After a stressful few months at work, Cawlin and I decided to go to Acadia National Park for a long weekend getaway with the dogs. Looking at the weather, I was a little bit disappointed seeing as it was forecasted to rain all day Saturday. Despite the less than ideal weather, we still packed up for the four hour drive to the Downeast Coast for a weekend of outdoor adventures.

Acadia National Park is the only national park in New England, and luckily for us it’s also one of the most dog friendly in the country. Boasting 100 miles of dog friendly trails, it’s one of our favorite destinations for a long weekend in coastal paradise with lots of opportunities for hiking, climbing, paddling, and more.

We decided to stay at Howling Woods, a small farm with dog-friendly yurts for rent on the western side of Mt. Desert Island. We could have camped closer to the main park loop in Acadia, but with it being the first holiday weekend of the summer we all wanted to be a bit out of the way of the big attractions.

On Saturday we spent most of the morning at our quaint little yurt before heading out to hike. It was a foggy day, but the rain had not yet come so we decided on a hike close to where we are staying just in case we needed a quick escape back to shelter. The yurt was near Seal Cove and Cawlin and I had never explored the western side of the park, so we decided to take the puppies to Long Pond to tire them out for the morning.

When we arrived, I was a bit disappointed about the foggy weather but excited to get some fresh air. The path around the pond was well-maintained and mostly flat, traversing a few feet above the waterline along the shore. Long Pond is a reservoir for drinking water, so swimming is not allowed. Some of the spring flowers were blooming, which made the casual walk even more beautiful. There were very few other hikers, but because of the forecast of intermittent showers I suspect most people had stayed home.

When we reached the westerly curve where the trail veers off from the pond’s edge we had a decision to make. We could turn around and go back down the edge of the pond the way we came or make a loop over Mansell Mountain on our way back to the car. The skies, although cloudy, didn’t seem too daunting, so we made the decision to go up and over Mansell Mtn for a change in scenery. Looking at my topo map, I could tell there would be a steep section to descend after summiting the mountain, but it didn’t seem like too much elevation so I figured we would all be able to handle it.

As we made our way up the gradual ascent of Mansell Mtn the world around us changed dramatically. Our calm, lakeside views transitioned into lush enchanted forest draped in emerald moss. A moody mist settled in the trees, creating a haunting effect by hiding all but a few feet in front of us as we made our way down the trail. It was silent except for the sound of our footsteps muffled by the coating of pine needles and leftover autumn leaves blanketing the trail.

Our winded breath was met by the soft rustle of the leaves as the breeze toyed with the forest. I wondered why we couldn’t hear birds chirping or peepers grunting, but I chalked it up to the overcast weather with impending downpours on the horizon. The muggy air tasted like rain and we weren’t sure if the beads of moisture covering our bodies were a result of our uphill efforts or the humidity.

When we reached the summit of Mansell Mtn we were greeted with a layer of clouds all around us. There was a rocky outcropping at the summit that we assumed would be a great place to sit and enjoy the views on a sunny cloudless day. Despite the lack of vista, it was nice to have the whole mountain to ourselves. We hadn’t seen anyone past the lakeside part of the trail. I love hikes where it feels like it’s just you and the mountain.

After a quick break we started our descent back to Long Pond. It was unexpectedly steep with a few rocky scrambles that were wet from the foggy condensation. Lucy took a small tumble when she jumped down a steep section and slipped on a wet boulder. I felt like I was watching in slow motion and it terrified me a bit, but luckily Lucy was totally fine. It was alarming to me because in all of the time Lucy and I have been hiking she has never fallen to the point that she didn’t land on her feet. Luckily it was only about a foot drop and she landed in a way that allowed her to roll out of it rather than flat on our back. I did a quick once over, checking all of her legs and the rest of her body for any tenderness, but luckily she was fine. She trotted off easily and didn’t skip a beat.

The four of us soon reached a short iron ladder we had to climb down before continuing on. I was concerned about the two dogs, but luckily they needed no help finding an alternate path just a few feet away from the ladder. We slowly lowered ourselves down before the trail transitioned into a beautiful stone staircase.

There must have been hundreds of stairs that winded their way to the lake. The granite steps were flat and stable leaving us to jaunt down them without challenge. We traversed what looked to be an old rock slide just before we reached the flat lake path back to the car. Just as we got the pups loaded in the back seat, the skies opened up and a downpour of fresh raindrops pelted the windshield. We made it back just in time!

This western Acadia hike was beautifully quiet even with the holiday weekend. Although the weather wasn’t ideal, it was still unique in its own way and wholly enjoyable. If I were to do this hike again, I would probably go up the shorter, steep route to Mansell Mtn making a loop in the clockwise direction opposite to what we did during this hike. I just feel like the steep scrambles in the last few hundred yards before the summit would have been much easier to go up rather than down, especially for the dogs.

Be sure to see all of our favorite Maine hikes in Acadia and beyond! And don’t forget to check out my day hiking essentials as well as our favorite dog gear to make sure we’re prepared for anything the trail throws at us.