Life in the Slow Lane (The Pearl): Aug. 24 – Jordan Pond, Mt Desert, ME

Northeast Harbor Mooring

“You must go on adventures to find out where you belong.” – Sue Fritzmaurice

Our intention today was to hike the North Bubble Loop trail and then hike up to South Bubble to check out Bubble Rock. The northern trail would have given us views of Eagle Lake and the northern portion of the island before leading to the north peak. Somehow we missed the loop trail and took the direct route straight to the top. Once at the top of North Bubble Mountain we had a great view of Jordan Pond and the surrounding peaks. We took a little time at the top to enjoy the views before back tracking down the mountain and taking the trail to the South Bubble Mountain and Bubble Rock. Bubble Rock is a famous boulder that was deposited by glaciers at a seemingly precarious spot by the edge of a cliff.

From the top of South Bubble we wanted to descend to Jordan Pond. We had two choice…go back the way we came and meet up with a trail that goes around the mountain or take a more strenuous and exposed trail down the south face towards Jordan Pond. After checking out part of the face trail we decided to take the easier, safer route around the mountain. Both trails led to the Jordan Pond Path that runs around the lake. Once down to the lake we took a leisurely stroll along the eastern shore to the Jordan Pond House where we had reservations for a late lunch.

The Jordan Pond House was founded as a restaurant in the early 1870's and established the tradition of having tea & popovers on the lawn while overlooking Jordan Pond and the North and South Bubble Mountains. It seems to be the place everyone goes when they visit Acadia. We didn’t make it to the restaurant on our first trip in 2013, so we definitely wanted to give it a try this time. We had a wonderful meal on the lawn overlooking the lake. It was a great way to relax after a busy morning of hiking.

The beginning of the trail leading to North and South Bubble Mountains

View on the way up to North Bubble Mountain. That is the north end of Jordan Pond.

The Bubble

The view from the top of South Bubble Mountain

The beginning of the south face trail down the mountain

Jordan Pond looking back at South Bubble Mountain

South Bubble Mountain. You can see a few people on the peak where we were. The south face trail comes down the mountain on the left of this picture.

Jordan Pond is a glacier formed lake with a depth of 150 feet. The water is exceptionally clear with an average visibility depth of 46 feet. There is no swimming in the lake, but I did soak my tired feet in the cool water for awhile.