Hi Everyone!
Every once in a while I want to do a #TravelTuesday spotlight on a special location I traveled to and loved! These places in particular are spots that people with medical conditions, particularly Pulmonary Hypertension, might think they may not be able to visit, but with these spotlights I am here to show you it is possible!
Having PH means that certain activities and sights may be off limits due to a number of factors, such as altitude, physical activities, and being away from medication. But with some pre-planning, more places may be put back on your list - and the first one should be Acadia National Park.
Acadia National Park in Maine spans 47,000 acres and has terrain that ranges from rocky beaches, spanning waters and peaks, such as Cadillac Mountain. It features wild life such as moose, bears, whales, seals and many seabirds. The main town near Acadia is Bar Harbor.
Why Acadia National Park should be on your list of travels if you have a medical condition, specifically PH or another heart related disease, is it is accessible and driver friendly throughout the park. While other parks mostly offer off-road foot trail hikes, Acadia offers 27 miles of driving road to see the park first hand in the comfort of your car. There are also sights to see while driving to and from Acadia National Park, as the park splits in certain spots. There are also different sections of the park, the Schoodic, Bar Harbor and eastern part of Mount Desert Island. We split our trip into three days to visit each section, all by car trips from the town of Ellsworth.
The best reason to visit Acadia National Park thought - Driving to the Summit of Cadillac Mountain.
From May 26 through October 19 of every year, you can register your vehicle to go to the summit of Cadillac Mountain. The summit is at 1530 feet (466 feet) so you are below sea level and at what most doctors would consider a comfortable altitude for someone with a heart condition (although check your own doctor before going to make sure this is right for you).
The drive up is absolutely gorgeous, and you can relax in the car while others can opt to hike if they wish. Below is a small section of the drive up to the summit.
Not many National Parks offer a drive to the summit like this, so it something that you should definitely take advantage of if you can! The views are beyond gorgeous, as you can see below:
Acadia National Park also offers a sunrise vehicle pass, so you can drive up to the summit to watch the sunrise. While we were able to get tickets for this, it was unfortunately cloudy the day we picked so we had to skip, but something to look forward to for next time!
If interested in more information on how to obtain a vehicle pass for Acadia, visit nps.gov/acad/plan your visit/vehicle_reservations.htm
Look forward to more #TravelTuesday spotlights in the future, and for more blog posts next week!
Until then
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