trip to Acadia NP and Niagara Fall

Hi, there,

 

I am planning a trip to Acadia National Park and Niagara Fall in

future. The possible time is in May or in early August. I am not

sure which time is better for the outdoor photograph, since I live in

the south and have little idea about the north.

 

Thanks

 

Victor

May is certainly a lot better for avoiding the crowds. Fall is better for foliage. I'm not quite sure what summer has going for it except warmer weather. Note for southerners - warmer weather means you only need to wear one coat, not two.

Unless you have school-age children and must coordinate with their summer holidays, I would avoid those places in August. The Niagara Falls area can be extremely crowded in the summer; the same for Acadia.

 

As Bob points out, from a nature photography point of view, the best time to visit Acadia and New England in general is early to mid October at the peak of the foliage season. Otherwise, spring should be a good time to visit. Therefore, May should be a good choice for both locations. For people living in the US, the Canadian dollar is quite low at this point (early 2002) so that it is a good time and a good deal for US residents to visit Canada.

Hello, if you choose Acadia in May, make sure it is late May. The last week in May and the first week in June is a good time to see Maine without the crowds. If you go there in early May, not all the trees will be in bloom and it would be muddy due to the spring thaw.

 

If you go in early August, you may want to consider a mosquito mask and deet to avoid the remaining black flies and mosquitos. But there is no way to avoid the tourist...

And dress warmly. In May it might reach the 60s but could stay as cool as the 40s for the highs.

 

But in August it could range from the upper 60s-90s for highs and 50 for an average low.

 

But as the rest point out, late September is the best for foilage.

 

Maine has a lot more to offer than just Acadia. If you love wildlife or have never seen a moose, look into Sandy Streams Pond in Baxter State Park. Anytime is a good time, just be careful where you step.

I may not be much help with Maine, but I have some good ideas for western NY, including Niagara Falls. While it is impressive to see, after about 20min of all the tourists you may want to leave. the views from Goat Island and the canadian side are best, and the ride on the Maid of the Mist can be entertaining. That is the tour boat that takes people up to the falls, make sure you have a waterproof case or cover for a camera, you will get wet from the spray.

 

the one thing I can say about Acadia is check out the carriage trails, either bring or rent bikes, it is an easy way to see most of the park and get off the roads and out of the traffic.

 

You mentioned Acadia, do you plan on driving from there to Niagara Falls? If so there are many great places to stop on the way and maybe a little out of the way. If you are looking for waterfalls, the Fingerlakes region of NY is the perfect spot. Check out Ithaca and Watkins Glen, NY. there are many very nice state parks in these areas with beautiful gorges and glens, great for photographing.

 

As for time of year, May is good in western NY, many flowers are out and the weather is reasonable(meaning: cool to cold at night and some sun, but not guaranteed.) Basically bring some warm clothes, like a good jacket. the best part about may is that there willbe lots of water running in the waterfalls, last August there was almost none in some places.

 

here are the state parks I wast talking about:

Ithaca:

taugannock falls state park

Robert H treman State Park

buttermilk falls state park

Also ithaca is a nice town and there are some pretty parks in the town.

 

Watkins Glen:

Watkins Glen State Park

 

Good luck, if you decide to stop in the fingerlakes feel free to email me for some specific info.

 

Ian