The Untamed Beauty of Acadia National Park

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Mount Desert Island (where the word desert comes from French and means 'barren, lonely, and deserted') is the crown jewel of Maine in the far northeastern part of the country. It is an island measuring 20 by 22.5 km (12 by 14 miles), with hiking trails, scenic viewpoints, hotels, and restaurants. It remains as charming as when the Rockefellers, Astors, Fords, Vanderbilts, and other 'rich and famous' established it as a vacation retreat at the start of the last century. Later, many of these families donated a large portion of the island to the state, and in 1929, about 60 percent of it was reserved for Acadia National Park.



This also included nearby small islands, resulting in a park of 14,000 hectares (34,595 acres) of wilderness. Here, you can drive along winding roads that hug the coast, past wave-eroded cliffs, go out to sea to watch whales, or visit great restaurants where divine food is paired with heavenly views.

The island’s timeless serenity is now tested by the increasing number of tourists — the impressive 32-kilometer (20-mile) Park Loop Road attracts large crowds of visitors (and not without reason). But motorized tourism is nothing new. When John D. Rockefeller Jr. was displeased with the arrival of noisy cars on the island in 1917, he began constructing an extensive 90-kilometer (56-mile) network of elegant, bridge-connected carriage paths. These paths are now considered among the most beautiful walking and cycling trails in the country.



Outside of the hiking season, these paths provide an excellent cross-country skiing circuit. Around 130 kilometers (81 miles) of hiking trails crisscross the island, offering stunning views to those who venture onto them. However, most visitors need a car to uphold the park tradition of watching the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain, at 467 meters (1,532 feet) the highest peak on the Atlantic coast of the USA and the first place in the country to catch the rays of the rising sun.

Be sure to visit Jordan Pond House along the Park Loop Road in time to enjoy tea and airy cakes on the restaurant’s lawn, a tradition that has lasted over a century. Stay overnight at the Bluenose Inn - Bar Harbor Hotel. This Mount Desert Island hotel offers panoramic views of Frenchman Bay and is less than a 10-minute drive from Acadia National Park. It features a spa, heated indoor and outdoor pools.

Best time to visit Acadia National Park

The park is open year-round, but the Park Loop Road is closed in winter. In general the best time is from July to August with the best weather and whale watching (but also the busiest time); spring and fall are also lovely. You can find more climate information here.