HIKE ME

Tide-Pooling TREKS

EXPLORE BEACH POOLS FILLED WITH MARINE LIFE

STORY & PHOTOS BY AISLINN SARNACKI

IN A SHALLOW POOL of saltwater, periwinkles and dog whelks creep across rocks. Their spiral shells vary in color and size. Gray, green, brown, tan. Some are even bright orange with a touch of purple.

Crouching at the edge of the tide pool, a young girl leans in for a closer look. She reaches a hand into the cool water, her fingertips brushing over rough barnacles that cling to rocks by the hundreds.

“Be gentle with the plants and animals,” her mother had told her earlier that day, “and put everything back exactly where you found it.”

Taking her mother’s words to heart, the girl carefully turns over a few small rocks, hoping to find creatures hiding underneath. A small sea star embraces one rock, its five maroon legs clinging to the rough granite. Startled, a green crab darts under a mass of seaweed.

The girl turns the rocks back over, then sits back and gazes into the pool. The longer she looks, the more she notices.

On one rock, a group of tortoiseshell limpets slowly eat away at pink algae. Nearby, a hermit crab chases another. A scud scuttles by, then disappears under a cluster of blue mussels.

Tide pools — pockets of saltwater in the intertidal zone, between the low and high tide mark — are brimming with life, from sea slugs to anemones. They’re great places to observe nature. In fact, exploring tide pools is so popular that the activity has its own name: tide-pooling.

Common along the rocky coast of Maine, tide pools are delicate habitats that should be treated with care. Before tidepooling, check out guidelines on how to explore these habitats safely and responsibly provided by Acadia National Park at nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/tidepooling.htm.

The best time to visit tide pools is low tide because that’s when the greatest number of pools will be exposed. Here are a few places where you can hike to tide pools along the coast.

INGERSOLL POINT PRESERVE

IN ADDISON

EASY TO MODERATE

This 145-acre preserve is home to 3.5 miles of intersecting hiking trails that travel through incredibly mossy forests to the rocky shore. The property features more than a mile of shoreline on Carrying Place Cove and Wohoa Bay.

The four main trails, plus a cutoff trail, make up the network. The trails are named and marked with their own unique colors: red for Carrying Place Cove Trail, green for Moss Trail, blue for Alder Woods Trail and yellow for Wahoa Bay Trail.

The trails provide access to the coast in several places. Some of the best tide pools can be found among the sea-weed covered rocks south of Ingersoll Point, near the low tide mark. You can reach this area by hiking to the end of Alder Woods Trail (which ends at Ingersoll Point) or by hiking to the end of the Carry Place Cove Trail.

Keep an eye out for tortoiseshell limpets, which are sea snails that have wide, shallow cone-shaped shells — like a nearly-flattened birthday party hat. You can often find them feeding on pink algae, which is abundant in the tidepools of this area.

The property was acquired by the Downeast Coastal Conservancy in three parcels between 2009 and 2011. Access is free, year round. Dogs are permitted but must be kept on leash or under strict voice control at all times.

For more information, visit downeastcoastalconservancy.org or call 207-255-4500.

DIRECTIONS: The trailhead and parking is at the back of the Union Church parking lot in Addison. To get there from Route 1 in Columbia Falls, turn south onto Route 187 (Indian River Road) at Wild Blueberry Land. Drive about 2 miles, then turn right onto Wescongus Road. Drive about 1.5 miles, then turn left onto East Side Road. Follow East Side Road about 6 miles, then turn right onto Mooseneck Road. Drive about 1 mile, then turn left into the Union Church parking lot.

BAR ISLAND

IN ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

EASY

A large sandbar, exposed at low tide, links Bar Island to Bar Harbor. This is a popular spot for people to walk, search for shells, observe wildlife such as seabirds and explore tide pools. Keep an eye out for barnacles, sea stars, slipper shell snails and blue mussels.

Bar Island is a part of Acadia National Park. On the island, a 1-mile hiking trail leads through the forest to a highpoint of the island that offers an open view of Bar Harbor. The sandbar is exposed about 1.5 hour before low tide and 1.5 after low tide. The time of low tide changes, so be sure to check local tide charts and plan accordingly. Hikers have been stranded on Bar Island due to poor planning. Dogs are permitted on this trail and on the beaches but must be on a leash that is 6 feet or shorter at all times. All visitors to Acadia must purchase a park pass before entering the park. Passes can be purchased online or at various visitor centers and entrance stations on Mount Desert Island, depending on the time of year. For more information, visit nps.gov/acad or call 207-288-3338.

DIRECTIONS: The trail starts at the end of Bridge Street in Bar Harbor. To get there, drive onto Mount Desert Island on Route 3. After crossing the causeway, veer left at the fork, continuing on Route 3 for 9.8 miles. Turn left onto West Street and drive 0.3 miles, then turn left onto Bridge Street. You can park at the end of Bridge Street. While parking is permitted on the sandbar, it is not advised, since it is well below the high tide mark. Parking is also available along the side of West Street and other nearby roads.

HARRIMAN POINT

IN BROOKLIN

EASY TO MODERATE

With roughly two miles of shoreline, Harriman Point Preserve features the longest continuous stretch of the coast open to the public on the Blue Hill Peninsula. The 138-acre property was gifted to the Maine Coast Heritage Trust in 2014.

The preserve is home to about 1.5 miles of easy walking trails that explore a mossy forest and old fields. The trails provide access to the rocky shore in two places, on either side of the point.

According to the MCHT website, the shoreline is home to “endless tide pools.” The website also suggests that you pack plenty of bug repellent if visiting during the summer. The property can be particularly buggy because it’s home to wetlands where mosquitoes and other insects breed.

Some of the best tide pools are found among seaweed- and algae-covered rocks, which can be extremely slippery. Wear sturdy shoes and walk slowly and carefully.

Dogs are permitted but must be kept on leash or under strict voice control. Trail access is free, year round.

For more information, visit mcht.org or call 207729-7366.

DIRECTIONS: From the junction of Route 172 and Route 175 in south Blue Hill, turn onto Route 175 (Falls Bridge Road) and head south toward Brooklin. Drive about 7.5 miles, then turn left onto Harriman Point Road. Drive 0.5 mile to the parking lot on the right. To enter the preserve, follow the trail that’s located across the street.