Acadia 2021, Day 3 – Jordan Pond

Day three of our trip took us to Jordan Pond. It was another marginal weather day, so we had planned to stop by the visitor center, then take the Island Explorer bus and try to get lunch at the Jordan Pond House. At this point in time, the Hulls Cove Visitor Center was open and requiring masks for everyone indoors, and they also had an outdoor tent station with park rangers answering questions. Inside, the visitor center had been reconfigured (as of winter 2019) since the last time we were at the park. Sadly, they no longer air the park film, which is a pity because there’s nothing quite like an educational National Park Service produced video to supplement your trip.¹ The store was moved into the old auditorium space and seems to carry fewer items, maybe thanks to online shopping and the internet. For what it’s worth, I planned out all our hikes using a physical book and map because 1) yes, I can still read a paper map (and an analog clock, for that matter), and 2) cell service in Acadia isn’t reliable once you go too far south on Mt. Desert Island.

As we were leaving the visitor center to catch the bus, we found out that the Jordan Pond House was closed for rest of the day unexpectedly, with no news on when it would reopen. They weren’t saying it, but the sudden unplanned closure pointed to Covid. We made the decision to go to Jordan Pond anyway and walk around the pond and up the South Bubble, a hike that we usually do when we go to Acadia. From the Jordan Pond House at the south end of Jordan Pond, you can either circle the pond clockwise or counterclockwise. The east side is flatter with dirt trails while the west side is more rugged with the trail either on bare rock or boardwalk. At the north end of the pond, you can connect to the hiking area around the Bubbles. The shoreline trail is about three and a half miles long, and the spur up to the South Bubble adds another ~1.2 miles.

Fog on Jordan Pond

As per usual, we set off counterclockwise up the eastern shore first. Similarly to the previous day, there were visibility issues, but at least it made for some interesting pictures. Because of its location and relative flatness, especially on the east shore, Jordan Pond is one of the busier hiking destinations in Acadia, which I found to be true, but I’ve heard about trails where there are so many people it’s like walking in a very long line, and it was definitely not that bad. At the northern end of the pond we took the trail up the South Bubble, which is also where Bubble Rock is. There were exactly zero views of Jordan Pond or anything else to be had, but we took the traditional photos of trying to push Bubble Rock over², enjoyed a snack, and headed down.

Bubble Rock (also sometimes referred to as Balance Rock)

Shadows in the fog

Back on the shores of Jordan Pond, we completed our circuit of the pond, caught the bus (free, multiple routes, masks required onboard during Covid) back to the visitor center, and got our standard photo at the park sign (which was also new). Another day at Acadia done.

More fog; the Bubbles should be visible right in the middle of the photo

¹I was in elementary school before the existence of YouTube. We watched a lot of clearly made-for-education VCR tapes on CRT TVs strapped to carts that were rolled around the whole school as required. I still know the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution thanks to the Schoolhouse Rock! song.

²Estimating the size of Bubble Rock as a rectangular prism slightly less than twice as high and wide as a person and 2-3 times as long gives a volume of 960 ft³ (~8 ft x 8 ft x 15 ft) which is 27.2 m³. Assuming it’s granite, granite is about 2.7 times as dense as water, 2700 kg/m³, for a weight of 73,300 kg, or 161,000 lb. – over 80 tons or 40-55 cars, so it’s probably not going to be pushed over by any given person any time soon.