrise Corridor. Reservations were required each day from 7am-3pm from May through September for the Paradise Corridor and July through September for the Sunrise Corridor. Since the park tried this for the first time last year, they haven’t posted if they’ll be doing this again in 2025, I will update this post if they do. Learn more here.

It seems like more parks are trying to implement some kind of reservation system depending on the amount of crowds they see. I would recommend checking any park’s website you plan to visit prior to your trip to determine if any other decisions are made throughout the year to require reservations or permits to access areas.

National Park Checklist

Keep up to date with tracking what national parks you’ve visited! Download my free national park checklist below. I created two versions, horizontal and vertical PDF’s.

National Park checklist horizontal Download

National Park Checklist vertical tpdf Download

Tips & Back Up Solutions

If you don’t get a reservation or if you missed your window to purchase one, here are a few options to still be able to access reserved areas of the park:

Book the reservations as soon as you are able. On the park’s websites, there will be a time when you are able to book. Some parks allow you to book a couple months in advance, and if you miss out, they reopen more reservations 1-2 days before your visit for an additional chance. It can definitely be stressful so I recommend logging on to purchase tickets as soon as the window opens (for example, most tickets become available on the park’s website at 10am EST).
Book a campground. If you book a reservation for a campground within the park, the park counts this as your reservation for timed entry or vehicle reservations, depending on the park. Be sure to check exceptions to purchasing reservation tickets if you are camping in the park. Also note, your campground reservation will only serve as a reservation ticket if the dates you plan to access the park and stay at the campground are the same. (i.e., if you camp one night and move to a hotel, you’ll need a reservation ticket to assess specific areas the days/nights you’re at the hotel and no longer camping).
Enter the park outside the required time. If you can’t purchase timed entry tickets, find ways to experience the park outside of the timed restrictions (i.e., if timed entry reservations start at 6am, enter the park BEFORE 6am). Just keep in mind if you leave the park before the reservation time frame is finished, you won’t be able to go back in until after the time restriction ends. (i.e., if you leave the park at 12pm, and the time restriction ends at 3pm, you won’t be able to go back into that area of the park until AFTER 3pm).
Do some research to determine which areas, activities, and hikes you may want to do that require reservations.
Keep in mind, when timed entry reservation periods end, there are crowds trying to access the park, arrive early in kiosk lines to ensure you don’t have to spend too much time stuck in line.

Acadia National Park Guide

Published on November 21, 2024January 8, 2025 by Skylar M. Beck3 Comments

Acadia national park is one of the most magical national parks I’ve been to yet. I had the opportunity to visit during the fall time and the fall foliage enhanced the beauty of the park. Acadia is located nearby Bar Harbor, Maine and it provides stunning mountain, coastal, lake views and scenery. Here’s a guide to things I’d recommend doing on a trip to Acadia.

Things to Know About Acadia

🎟 The park requires a park fee. It’s $35 for a 7 day period. I’d highly recommend purchasing the America the Beautiful pass if you plan to visit multiple national parks at once. The annual pass is $80 and gets you into national parks around the country for a year!

🦞 The closest town to the park is Bar Harbor and when I say close, I mean very close! Bar Harbor is about 15 minutes away (or less) from popular spots in the national park. The proximity is so convenient and it was so nice having lodging and eating options close by.

🏕 There are four established campgrounds within the park. I’d suggest making a reservation well in advance if you plan to camp, typically reservations open 6 months before your trip date, however, Acadia’s reservation period opens 2 months before your trip dates. We stayed at Blackwoods campground which is the most conveniently located campground in the park if you plan to visit major spots inside the park and Bar Harbor. Be sure to research on where in the park you’d like to be, the campgrounds are spread across the entire park. There are also no showers within the campgrounds so be prepared to find a way to shower elsewhere if needed. While we were staying at Blackwoods campground, there was a nearby shower house that is open 24 hours to the public. It’s located at 14 Otter Creek Drive.

Aside from campgrounds, there are plenty of hotels and lodging options inside Bar Harbor. It seems like a popular area, so I’d also recommend booking accommodations in advance if possible, especially if you plan to visit during the summer or fall time.

🌊 The park loop road is the scenic road that connects major highlights and viewing points of the park. Keep in mind, there is an area on the road that’s one way only so if you miss your stop, you’ll have to go around the loop again.

