Acadia is the oldest national park east of the Mississippi River and remains one of the most popular in the country. This spellbinding preserve offers a combination of spruce forests, rocky shores and placid bays with intriguing little islands. Because summits are so open, hikers are quickly into the views. Although the park encompasses several different areas, the part most often visited is on Mount Desert Island, surrounding Bar Harbor. The prime sightseeing route is Park Loop Road, which provides great views of Frenchman Bay and runs near several points of interest.
At Sieur de Monts Spring, you can visit the Wild Gardens of Acadia, which identifies various plants found within the park, and a branch of the Abbe Museum, which relates the history of the Native American inhabitants of the area. The museum is open late May-late October. US$2 adults. Phone 207-288-3519.
Farther south is Sand Beach, where the beach is composed primarily of teensy fragments of mollusk shells. From the eastern end of the beach you can walk the cliff-top loop of Great Head Trail for views of Frenchman Bay and Gorham Mountain (a moderately difficult walk). Beyond Sand Beach are Thunder Hole (an oceanfront chasm known for its thundering echo of crashing waves) and Otter Cliffs (a forest-covered precipice above the sea).
After Park Loop Road swings north, you'll reach Jordan Pond. Take a stroll on the Jordan Pond Nature Trail, a 1-mi/2-km self-guided walkway. Then, in keeping with a century-old tradition, enjoy tea, popovers and homemade ice cream at the Jordan Pond House.
If you're visiting on a clear day, take the road to the literal high point of your tour—at 1,530 ft/465 m, the summit of Cadillac Mountain is the highest peak on the Atlantic coast. From there, you'll be able to see the Porcupine Islands in Frenchman Bay.
One of our favorite remnants of the island's golden era is the charming system of carriage roads built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. He created the roads, which are off-limits to motor vehicles, after an attempt to thwart the arrival of motorcars on the island. Most of the roads are within the national park, and they make a great place for a stroll, a bike ride or (during winter) a cross-country ski outing. If you'd like to tour the carriage roads in a horse-drawn carriage, excursions depart from Wildwood Stables.
We also recommend the section of the park known as Schoodic Point, on the opposite side of Frenchman Bay from Bar Harbor. It can be reached from the town of Winter Harbor by following the National Park Service signs for Schoodic Peninsula. The views along the bay on this one-way road are second to none.
If there's a drawback to Acadia National Park, it's that it attracts a lot of people. But, with a little advance planning, we found that even a visit in busy August can be rewarding: Pack a lunch, get an early start, and head for some of the park's less traveled hiking trails (stop at the visitors center at Hull's Cove for a map and information). More solitude is available at the harder-to-reach areas outside Mount Desert Island. http://www.nps.gov/acad.
