Acadia
Granite coastline, carriage roads and the first sunrise view in the US for part of the year.
- Hours
- Open 24 hours, all year
- Entry
- $35 per car
- Reservations
- Required in season
- Size
- 49,000 acres
Acadia Weather Now
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Acadia was the first national park east of the Mississippi, and much of it was assembled from land donated by summer residents of Mount Desert Island. The result is a compact park where pink granite mountains drop straight into the cold Atlantic, with spruce forest, quiet ponds and fishing harbors tucked in between.
The park's most distinctive feature is its network of carriage roads, built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. between 1913 and 1940. These 45 miles of car-free gravel roads wind past lakes and across 16 hand-cut stone bridges. Cadillac Mountain, at 1,530 feet, is the highest point on the US Atlantic coast, and from early October to early March it is among the first places in the country to see the sunrise.
The park and surrounding area
- Other parks
- Major highway
- Road
- Rivers and lakes
- Town
The park boundary isn't included in this map's data source, so the park is shown by its icon.
Plan your trip
- Best time to go
- June to early October. Fall color usually peaks in early to mid-October.
- How long to stay
- 2 to 3 days.
- Getting there
- Bangor (BGR) is about an hour away. Portland, Maine is about 3 hours and Boston about 5.
- Wildlife
- Harbor seals, peregrine falcons, white-tailed deer, and puffins on boat tours to offshore islands.
Plan and book
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Where to stay
- Hotels in Bar Harbor (opens in a new tab)Maine
- Hotels in Southwest Harbor (opens in a new tab)Maine
- Hotels in Ellsworth (opens in a new tab)Maine
- No lodging inside the park. The towns above are the closest bases.
Tours and activities
- Guided tours on Viator (opens in a new tab)Day trips, wildlife, photography
- Tours on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)Compare options and reviews
- Campsites on Recreation.gov (opens in a new tab)Official federal booking site
What to pack for Acadia
- WindbreakerCoastal wind makes summit sunrises cold.
- Bike helmetFor riding the carriage roads.
- BinocularsFor seabirds, seals and whales offshore.
- Grippy hiking shoesGranite ledges get slick when wet.
- Warm hatCadillac Mountain sunrise is chilly year round.
A first day, start to finish
- Sunrise on Cadillac Mountain (vehicle reservation needed in season)
- Ocean Path past Sand Beach, Thunder Hole and Otter Cliff
- Popovers and the loop trail at Jordan Pond
- Bike the carriage roads
- Sunset at Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse
Don't miss
- Cadillac MountainHighest point on the US Atlantic coast; famous for sunrise.
- Jordan PondClear lake beneath the Bubbles, with a loop trail and popovers at the teahouse.
- Carriage roads45 miles of car-free gravel roads with stone bridges, great for bikes.
- Thunder HoleInlet where waves boom against the rock, strongest about two hours before high tide.
- Schoodic PeninsulaQuieter section across the bay with rocky shoreline.
Know before you go
Do
- Display your pass on the dashboard; it is checked at parking areas.
- Use the free Island Explorer bus in summer to skip parking hunts.
- Check tide times before visiting Thunder Hole or Bar Island.
Don't
- Get caught on the Bar Island sandbar as the tide comes in.
- Park outside designated spaces; violators are ticketed.
- Climb the iron-rung trails like Precipice if you're uneasy with heights.
Open 24 hours, all year. Most of the Park Loop Road closes to vehicles from December 1 to April 14. No winter camping.
Cadillac sunrise reservations go fast. They open on a rolling basis on Recreation.gov.Trekker's tip