Whether it’s a gift certificate to a Mount Desert Island business or a selection of Millinocket-made herbal soap, there’s no shortage of special Katahdin and Acadia gift ideas for the holidays for park lovers on your shopping list.
Just in time for the holidays, a new partnership with Gift MDI, an online source for gift certificates, featuring more than 100 businesses and organizations in the Acadia region. Use coupon code ACADIAONMYMIND to get 10% off. Gift certificates can be mailed, or picked up locally. See Gift MDI Web site for details about shipping and handling, and bottom of this blog post for some of the certificates available. (Image courtesy of Gift MDI)
And just in time for the holidays, we’re announcing a new partnership with Gift MDI, an online source of gift certificates to more than 100 Mount Desert Island businesses and organizations, from lodging establishments to restaurants, gift shops to local services.
You can even get an annual Acadia park pass. By using the coupon code ACADIAONMYMIND while making your purchase through Gift MDI, you get 10% off. See bottom of this blog post for complete listing of certificates available as of this writing. (PLEASE NOTE: See sidebar about affiliated partner links)
And for those of you who are also fans of Millinocket and the Katahdin region – which we were even before our co-sponsorship of the Cadillac to Katahdin Virtual Run this year with Mount Desert and Millinocket Marathon & Half – we’ve connected with Tricia Cyr, one of the “2 Broke Moms” who run Moose Drop In, a local gift shop that was a central gathering place during the Dec. 9 Millinocket Marathon & Half, to bring you the following gift ideas:
A limited supply of this specially roasted Millinocket Blend coffee is available from Moose Drop In. (Photo courtesy of Quality Hill Coffee)
- A special Millinocket Blend medium roast coffee, either the beans or pre-ground, made by Chris Lowe of Quality Hill Coffee, husband of Valerie Silensky-Lowe, a real-life Millinocket racer and one of the Cadillac to Katahdin virtual runners, going by the name of @Mamaof7Dogs. (More coffee is on order, as the first shipment is just about sold out.)
- Boogah Monster Soap, Millinocket-made herbal soap and lotion; custom T-shirts and hoodies; and other unique gifts available through Moose Drop In’s Web site. Cyr says it’s best to call to place your order this time of year, (207) 723-4442, with the latest US Priority Mail shipment date of Dec. 20 in time for Christmas. Also, as Moose Drop In’s Web site says, “Advice 5 cents.”
For fitness fans on your holiday shopping list who love both the Acadia and Katahdin regions, how about signing them up for the Cadillac to Katahdin Virtual Run, which lets them log running, hiking or walking miles anywhere in the world; see their race avatar move along the virtual race map, including the real-life routes of the MDI and Millinocket Marathon & Half and the summits of Cadillac and Katahdin; and earn the special Cadillac to Katahdin Medallion? They can backdate miles to Aug. 15, and log through at least 11:59PM EST on Jan. 1, 2018 (we’ve asked for an extension until 11:59PM EST on April 10, 2018, 100 days into the new year). Contact us at the bottom of this blog post no later than 10 p.m. EST on Dec. 19, if you have questions about the virtual race and mailing of medallions in time for Christmas.
The 3″ Cadillac to Katahdin Medallion in the shape of Maine features a raised lobster claw and pine tree. (Photo courtesy of Ashworth Awards)
The Cadillac to Katahdin Medallion goes to all who sign up for the virtual race to help benefit Friends of Acadia, Our Katahdin and Millinocket Memorial Library. It’s made by Ashworth Awards, the same company that makes medals for Boston and MDI Marathons.
More Katahdin and Acadia gift ideas for park lovers, outdoor fans
The 3-inch Cadillac to Katahdin Holiday Ornament is strung on a 4-inch red satin ribbon with gold metallic trim. Available only through Acadia on My Mind Shop.
Here are some more sources for gifts, and more ideas for Acadia and Katahdin fans on your holiday shopping list, with shipping deadlines for your last-minute needs:
From autographed copies of our Acadia hiking books, to a Cadillac to Katahdin Holiday Ornament modeled on the Cadillac to Katahdin Virtual Run medallion, products from our online shop help raise funds for Friends of Acadia, Our Katahdin or Millinocket Memorial Library.
SHIPPING: Free US Priority Mail shipping. Order by 8 a.m. EST on Dec. 20 for delivery by Christmas.
One of our affiliated partners, outdoor retailer REI is offering $20 off online purchases of $100 or more through its REI Garage discounted page, through Dec. 20. Among some of the special purchases that might be perfect for a Katahdin or Acadia fan: 50% off select jackets; footwear; gloves and camping and hiking gear. Plus there’s an up to 40% off last-minute gifts through Dec. 24. (PLEASE NOTE: See sidebar about affiliated partner links)
SHIPPING: Free shipping if spend $50. Order by 9 a.m. PST on Dec. 20 for delivery by Christmas.
The online store for Eastern National, a nonprofit founded by park rangers to help support national parks, eParks(R) is currently featuring on its home page a 25% instant savings off national park puzzles, including an easy 2-puzzle set, 100 pieces each, featuring Bubble Rock and the Beehive, as well as 500- to 1,000-piece puzzles. (PLEASE NOTE: See sidebar about affiliated partner links)
Bubble Rock and the Beehive are featured in this easy 2-puzzle set – just one of many Acadia gift ideas for the holidays available through eParks(R). (Photo courtesy of eParks(R
Among some of the other deals currently featured on the home page for the holidays:
- 20% off Junior Ranger gear
- 20% off bandanas and scarves, including such Acadia gift ideas as a bandana with coastline photos, and a scarf featuring a map.
