Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1895-10-10
SEA CLIFF DRIVE.
Description of What Will be Next
Seasons Popular Drive.

Description of What will be Next
Seasons Popular Drive.
The sea cliff drive at Seal Harbor, he en-
terprise OF George b. Cooksey, will I'M
doubtedly be the popular drive at Bar
| Harbor next season, as its beauties enti-
tie it to be.
The new drive through the GIengariff
property, though not entirely CON
was thrown open to the public late this
season.
| The drive enters the woods at point on
the county road leading to Seal Harbor,
about three-quarters of a mile to the
westward of the village of Otter Creek,
| passing over boulder moraine, from
which fact this entrance has been given
| the name of the "Boulder Gate Thence
running in a southwesterly direction, it
sweeps by easy grade and curve through
beautiful birch wood until it reaches
the cliffs at point where the view IS
mainly an extended stretch of ocean,
hanked by the bold promontOry, "Ilun-
ter's Beach Head,n but with a partia
view of the low-lying islands, which are
the leading characteristics of the off
shore scenery of this side of the island,
Re-entering the woods it again energies
upon the cliffs where they have beer rent
by narrow gorge, long known to the III
habtants of the island as the Craven :
Nest but now called "Raven's Cleft
Here the drive is pushed out to the eX-
IRENE verge of the precipice, and sW eep-
ing westerly around the face OF the upper
and unbroken cliff. continues almost on
the edge of the cliff, on natural para
pet, until, after ascending an easy hill,
| there bursts suddenly on the sight the
western view OF island, sea and broken
shore line, witt the hills trending north
wards to lose themselves in the noun
tains. This view, Westward Ho," is at
the crest of the drive.
| From there on, its course runs norther-
| ly through natural gorge, the Golden
| Gate whilst rising in the distance is
| the peak OF Sargent Mountain, the fit
ting climax of view which opened first
upon the wide expanse of the sea. The
unopened portion of the drive will be
built northward along the 'Ilarbor
Cliffs"
The total length of this drive is a mile
and half, and the characteristics which
will largely interest visitors are that it
may be Travelled from end to end by a
! bicyclist without fatigue, the maxi
| mum grade for almost The entire distance
is five per cent; that it gives easy access
to he cliffs on this side of the island.
/ H. Ia. t;.,,, Of,
/ tnuous drive of about sixteen miles pro-
! jected to encircle Bar Harbor and Seal
| Harbor, passing through the notch be-
tween Dry Mountain and Newport,
through the village of Otter Creek, and,
as far possible, following the
shore of Otter Creek and the south
coast, until it reaches Seal Harbor,
whence it viii trend northwards, and
| turning its back upon the sea, will
| open up the mountain scenery of the
south side of he island. Clinging to the
western shore of Jordan pond and Eagle
lake, it will reach Bar Harbor again by a
course throughout its entire distance
selected with reference to the beauty and
variety of its scenery, and also with ref
erence to an easy grade, which will per-
NIT the average bicyclist to accomplish
the journey without difficulty in an hour
and half to two hours.
The execution OF this work will depend
for its accompii' hment upon an enlight-
ened public spirit, which will recognize
from the outset the interdependence of
he mort h and south sides of the island.
/