Cadillac Mountain: 2 Secret Things to Do in 2024

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            CADILLAC mountain:
            2 Secret Places

            June 27, 2022

            Maine Terrain Acadia National Park

            Written by Stephen Ondich

            Within the Cadillac Mountain area of Acadia National Park there are two secret things to do. Even though the park hosts record numbers of visitors each summer, very few people know about these hidden activities. If you are like me, you’ve already seen most of the places in the National Park Service visitors guide. Accordingly, I will share these secret destinations with you here. 

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            Sunrise at Cadillac Mountain Acadia National Park
            Image by skeeze from Pixabay

            Cadillac Mountain

            Location

            Cadillac Mountain is 0 miles from Acadia National Park.

            It is (not) Acadia Adjacent.↵
             
            It is in Acadia!

            Cadillac Mountain’s Two Hidden Destinations

            Both of today’s secret Acadia places are located in Cadillac Mountain. Additionally, both Acadia secret spots are featured on J.R. Libby‘s very cool website, The Abandoned Trails of Acadia National Park. If you are a fan of Acadia and have not seen it yet, please check it out.

            Cadillac Mountain is one of the most popular destinations within Acadia. Be sure to check out our Cadillac Mountain sunrise hike tips if you haven’t already. However, there are two things to do that very few tourists know about.

            To find both sites you’ll need a map of the Cadillac Mountain area.  If you don’t have one, the you can find detailed maps at Acadia National Park’s website here.

            A few months ago, we published a list of secret places in Acadia National Park. Check those out if you haven’t already.

            Two secret things to do in Acadia are:

            1. Visit Cadillac Mountain’s Hidden Waterfall 
            2. Explore the Abandoned Green Mountain Railroad

            Cadillac Mountain’s Hidden Waterfall

            Cadillac Mountain Hidden Waterfall
            National Park Service / uncredited [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
             

            About the Hidden Waterfall

            Although this secret waterfall within Acadia National Park is not far from Park Loop Road, you’ll likely miss it when driving by. Thus, park your car in the turnout and take one of the shortest hikes within Cadillac Mountain. Although the trail is not marked, it’s not hard to find if you know what to look for. It’s well worth your time. 

             

            Directions to Cadillac Mountain’s Secret Waterfall

            Take Park Loop Road and continue past Cadillac Mountain Summit Rd, toward Jordan Pond.
             
            After passing Cadillac Mountain Summit Road, park at the second turnout.
             
            Locate the brook that is 30 feet from the turnout.
             
            Walk on the North side of the brook (the side farthest from Bubble Pond) and  follow it up steam.  As J.R.Libby astutely notes, the waterfall views are dramatically different, depending on which side of the brook you’re on. 
             
            The waterfall is roughly the distance of two football fields from the road.  
             

             

            Green Mountain Cog Railway: Now Defunct

             

            What was the Green Mountain Cog Railway?

            Back in the late 1800’s, tourism was booming in the Acadia region of Maine. The Green Mountain Cog Railway was built to take tourists up to Cadillac Mountain, then known as Green Mountain.  The ascent up Cadillac mountain took about 30 minutes.
             
            Alas, either the operation lacked capital or the tourists dwindled considerably. Perhaps a combination of both. However, in retrospect, it appears the rail operation had many ambitious facets that never came to fruition. 
             
            First, there were plans for multiple rail lines. Second, the rail lines were supposed to run conveniently into downtown Bar Harbor. Additionally, there were plans for subdivisions that thankfully never materialized.  All of it was pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking. None of it happened.
             
            Francis Hector Clergue: the Person Behind the Railway *

            Clergue’s father immigrated from France in the mid 1800’s. His mother was from an established shipbuilding family in Maine. He grew up in Bangor and became a lawyer.

             However, he was a man of high energy, creativity and ambition. Not surprisingly, Clergue quickly lost interest in legal pursuits and tried his hand at several business ventures, many involving rail transportation.

            Reading through new accounts of the time, it appears that Clergue was not a Mount Desert Island resident or insider. Although he was from Bangor, Maine, for all intensive purposes he was from away. Additionally, he failed to anticipate that the residents of Mount Desert Island didn’t really want steam engines traversing their bucolic mountain community.

