Walking the Ocean Path

Ocean Path is a 4-mile round trip scenic walking path along the eastern shore of Mount Desert Island beginning at Sand Beach. Sand Beach is a small (290 yards long) beach largely comprised of unique sand of shell fragments created by the pounding surf. It is nestled between mountains and rocky shore.  We had lunch on the rocks and listened to the waves.  There were a couple of people in the water but I'm sure it was cold--in the summer the water temperature rarely exceeds 55 degrees!

View of the beach from Ocean Path

After lunch we walked the path towards Thunder Hole.  Here are some sight from along the way...

The path took us 4 hours to complete because we kept veering off to paths that led to scenic overlooks

Thunder Hole is a place where when the waves are high you can experience the "thunder" of the sea against the rocky shore.  It's a small inlet, naturally carved out of the rocks, where the waves roll into.  At the end of this inlet, down low, is a small cavern where, when the rush of the wave arrives, air and water is forced out like a clap of distant thunder.  Water may spout as high as 40 feet with a thunderous roar!  Unfortunately when we visited, the waves did not produce the thunder but it was beautiful just the same.

Waves crashing next to the walkway

You can walk down steps to a viewing platform that extends over the water

At the end of the platform

Rock at the end of the platform

Next on the path is Otter Cliffs.  These are some sights along the way...

Could this be bear scratching?

These large rocks made a low tumbling sound as the waves rolled back.

Otter Cliff is 110 feet high and provides an opportunity for spectacular sights...

Time to walk back to the car...

The leaves in the park were beautiful.  We talked to a local and were told that they were at their peak and that in another 2 weeks the trees would be bare.

Although walking the Ocean Path was exhausting, it was beautiful and well worth the effort!