Best Things to Do in Acadia

Go on a Hiking Adventure

Acadia has so many incredible hikes! They are known for three hikes that require use of a ladder or iron rods to complete the hike. Although this may seem a little intimidating, it added such a fun element to a hike we’ve never experienced before. Here are some hikes I’d recommend adding to your list:

Jordan Pond path. This is an easy 3 mile loop trail near the Jordan Pond restaurant. This trail offers beautiful views of the “bubble” rocks from a distance as you walk along the perimeter of Jordan pond.
South Bubble trail. This was our favorite hike in the park! It’s a fairly easy to moderate 1.4 mile hike that brings you to the top of the south bubble rock. There are a few ways to complete this hike, we started at the bubbles parking lot and followed signs for the south bubble rock.
Beehive trail. The beehive is one of Acadia’s three iron rod/ladder trails. The beehive is considered the second most challenging as most of the hike requires use of the iron rods to hike to the top of the beehive summit. This trail is short and steep, only 1.4 miles to the top of the summit. If you are scared of heights, I’d reconsider completing this hike. Luckily, you can still hike to the summit by taking the Bowl trail which avoids the iron rods but still brings you to the top view point. If you do hike with the rods, I’d recommend going down the Bowl trail to make it a loop so you don’t have to use the rods on the way down. We really enjoyed this hike because it gave us such a different experience. Keep in mind, this is the park’s most popular hike so plan to hike early if visiting during busy season. We started around 7:00am on a weekday and by the time we were finished, there were so many people!
Beech Cliff Ladders trail. This is the third hike included in the ladder/iron rods collection and the least challenging. This is a 1.8 mile hike that is another short and steep trail with four ladders. This was such an enjoyable hike and it was on the quieter side of the park so we were one of the only couples there. The top view point gives you an incredible view of echo lake. For this trail, we parked at the echo lake parking lot. On the hike down, we took the Canada Cliffs trail to make this a loop and it was also easier to hike down without ladders.
Ocean Path trail. This isn’t technically a hike but this trail is along the park loop road and it provides stunning views of the ocean and the mountains of Acadia. I’d recommend walking along parts of it to experience a different perspective of the park.

Drive to Cadillac Mountain

This is a must do while visiting the park. Cadillac mountain is the highest point in the park and there’s 360 views of the park, Bar Harbor, and other coastal parts of Maine. Keep in mind, during peak seasons, the park requires reservation tickets to limit the amount of crowds at a time. I’d recommend making a reservation for sunrise because during certain seasons, Cadillac mountain is the first point on the eastern coast that sees the sunrise. We were planning to visit during sunrise one day during our trip but unfortunately it rained so we rescheduled for a different day in the morning which was still beautiful!

Explore Bar Harbor

As I’ve mentioned, Bar Harbor is an amazing Maine town! I’d take some time exploring the streets, shops, and restaurants. We spent several afternoons here shopping around for souvenirs and trying different restaurants. If you’re a camper like us, we were also able to do laundry in town which was helpful. Here are a few of my favorite spots in town I’d recommend:

Acadia Perk coffee ☕️
Cafe This Way (such great breakfast!)
Mount Desert Island ice cream 🫐 (be sure to try blueberry ice cream, a Maine must have)
Side Street Cafe 🥞
Cool As A Moose store (great place for shirt souvenirs)
Bark Harbor pet supply
In The Woods store 🌲
Christmas Vacation Shop (a great spot to find an ornament souvenir)
The Acadia Country Store
Frenchman Bay Lobster Rolls 🦞

Drive the Park Loop Road

As I’ve mentioned, this a beautiful scenic road! There’s a lot of trails and spots along the road so you’ll likely drive along this at some point. I’d recommend spending time at Otter cliffs, Thunder Hole, and Sand Beach which are all located off the scenic road.

Spend Time at Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

This beautiful lighthouse is located in the Southwest harbor area of the park, about 20 minutes from the Bar Harbor area. This lighthouse is a must see while visiting the park. I’d recommend walking down to the rocks to get a great photo and view point of the lighthouse.

Visit the Jordan Pond Resturant

An iconic activity in the park is to have lunch at the Jordan Pond house restaurant and to try their famous popovers. This was on our bucket list while visiting, however, we didn’t have a reservation so the wait time was too long for us the day we tried. If you’re serious about trying a popover, I would recommend making a reservation or being prepared to wait for a while. The restaurant is beautiful and it’s surrounded by gorgeous Acadia views.

Acadia Tips

Be sure to make reservations for any necessary areas of the park. Right now, it seems like Cadillac mountain is the only requirement during busy season.
Book overnight accommodations as far in advance as possible to ensure you have a place to sleep. Acadia is a popular national park that draws a lot of attention so it’s helpful to book in advance when possible.

Entering the park, photo taken at the hulls cove visitor’s center sign

A foggy afternoon on the south bubble rock

24 Hours in New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia

Published on March 19, 2024January 8, 2025 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

This past weekend, Patrick and I took a short and sweet trip to New River Gorge National Park. We left so impressed with how much this national park had to offer and we are already looking forward to a future trip someday. Even though our time was limited, we truly made the most of the weekend and saw some incredible highlights in New River Gorge national park.

Things to Know About New River Gorge

New River Gorge is completely FREE to enter the park!
The closest town to New River Gorge is Fayetteville, WV and it is such a cool little town.
All 8 campgrounds within New River Gorge are also completely FREE which is a huge plus for campers! We stayed at Grand Sandbar campground and really enjoyed it. Keep in mind, the campgrounds are primitive, so no flush toilets, running water, showers, etc. The sites at each campground are also first come first serve. If camping isn’t your thing, there are plenty of hotels within the area as well.

