A Day Trip to Block Island

Block Island is a popular getaway well known by New England natives.  The island is shaped like a pork chop and is 7 miles long and 3 miles wide.  Rhode Island claims the land that sits in Block Island Sound, nine miles off its coast in the Atlantic Ocean.  Like the Cape, the Hamptons, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Block was formed from glacial deposits as the glaciers receded during the last ice age.  

If you are looking to get away from home, if you are looking to feel far away without the hassle or a plane ride, Block Island is it.  A one hour jaunt on the high-speed ferries from several New England ports transports you to a charming Island that feels a lot like Bermuda.  

I've spent a week on the island, I've gone out for a weekend (here is a weekend guide), and I've gone over just for the day.  Today we are talking about the latter, Block Island in a Day - a guide to seeing the highlights with a round trip same day ferry ticket.  It is perfect for anyone short on time or someone who wants to see Block on a budget because lodging on the island can be pretty pricey.   

To make the most of the day, you need to take the first ferry out and plan to take one of the last ferries back.  We caught the 9am ferry out of Point Judith and we were on the island by 10am.  We decided on the 5pm ferry back, arriving in Point Judith by 6pm in time to wind down and make dinner before ending the day. 

Sunset (and wedding photos) at Otter Point - Acadia National Park, Maine

Caddilac Mountain in Acadia National Park is famous for its sunrises.  Hoards of people hike or drive their way to the top of the mountain to watch the sunrise on the eastern seaboard, a claim to fame for being the first sight of sunrise in the continental United States from October to March at least. 

But what you hear less about is a killer sunset in Acadia National Park.  If waking up two hours before sunrise to drive or hike up a crowded mountain isn't how you want to spend your morning, you can catch the other end of the deal - sunset at Otter Point.  

When we were planning our wedding photos with Kat of Swell and Stone, she had the idea of pairing an afternoon hike of The Beehive with a stop at Otter Point after our hike to catch the sunset.  

Beehive Trail (in a wedding dress) - Acadia National Park

Kat Carney - Swell and Stone

The Beehive Trail in Acadia National Park is famous for its insane views, interesting terrain, and traverse across iron rungs. Let's just say the Beehive Trail is short, steep, and oh so sweet. There are handholds and ladders where you need it and while there are narrow ledges and spots that are a bit trickier, it isn't nearly as terrifying as the Precipice Trail. Of course, this hike took us about four times longer than it should have because we decided to tackle the trail in some special yet abnormal hiking attire. Adam wore his wedding suit all while carrying my bouquet in our pack. Let's not forget that he also had to help me manage ladders, rungs, and climbs in a fitted wedding dress (train included). 

Precipice Trail - Acadia National Park's Terrifying Trail

This is probably "post number 243" where I tell you how much I hate heights and then I go on some insane hike that tests my limits and my fears. People are often confused about my fear of heights as they see me standing on top of a mountain summit all the time. You see, I can deal with one edge, but I need one side of safety to feel well, safe. Steep cliffy trails - I can manage. A trail like Angel's Landing where there are steep drops on both side? I am happy to wait back at the quitter's corner. But more often than not, I try to push myself and my fear of heights when traveling somewhere new. This hike in this part was no exception. 

The Precipice Trail is one of Acadia National Park's most famous trails. After we had a taste of the Beehive Trail, we were so excited to travel among the parks rung and ladder trails. We hiked the Beehive Trail for our wedding photos and we were blown away by the amazing views and technical aspects of the trail. We hiked the Beech Cliffs trail to get on another iron rung trail while we waited for the Precipice Trail to open "some time" that day.

Beech Cliff Trail - Acadia National Park

We had just finished hiking the Beehive (in full wedding attire) just the day before.   It's easy to say we were in love with the park and were swooning over Acadia's iron rung trails that combine tricky hikes with sweeping views of coastal Maine.  Beehive blew us out of the water and I guess you could say we were quickly becoming rung trail junkies.  These famous trails offer hikers a chance to hike along cliff edges and up steep rocky paths to mountain summits via sets of iron ladders and rungs.  Our next plan was the most famous and challenging of the rung trails.  We set out bright and early for the Precipice Trail first only to realize the trail was closed with an opening date of "some time today".  Instead, we hiked a more tame iron rung trail with the intention of completing the Precipice Trail hike first thing tomorrow morning.  This little detour is how we found ourselves on the quiet side of the park and up the ladders to the views along the Beech Cliff Trail.