ACADIA NATIONAL PARK
The Atlantic Ocean’s salty air, breathtaking sunrises, and dramatically craggy coastlines come together in eastern Maine for an unforgettable experience. With so much to offer, it’s no surprise that Acadia National Park ranks high on must-visit parks. This iconic place has witnessed the movements of different groups through thousands of years, from Native Americans to European settlers to today’s visitors.
Acadia National Park receives over 3 million visitors each year, so knowing what to do, when to go, and how to get there will be key. If it’s an option, taking a long weekend in this Maine gem will give you enough time to enjoy different aspects of the park.
Being in the park for two days was wonderful and we got to explore a lot but I still feel like we barely scratched the surface. Tourism expert, I am not, however I do hope you enjoy what I have captured and it inspires you to take the trip for yourself. Most impressive take away from my visit is the fact that everything I feature on this post is extremely accessible to everyone. Admittedly I was weary of the physical task of hiking and sightseeing (let alone in one of the hottest months + during Covid!) but it was ridiculously accommodating. While hikers delight in the strenuous effort of summiting for the ultimate view - Acadia views can be achievable by simply driving on through the Park Loop. Unbeknownst to me, the comfort of the vehicle actually provided me with a level of emotional peace. Socially distanced, germ free, mask free, mosquito free, and oh my goodness, the air conditioning! Kudos to the National Park Service for cultivating such a visual splendor for people of all abilities to experience.
The top of Cadillac Mountain
The Porcupines - Local legend says that the artists who visited Mount Desert Island beginning in the 1830s named these four islands in Frenchman Bay, just offshore from Bar Harbor. Staring out at the rounded tops with jagged tree points sticking up from them, and using an artist’s imagination, the story goes, they saw porcupines. With an emphasis on the pines.
Bar Harbor, Maine
A feast for Geologists! Massive continental glaciers that covered the highest peaks of Mount Desert Island and flowed into the Gulf of Maine created both depositional and erosional features of the landscape. Abrasion by debris in the glacial ice polished the bedrock and carved striations, grooves, and chatter marks in the granite.
A worthy stop off the beaten path, Marshall Point Lighthouse is a picturesque white lighthouse from 1858, with a keepers' house & a summer-only museum & gift shop. You may also recognize this scene as the one from Forest Gump as he is making his journey across the country on foot. Yes, we all took turns remaking the particular scene each running down the ramp.
Striations galore… I was obsessed with the preponderance that such tectonic pressure and harsh conditions could form these lines. Narrow-minded, I assumed the entire east coast was made up of only granite.