Things to Do in New River Gorge

Check out the bridge overlook near the Canyon Rim Visitor’s Center. This overlook gives you a stunning view of the bridge and it’s an easy walk. There are steps you can also take for an up close view of the bridge, but it is 178 steps so keep that in mind. I’d recommended walking down if you’re able, seeing the bridge a little up close was so cool!
Drive to the grand/ “main overlook.” We weren’t able to do this because we were staying in a different area of the park, but next visit this is definitely on our list!
Take a hike! New River Gorge surprised us with so many incredible hikes. We only had time for two but they were some of our favorite hiking experiences we’ve ever had!
- Endless Wall Trail. This trail is 3.2 miles round trip and it’s technically a loop trail but learn from our mistake, the start and end points don’t connect back to the same parking lot! If you park at endless wall trailhead and hike all the way in a loop direction, you will end at Nuttall parking lot. Thankfully, these parking lots are a 12 minute walk a part but if you don’t want to walk back to your car afterwards, I’d recommend making the hike an out and back style. Regardless, this trail is incredible and gives you stunning views of the wall cliff side and the gorge underneath!
- Long Point trail. This is one of the most popular trails in the park and for good reason! This 3.2 mile out and back trail gives you a stunning view of the new river gorge bridge. I’d say this trail is fairly easy with very little elevation gain.
- Castle Rock trail. We didn’t have time for this hike but it’s on our list for next time!
Spend time in Fayetteville, WV. This is the park’s closest nearby town and it’s such a cool area. We had so much fun walking around, checking out shops, and eating delicious food! Our favorite food stops were:
- Secret Sandwich Society
- Pies and Pints
- Rangefinder Coffee
- Cathedral Coffee

Rainy views along the endless wall trail

Endless Wall hike, be sure to stop by Diamond Point for incredible views

One Day in Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

Published on February 7, 2024January 8, 2025 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

This past weekend, Patrick and I crossed another national park off our list, Mammoth Cave! Mammoth Cave national park is located an hour and a half south of Louisville, Kentucky. It is an underrated park in my opinion, I was amazed with how incredible Mammoth Cave was! We only spent one day exploring which I think was enough to experience the highlights but I’d recommend at least a weekend to fully explore the park. Here’s a quick guide to tips and things I’d recommend checking out while visiting.

Things to Know About Mammoth Cave

Mammoth Cave national park is FREE to enter, there are no entrance fees required to access the park.
Cave tours are the most popular thing to do while visiting the park, tours vary in length and difficulty level.
I’d recommend booking a cave tour in advance. You have the option to buy a ticket on site at the visitor’s center, but even in February, certain cave tours were sold out!
After exiting any cave tour, the park requires you to walk across a station with soap to clean the bottom of your shoes. This is to prevent the spread of White Nose Syndrome which is a fungal disease that has been impacting bat populations across the country.
The park has great lodging options if you desire to stay within the park:
- Sunset Terrance hotel
- Historic Cottages (closed in the winter)
- Woodland Cottages (closed in the winter, these cottages don’t have A/C or heat)
- Camping
  - Mammoth Cave campground
  - Maple Springs campground (10 minutes from visitor’s center)
  - Houchin Ferry campground (20 minutes from visitors center, tent only).
- Airbnb’s and hotels in surrounding areas (Brownsville, KY + Cave City, KY).

Things to Do

Cave tour. When visiting Mammoth Cave, you have to take a cave tour! It’s an incredible experience having the opportunity to explore the caves. The national parks system has done an amazing job making the tours enjoyable and informative. There are several cave tour options that you can learn more about on the park’s website.
- We decided to take the Frozen Niagara cave tour and it was incredible! This tour was an hour and 15 minutes. It’s the shortest cave tour in time and distance, we only walked about .25 mile on this tour.
- Other popular tours many visitors choose include:
  - Historic Tour (2 hours, $20 per adult)
  - Domes and Dripstones tour (2 hours, $21 per adult)
  - Gothic Avenue tour (2 hours, $19 per adult)
- *Starting March 1st, 2024, the park will be increasing the prices of cave tour tickets, learn more on the park’s website.
Visit the visitor’s center. We were surprised with how big the visitor’s center was! For a smaller national park, this was great to see. The visitor’s center had a small museum like feel inside giving visitors information and history on the cave.
Go for a hike. There were surprisingly lots of different hikes within the park. Our favorites were:
- Sunset point trail
- Cedar sink trail
- Floyd Collins trail
- Green river bluff, echo river springs, sinkhole, and heritage trail (combined is 4.3mi round trip)
Stop by the historic entrance. This is an iconic spot in the park to stop by. It is the largest natural opening of the cave and it was originally the first entrance to the cave when it was discovered.
Take a picture at the entrance sign.There are two entrance signs for the park, one if you’re entering from Cave City and one if entering from Brownsville.
Stop by Cave City. We didn’t explore too much here but we’ve heard there are great restaurants and shops in this area.