Ins & Outs: Isle au Haut
If you ask me, Isle au Haut is the most beautiful spot on earth, but it isn't that easy to get to. To make the most of your visit, you are going to have to do a little planning.
From Bar Harbor, at the heart of Acadia National Park, it is about a two-hour drive to Stonington, where you can catch the Isle au Haut mailboat. Unless you like getting up very early, you might want to head to Stonington the day before you plan to visit Isle au Haut. There is plenty to do and see in Stonington, so it is hardly a wasted day. Consider renting a kayak (oldquarry.com) or going to the granite museum (deerislemaine.com/museums.html). One nice bed-and-breakfast right on the Stonington waterfront is the Inn on the Harbor, which you can see at innontheharbor.com.
First things first. Check the mailboat schedule at isleauhaut.com. The mailboat leaves every morning from a dock on the Stonington waterfront. A round-trip fare is $32 per person; parking will cost you an additional $7. Bringing a bike, a fun way to get around the island, is $16 more. (Hint: if you are just looking for a summer island cruise and do not have time to get off at Isle au Haut, you only need a one-way ticket.) Most of the boat runs go directly to the town landing. In the height of the summer, however, twice a day the mailboat runs go directly to Duck Harbor Landing, in the national park portion of Isle au Haut. From Duck Harbor Landing you can immediately start on the marvelous coastal trails. If you disembark at the town landing, you will need to make the two-hour hike through Isle au Haut's beautiful fog forest. (Keep your eyes open for blueberries in the clearings.)
Before you even get on the mailboat, you will want to grab a picnic lunch in Stonington. There are no restaurants on Isle au Haut. The Stonington grocery near the mailboat landing is under renovation in summer 2005, so that may or may not be an option. No matter: My favorite place to scrounge the makings of a picnic is Lily's Cafe, where wonderful, carryout gourmet sandwiches can be found. Lily's hours are quirky, though, so you might want to check ahead. The cafe's address and phone number are listed at deerislemaine.com/restaurants.html.
Everything you need to know about Acadia National Park on Isle au Haut you can learn from the National Park Service's website at nps.gov/acad/planner/IAHinfo.htm. To plan your hike, take a look at the trail map here nps.gov/acad/maps.htm. (Helpful aside: Most NPS estimates of the length of time to hike a trail are way too conservative, but not on the Isle au Haut map. Don't plan to go any faster than it says.) Wayne Barter, the park ranger, will also have a map and recommendations for you at the mailboat landing. A ranger greets every boat to make sure day hikers get pointed in the right direction (and to remind them to get on the evening boat home). As you mull over which trails to tackle first, you will want to first decide where you are going to stop for the midday break. Consider eating your lunch on Duck Harbor Mountain if the day is clear. If it is a little foggy, or there has been a recent storm to rile up the ocean, your best bet for a lunchtime break might be the Cliff Trail.
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