TRIP REPORT - The Devil's Oven (Mount Desert Island)

       For as long as man has been on Mount Desert Island, strange lights have been seen coming from inside the ‘oven’, a ten foot high cave with a skull-like appearance when viewed from the sea. The native tribes were weary of the cave-like overhang, claiming it was a portal to the underworld. It gets worse. As a form of punishment, particularly against the white man invading their land and massacring their people, they would tie the worst offenders to a stake in the cave and let them drown as high tide rolled in. Deeming it a gateway to Hell, they were essentially damning the souls of their victims for eternity. Kind of makes you want to visit this place, doesn’t it?

        Along Route 3, heading towards Bar Harbor, just before arriving in Hull’s Cove you’ll pass the Bar Harbor Campground, followed by the High Seas Motel. Approximately 0.3 mile after the motel take a left onto Sand Point Road. Follow it for a 0.1 mile where you’ll take a right onto Degregoire Park. The road is narrow with very few places to park. If possible, do this in the off-season when the summer homes are vacant as to not disturb the residents.

        Follow the clear path to the shore. As soon as you hit the rocky coastline there will be a drainpipe spewing water onto the ledges, creating an interesting little waterfall. There are numerous potholes formed by waves at the base of the cliffs on your left known as ‘ovens’. The hollowed out shallow caves are located along the high tide line and are home to tons of neat overhangs and jagged crevices. Now keep in mind, you’ll need to do this during low tide or you’ll make it almost all the way there only to find the ovens submerged.

        After half a mile of walking along the rocky beach you’ll pass by an incredible private staircase owned by the Inn At Bay Ledge. Both Cathedral Rock and the Ovens are located on their property as well, so be respectful and if at all possible visit this one between November and April when the inn is closed for the season.

         Immediately following the wooden staircase is a protruding ledge known as Cathedral Rock. It was once a popular tourist attraction, complete with its own postcards. Today it is mainly visited by kayakers and patrons of the inn. Vertical fractures in the rock have been eaten away by the waves, forming a small arch. What we’re left with is a doorway, a passage through the rock ledge known as Via Mala, road to evil. Although this natural tunnel is only a few feet long, I’ll be damned if my heart doesn’t race while walking through it.

         On the other side of the passageway lies the infamous Devil’s Oven. Slightly deeper than the other ovens, it is tinged with an eerie aura. Strands of yellow sulfur cut through the cave walls, a chemical element closely associated with the depths of Hell, once referred to as brimstone. Coupled with the plentiful red and orange iron ore, the cave takes on a fiery appearance. If you look at the rugged rock outline from inside the ovens, you can make out silhouettes of faces, one in particular bears a striking resemblance to the devil himself. Whether or not the oven is a gateway to Hell is debatable but it certainly is a remarkable place.

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