Blackwoods (Route 182)
Region: Downeast and Acadia
Length: 12.5 miles
Travel Time: .5 hours
Highlights: bicycling, boating, canoeing, kayaking, foliage viewing, hiking trails, lake, pond, river views, mountain views, ocean views, wildlife
Side Trips: Donnell Pond Public Reserve Land; Schoodic Mountain; birdwatching on Hog Bay
A few miles from busy U.S. Route 1 and worlds away from the bustle, great gray owls and bald eagles can be seen soaring among the trees or over blueberry barrens along this quiet two-lane highway.
The towns of Cherryfield and Franklin, which serve as gateways to this byway, offer many good examples of 18th and 19th century architecture, as well as the chance to experience rural small town life. Cherryfield is known as the "wild Blueberry Capital of the World" - the delicious berries are grown in abundance on nearby hillsides and are harvested in late July and early August.
Travelers will be interested to know that this scenic route is named for Colonel John Black whose family owned much of the forestland in this region during the first half of the 19th century - rather than for the stately forest that lines the roadway. There is public access to hiking trails and boat launches nearby at Donnell Pond and Tunk Lake.
Information
Schoodic Area Chamber of Commerce
800-231-3008
www.acadia-schoodic.org
Blackwoods Byway