Long Pond on Isle au Haut, arguably Acadia National Park’s best swim spot, is not particularly easy to get to. You can hike there from either the Town Landing or Duck Harbor Landing, but it’s not a quick trek from either place. You can also get to it via mountain bike like we did. But be forewarned – if you take the roads on the west part of the island, you’re in for one hell of a workout!
After several hours of hiking and biking, we made it out to Long Pond just as a local family was finishing a swim. They were kind enough to point out where the large submerged rocks were located. But the water was so clear that you could easily spot them while you waded out into the deeper water past the water lilies.
I didn’t have a thermometer with me, but the freshwater pond was nowhere near as bracing as the ocean had been a few days earlier (I’d estimate it was somewhere in the 65F+ range). Also, there was a floating wooden platform out about 50 meters from the shore that was obviously made for swimmers.
We swam out to the platform and relaxed for a short bit before realizing that we were risking missing the last scheduled boat off of the island. So we got back on the bikes and hammered it back to the Town Landing with just 10 minutes to spare. A little too close for comfort, admittedly, but we did squeeze out every bit of summer fun while on the island!
Isle au Haut
Ice cold well water
Long Pond
Water level
Hanging out with the water lilies
At the swim platform!
Long Pond video!