Blue Horizons Preserve

Discover

Blue Horizons Preserve offers a woodland approach to the cobble shore of Clark Cove on the western side of Mount Desert Island. Maine Coast Heritage Trust protects the former family property in Bar Harbor, where small meadows and maturing spruce forest lead toward the water. Its appeal lies in the way the walk changes scale: a damp stretch of woodland gives way to a broad shoreline, while the story of a family's gift explains why the place remains available to visitors.

The approach begins off Indian Point Road near Town Hill, at the entrance identified by the trust as Fire Road 800. Consult current parking directions and leave the gated drive clear. The driveway supplies the beginning of the walk, with footpaths branching toward the woods and shore. Choose the current public route according to conditions and the group's footing, allowing time for both the forest approach and a pause beside the cove.

Rebecca Goldfine describes the woodland loop as passing spongy ground and a sequence of bog bridges before reaching the cobble beach. Her original account also identifies a shorter approach using more of the driveway and a final footpath toward the shore. These descriptions help distinguish the choices without making either route universally accessible. Natural ground, wooden crossings, and uneven stones each ask for a different walking pace.

At the water, let the cobbles and the edge of the forest share attention with the broader cove. A low viewpoint from a stable, permitted stopping place can show the change from wooded ground to beach. Tides and weather alter what is visible, so treat each visit as a particular view of the shore. Keep living creatures and loose material in place, enjoying the intertidal setting through observation and photographs.

The trust's conservation guide traces the property's family connection to 1925, when Diana Oliphant's grandparents purchased it. An easement held by Acadia National Park followed in the early 1970s. Diana and Tom Oliphant later arranged a future gift to MCHT, then released their retained use rights in 2010. Their decision turned a place of family memories into a community preserve, preserving access to the water that had meant so much to them.

The cabins have a continuing role in that story. They provide housing for the trust's seasonal staff, helping support people who work on conservation and trails. They are private staff spaces, so never enter them and avoid the cabin area from May through October as directed by the manager. Select the signed public shoreline route around those boundaries. Respecting this arrangement allows public enjoyment and essential stewardship housing to coexist on the same protected property.

The manager also highlights a seasonal pool and the habitat it provides for amphibians, adding a smaller ecological interest to the coastal walk. Observe from the path and allow wildlife to remain undisturbed. Keep pets controlled, carry out waste, and follow the no-camping and no-fire rules; bicycles belong only on the driveway. Blue Horizons rewards a walk that connects its quiet forest, changing cove edge, and generous conservation history, with care for the people and habitats that continue to give the preserve its life.

Fun facts

1. The Oliphant family connection to the property began in 1925.
2. The family released its retained use rights to MCHT in 2010.
3. The cabins house seasonal conservation staff and are private spaces.

Read the official sources →

Visitor perspectives

1. Rebecca Goldfine enjoys the woodland and cobble beach and describes bridges on the loop plus a shorter driveway-based approach. Updated July 9, 2026; exact visit date unknown.

Capture

1. Connect cobble foreground with the wooded cove edge from stable public access.
2. Show a woodland bridge in its wet setting without stepping off the path.

Social

Blue Horizons connects spruce woodland and the cobble shore of Clark Cove in Bar Harbor.

Find the manager’s entrance off Indian Point Road and use current parking directions.

Rebecca Goldfine describes bog bridges on the loop and a shorter approach using the driveway.

Choose a route for the group’s footing; wooden crossings and shore stones differ from a paved walk.

A conservation guide traces the family’s connection to the property back to 1925.

Diana and Tom Oliphant released their retained use rights in 2010, allowing a community preserve.

The cabins provide seasonal staff housing. Never enter them and avoid their area May through October.

Follow public paths, control pets, and leave the shore and seasonal-pool habitat undisturbed.

Hashtags

1. #Cre8Travel
2. #Maine
3. #BlueHorizonsMaine
4. #ClarkCove
5. #MDIWalks

Sources & visitor information

• www.mcht.org
• www.mltn.org