SHIPPING: Free shipping if spend $35. Usually takes 5 to 10 business days, but expedited shipping at extra cost possible by calling 877-NAT-PARK.
If anyone on your holiday shopping list is into the coloring-as-meditation craze, how about a gift certficate from ReallyColor, LLC, to convert personal Acadia photos into coloring pages or coloring books? (PLEASE NOTE: See sidebar about affiliated partner links)
Color Bubble Rock (ReallyColor, LLC image)
We’ve had fun turning some of our Acadia photos into coloring pages using the ReallyColor, LLC technology, see below.
SHIPPING: E-mailed gift certificate. No shipping cost or delay.
Among some of the Katahdin and Acadia gift ideas available at discount from Amazon.com, another of our affiliated partners (PLEASE NOTE: See sidebar about affiliated partner links):
“Hiking Acadia National Park” won the 2016 National Outdoor Book Award in the outdoor adventure guide category.
- Hiking Acadia National Park
– The 3rd edition of our guide came out last year, and won the National Outdoor Book Award. It features a description of the new Schoodic Woods hiking trails, although not in as great detail as other hikes, since they were officially made part of the park as the book was going to press. You can also buy a full-priced autographed copy directly from us, with at least 5% of gross proceeds being donated to help the park.
- Best Easy Day Hikes Acadia National Park
– The 3rd edition of this pocket-sized guide that we wrote for Falcon came out in April 2015, and features a couple of the newest trails in the park, the Quarry and Otter Cove Trails, as well as the classic easy hikes as Ocean Path and Ship Harbor Trail. It’s small enough to stuff inside a stocking, too. You can also purchase a full-priced autographed copy directly from us, with at least 5% of gross proceeds being donated to help the park.
QT Luong’s book includes a chapter on Acadia. (Image courtesy of QT Luong)
- Treasured Lands: A Photographic Odyssey Through America’s National Parks
– Noted photographer QT Luong, featured in Ken Burns’s and Dayton Duncan’s PBS series on national parks, won numerous awards in 2016 for this large-format 456-page book. You can buy autographed copies directly from the author at full price. This substantial book includes a chapter on Acadia National Park, featuring not only some of his spectacular photos of the park, but also some tips on visiting, and notes about how and where he took the photos included in the book. It includes a foreword by Duncan.
- Katahdin
– Amazon.com search results include hiking guides and maps, histories and even an art book.
– Noted photographer SHIPPING: Free standard shipping if order by Dec. 18; Prime free 2-day shipping if order by Dec. 22; Prime free 1-day shipping in select areas if order by Dec. 23; Prime free same-day shipping in select areas if order by 9:30 a.m. local time Dec. 24. Minimum order requirements may apply.
Katahdin and Acadia gift ideas that help support nonprofits
Or perhaps you’d rather make a direct, potentially tax-deductible, gift to benefit Acadia, Baxter State Park or Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in the name of family members or friends, or otherwise support a nonprofit that advocates for national parks? Here are some ways to do that:
- Gift membership to Friends of Acadia – By giving a gift membership, you would provide a year’s worth of membership benefits to a family member or friend, including a subscription to the Friends of Acadia Journal, six note cards depicting Acadia at night, and a window decal. A bargain with membership starting at $40.
- A tribute gift to Friends of Acadia or Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park – Not limited to the holidays, such a gift can commemorate a birthday, anniversary or any other special occasion. Such a gift to the Friends of Acadia would be recognized in the Friends of Acadia Journal. Or perhaps you might want to make a gift to the Schoodic Institute, which provides environmental research and education and such citizen science programs as HawkWatch, can notify the person you’re honoring with the gift.
- Millinocket Memorial Library or Our Katahdin – These 2 Millinocket nonprofits were among the beneficiaries of the Millinocket Marathon & Half and the Cadillac to Katahdin Virtual Run.
- Friends of Baxter State Park
- Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters
- National Parks Traveler – From all-important news and useful features on Acadia to Zion,
(Image courtesy of National Parks Traveler)
National Parks Traveler is a prime place to turn. Among some of the stories currently on the home page you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere else: A photo essay of national parks in winter, including Acadia; a story on a Department of the Interior survey on harrassment in the workplace; and a report on a US House bill to open wilderness areas to mountain bikes and other wheeled vehicles. Faced with the same challenges as other news organizations in this day and age of the Internet and social media, National Parks Traveler became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit this year, making it eligible to receive tax-deductible donations. There’s even an Acadia donor level, at $50, and a place to provide special instructions while making the donation, perhaps if you’d like to honor a family member or friend.
Last-minute holiday shopping for Katahdin and Acadia gift ideas doesn’t have to be stressful, or boring, when you’ve got this gift guide to help. Happy holidays from Acadia on My Mind!
Use code ACADIAONMYMIND to get 10% off Gift MDI certificates
Below are screenshots of all the gift certificates available as of this writing on Gift MDI, images courtesy of Gift MDI. Keep checking back on the Web site for new additions. For mail delivery of physical gift certificates in time for Christmas, order online no later than Dec. 17. Purchase of e-mailed Gift MDI certificates can be made as late as Dec. 23, which can then be redeemed for use at more than 100 local merchants or organizations. See Web site for FAQs.
