By Wanda Chancellor
In June I spent a week in Maine driving a carriage on the 45 miles of carriage roads in Acadia National Park. I was invited by a friend from New Hampshire to join her driving group, the Green Mountain Horse Association, for their annual trip to the park. One of the members loaned me a twenty-one year old Arabian named Breezy to drive. In true Arabian form, Breezy never broke a sweat as we drove two and three hours each day through some of the most beautiful mountain countryside I have ever seen.
Acadia National Park is located on Mt. Desert Island just off the coast of Maine, and was a summer playground for the rich and famous in the 1800s. As the area began to be more populated, some of the residents decided to preserve the beauty of the land by donating their properties to the National Park system. One of those who donated his property, containing beautifully built carriage roads and granite bridges, was John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Visitors to the park can take carriage rides on the trails in wagons pulled by draft horse pairs located at Wildwood Stables. There is also an adjoining stable and campground for people who want to bring their own horses to drive and ride.
The scenery is beautiful as you slowly climb the trails to the top of the mountain and look down to see stunning ocean vistas. From the top you can see Cranberry Islands, Bar Harbor, Seal Harbor, and a dozen other lovely locations. Martha Stewart’s Skylands is located on Mt. Desert Island and she uses the trails to drive her pair of Friesians. We did not spot her on the trails, but I’m sure Breezy would’ve trotted around her easily with a snooty snort and a confident toss of her head.
For more information about Acadia National Park, visit the NPS website: http://www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm
In June I spent a week in Maine driving a carriage on the 45 miles of carriage roads in Acadia National Park. I was invited by a friend from New Hampshire to join her driving group, the Green Mountain Horse Association, for their annual trip to the park. One of the members loaned me a twenty-one year old Arabian named Breezy to drive. In true Arabian form, Breezy never broke a sweat as we drove two and three hours each day through some of the most beautiful mountain countryside I have ever seen.
Acadia National Park is located on Mt. Desert Island just off the coast of Maine, and was a summer playground for the rich and famous in the 1800s. As the area began to be more populated, some of the residents decided to preserve the beauty of the land by donating their properties to the National Park system. One of those who donated his property, containing beautifully built carriage roads and granite bridges, was John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Visitors to the park can take carriage rides on the trails in wagons pulled by draft horse pairs located at Wildwood Stables. There is also an adjoining stable and campground for people who want to bring their own horses to drive and ride.
The scenery is beautiful as you slowly climb the trails to the top of the mountain and look down to see stunning ocean vistas. From the top you can see Cranberry Islands, Bar Harbor, Seal Harbor, and a dozen other lovely locations. Martha Stewart’s Skylands is located on Mt. Desert Island and she uses the trails to drive her pair of Friesians. We did not spot her on the trails, but I’m sure Breezy would’ve trotted around her easily with a snooty snort and a confident toss of her head.
For more information about Acadia National Park, visit the NPS website: http://www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm
