Route: Acadia National Park Peaks Traverse (ME)

Mount Desert Island, Maine is found five hours north of Boston, Massachusetts and is home to Acadia National Park.  With its famed location with the national park, people have been visiting this island for centuries to experience the beauty of the peaks above the Atlantic Ocean.  While the mountains are only 1500 feet at their highest, they come straight off the ocean's sea level at at very steep grades, often 30-45%.  The terrain is incredibly technical and where the tree's recede, the trail surface is granite bedrock, a punishing alternative to wet roots and rocks.  The Acadia NP Peaks Traverse is inspired by the Bob Graham Round in the Lake District of England.  It travels from west to east, finishing in the town of Bar Harbor, Maine covering (coincidentally) 42 named peaks and geographic features designated on published maps.  It is 65 miles with approximately 17-18K in climbing.  The goal shares the same as the Bob Graham Round, 24 hours.  

Starting on the west side of the island at the Seal Cove Road gate entrance, carriage roads (crushed gravel under the forest canopy) take you to the first trail up Western Mountain.  From there the course traverses the west side of the island hitting one peak after another.  Bernard, Little Notch, Knights Nubble, Great Notch, Mansell, and Beech mountains before reaching Route 102.  Entering St. Sauveur Trailhead down to Acadia Mountain, up Valley Peak, down to tag Flying Mountain.  From there the route kayaks across Somes Sound (ocean) one mile to the other side of Mount Desert Island.  This connects back to Acadia National Park up Norumbega Mountain, then Bald Peak, Parkman Mountain, Gilmore Mountain, then Sargent Mountain the second highest peak on the island.  After Sargent to Penobscot Mountain, back to South Sargent Ridge trail down to Eliot Mountain.  Across on the Richard Trail into the Land & Garden Preserve to Barr Hill, then Redfield Hill.  Re-entering Acadia National Park to Day Mountain, The Triad, Pemetic Mountain, to South Bubble, North Bubble, Connors Nubble and on carriage roads to Eagle Lake Carriage Road parking lot.  Tagging the off trail Brewer Mountain back up the Eagle Lake Road to the entrance to Acadia's backcountry.  McFarland Mountain to Young's Mountain on the backcountry trails, down to the carriage roads and connecting to Duck Brook Bridge and the Park Loop Road.  Head south on the Park Loop road to Great Hill, tagging the summit and back to the loop road.  Continue up the loop road to the Cadillac Mountain summit road to tag the unmarked summit trail of Whitecap.  Heading back on the park loop road until it connects with the Cadillac North Ridge Trail to the summit, the highest point on the US coastline.  Descending south down Cadillac to Dike's Peak, then Eagles Crag.  Crossing route 3 at the bottom to Blackwoods campground, head east to Gorham Mountain Trail.  Ascend Gorham to Halfway Mountain (abandoned trail) then down to Sand Beach and across to tag Great Head summit marker.  Back up Beehive, to the off trail abandoned summit of Enoch Mountain.  Heading up Champlain Mountain after Enoch, then down to Huguenot Mountain and down to Route 3 at The Tarn.  Up Dorr Mountain to the summit, down the north ridge to hit Kebo Mountain, the final summit.  
After Kebo, you are now only a mile from the town of Bar Harbor, and running into town the finish is at the 1881 town clock, directly outside Leary's Landing, the closest Irish Pub to Ireland in the US.  
65 Miles with over 17K in climbing in under 24 hours.