Acadia National Park – National Park Units

We recently had the opportunity to revisit Acadia National Park, in Maine. This is the country’s oldest national park east of the Mississippi river and Maine’s only national park. Once the playground of the wealthy, dotted with summer “cottages” and fancy hotels, Acadia preserves some of the most beautiful parts of Mount Desert Island.

Originally named Sieur de Monts National Monument in 1916, with just 5,000 acres of donated land; today’s Acadia National Park preserves more than 47,000 acres, on Mount Desert Island as well as the nearby Schoodic peninsula and a few islands accessible only by boat. Isle du Haut offers overnight stays in the lighthouse keeper’s house.

Mount Desert Island

The main part of the park is on Mount Desert Island, accessible only by bridge or ferry. It is a lovely place, with 45 miles of carriage roads that weave their way through the park, a gift of John D. Rockefeller and his family with the goal of offering visitors a way of enjoying the heart of the island, motor-free.

These 10 feet wide paths welcome walkers, cyclists and horse drawn carriages, or in winter cross-country skiers and snowshoers.It is a wonderful way to really experience some of the quieter places and serene beauty of the island.

Hikers can enjoy over 150 miles of hiking trails, ranging from easy coastal hikes to hikes up to summits where you will be rewarded with gorgeous views. Alternatively you can drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain and take the scenic drive around the island, enjoying picturesque seaside towns. It really is a lovely place.

But, like many of America’s favorite national parks, this also means that there are crowds. Acadia gets over 3.5 million visitors per year. So, if you are like us, you will want to visit in offseason, or perhaps consider visiting the quieter side of Acadia.

Schoodic Peninsula

Located on the east side of Acadia, the Schoodic area is the only part of the park that is on the mainland. It gets about 1/10th of the visitors – around 338,000 visitors annually. Schoodic – meaning “the end” – is a long peninsula out into the sea.

There is just one way into that part of the park, which leads you on a 6 mile one-way scenic loop drive. You will start at the visitor center, which is at the campground (take note, it is the only campground inside Acadia National Park with RV hookups.) It ends in Birch Bay, a cute little seaside town with a restaurant/pub and ice cream!

The scenic drive offers lovely views of Mount Desert Island, remote beaches and rocky, windswept points. There are several places to park and explore the tide pools, or go for a hike. There are 7.5 miles of hiking trails, from short and easy to challenging, some with amazing views.

We combined a few and hiked up to Schoodic Head.

We didn’t see more than half a dozen people on the trail, but we did meet a lovely couple who got engaged at the peak! How romantic.

This part of the park also boasts several miles of carriage trails, perfect for walking and cycling. In fact, Schoodic is a cyclist’s dream. It is very safe and not very difficult. You can start at the campground and ride along the very wide one-way loop rode, then circle back via a carriage road. Or, pick up the free Island Shuttle (with bike racks) which will take you to Winter Harbor, the ferry to Bar Harbor, or back to the campground.

Lobster Boat Races

Our visit this time coincided with the annual lobster boat races. They are held in Maine seaside towns throughout the summer, so be sure to check the schedule. By coincidence, we saw the lobster boat races the last time we visited Acadia over 25 years ago. What fun!

If you have a few days at Acadia, we would highly recommend an escape to this quieter side of the national park.

Castine, Maine

While we are talking about the quieter side of Acadia, we have to make a plug for the quaint little community of Castine, Maine. We found this place quite by accident. It is a bit to the west of Acadia, so not particularly convenient, but it is a lovely little town. The people there are delightful and they are so proud of their history – French, Spanish, Dutch, British and finally American.

The free Historical Society exhibits are really interesting. And, if you walk around town, you can’t miss all the signs talking about the events that occurred at that place. It is much quieter than many of the more well known towns like Bar Harbor, but still offers lots to do – rent kayaks, take a boat cruise, visit a fort and a lighthouse, tour an 18th century house, and soak up the history.

Are you trying to visit all the National Parks, or National Park Units?

If your goal is to visit them, one or all, we’d love to help you strategize. Give us a call at (480) 609-3978 or drop us a note here. We always enjoy talking with people who share our passion for visiting these gems of the National Park Service.

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