            Clergue information cited from:

            • Bachelder, P.D. (2005, April 1) The Green Mountain Railway:
              Bar Harbor’s Remarkable Cog Railroad. Retrieved from https://mdihistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2003-The-Green-Mountain-Railway_ocr.pdf
            Green Mountain Steam Engine on Cadillac Mountain
            Image from Bangor Community Digital Commons@BPL
             
            Regardless of the reasons, the railway ceased operations in 1890. 
             
            Although you can no longer ride in the comfort of a steam locomotive through Cadillac Mountain, parts of the narrow gauge track remain. Thus, if you are a trainspotter or just looking for a ride, you are out of luck. The steam engines used to transport tourists up and down Cadillac Mountain were sold to the Mount Washington Cog Railway over 120 years ago. 
             
            However, if you are a historical train buff or railfan and want to see the skeletal remains of this Acadia operation, you’re in the right place.
             
            Initially I cringed at the idea of a locomotive engine running through Acadia National Park. However, I must admit it looked pretty cool. You can see pictures of the fully operational Green Mountain Cog Railway at the Southwest Harbor Library Digital Archives here. 
             

            Map of the old Green Mountain Cog Railway. 

            Late 19th century map of Cadillac Mountain showing Green Mountain Cog Railway line
            Image from Library of Congress .
             

            Directions to Green Mountain Cog Railway Tracks

            Fortunately, Cadillac Mountain’s Hidden Waterfall and Green Mountain Cog Railway sites are located very close to one another. Therefore, it’s difficult to justify seeing one without the other.

            Directions to remaining railway, as reported in Abandoned Trails of Acadia National Park:

            1. Drive south on Park Loop Road, toward Bubble Pond.
            2. Pass Cadillac Mountain Summit Road.
            3. Pull over and park in the second parking area on the right hand side of the road.
            4. Cross to the east side of Park Loop Road.
            5. Look in the woods for a mound off to the left. 
            6.  Look for the first rail spike along the worn pathway.
            7. Continue up the path to see more spikes and rails. However, be aware that the trail becomes slippery at higher elevations.

            What Happened to the Trains?

            What if rail spikes and metal remnants won’t suffice? Do you need to see the actual Green Mountain Cog Railway trains? Believe it or not, the trains are still in operation!

            However, as I stated previously, the trains were sold to the Mount Washington Cog Rail when the Cadillac Mountain operation folded.  Thus, to ride the trains, you need to travel to their new home in New Hampshire.  The locomotives were renamed as follows:

            • Green Mountain Railway #1 Mount Desert is renamed  Chocorua.
            • GMR #2 is now operating as Agiocochook.

            You can buy your boarding passes here. All aboard!

             

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            This Post Has 11 Comments

            3. Heidi

              27 Aug 2019

              Both the waterfall and the railway look really cool. Thanks for sharing your secrets with all of us!

              1. Stephen

                27 Aug 2019

                You’re welcome! Thanks for reading.

            4. Molly O

              28 Aug 2019

              So many cool sites! I hope to see them one day. The waterfall particularly caught my eye. Thanks for the great information, Steve!

            5. Mark

              12 Aug 2020

              Thanks. Just hiked it and found both. Unfortunately, there is no water right now, and thus no running brook and no waterfall. But, very cool being back there, and wonderfully serene. One of the highlights of the trip. Thanks for the info. Mark

              1. Stephen

                17 Aug 2020

                Hi Mark – Very cool. Sorry there was no water when you went. Next time!

            6. Lisa Townsend

              4 Sep 2020

              We are going this weekend for our second trip and want to see some different scenery. I hope there’s water! Thanks.
              Lisa

              1. Stephen

                6 Sep 2020

                I’m jealous! Good luck and I hope you see some water there, as well. However, have fun, either way.

              2. Janine

                15 Sep 2020

                Hi Stephen,

                Can anyone give a latest update on water at the waterfall? LOL. Going in a week!

                1. Stephen

                  18 Sep 2020

                  Hi Janine – looks like you may be doing the update! If you want to report back or even send some pictures, I’ll gladly put it on the website and credit you as the photographer. I’ll be there next month, myself!

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