Acadia National Park Acadia National Park falls in the top ten list of most visited national parks in the United States, welcoming more than three million travelers every year. Planning a trip to this very popular park is sure to be worth your time. Be prepared ahead of your arrival and be sure to have a park entrance pass and separate vehicle reservation for the Cadillac Summit Road. Check nps.gov/acadia before you arrive and when you arrive, visit the Hulls Cove Visitor Center to speak with park rangers about your trip. What we now know as Acadia National Park has been the ancestral homeland of the Wabanaki people since time immemorial. Later, European colonists and settlers worked these woodlands and waters. Starting in the mid-19th century, wealthy summer residents, landscape architects and engineers, and skilled local craftsmen began formalizing extensive trail and carriage road networks and advocating for protection of this special place from development. In 1916, Woodrow Wilson established the park that now preserves more than 49,000 acres including the vast historic trail and carriage road network. The park encompasses nearly half of Mount Desert Island, many smaller islands, and a portion of the Schoodic Peninsula. Today’s visitors inherit the special responsibility of caring for this heritage landscape while enjoying all that Acadia has to offer. If you’re an early riser, drive, bike, or walk to watch the sunrise along Acadia’s beautiful rocky shoreline on Ocean Drive. From October to May, you’ll be among the first in the United States to see the dawning of a new day. Later enjoy dinner or simply stop in for popovers and strawberry jam at the famous Jordan Pond House, a delightful restaurant founded in the early 1870s. Motorists who drive the Park Loop Road enjoy a 27-mile ride along oceanside cliffs and mountain forests, stopping at scenic turnouts and notable attractions along the way, such as the mighty Thunder Hole and Sand Beach. The trip is a must. One of the most amazing features of Acadia National Park is the interlaced system of historic hiking trails and carriage roads. With varied lengths and levels of difficulty, the 125 miles of trails appeal to everyone from casual walkers to seasoned triathletes. Hike, bike, snowshoe, cross country ski – or go by horse-drawn carriage.
Photo by Julie Veilleux 14
2022 Visitors’ Guide
