Acadia National Park is known for its rugged, majestic and beautiful coastline. Highlights include Thunder Hole, Sand Beach and Cadillac Mountain.
Thunder Hole is a bit tricky to capture at the right time to hear the “Thunder” and to see water splashing up to 40 feet high. There were many times that we arrived at this popular tourist attraction to see barely a small splash from the small inlet in the rocky outcrop. This is ok, as the surrounding vistas are spectacular by themselves, so just enjoy the view. The best time to go is midway between low and high tide and up to two hours before high tide. This will maximize your chance of seeing a spectacular splash.
Cadillac Mountain – The summit can be accessed by several hiking trails, biking on the road, or driving. The summit is open 24 hours so you can enjoy the sunrise, sunset, or the enjoy the night sky if you can bring a telescope or binoculars. The top of Cadillac Mountain is one of the spots the sun shines first in the United States. If you feel up to a challenge, you can bike to the summit, which will give you an ultimate hill climb workout during the day. If you have the need for speed, you can have someone drive you and your bicycle to the summit, then ride the road down from the summit. During the day there is a gift shop/concessions available along with bathrooms.
Sand Beach is a nice spot to enjoy a beach and ocean. Due to the popularity of Sand Beach, parking spots can be hard to get on warm summer days. We recommend getting to Sand Beach early if you drive or use the Acadia National Park Island Explorer shuttle bus service either from the main Visitor Center in Acadia National Park or from the Bar Harbor Village Green at 19 Firefly Lane. The shuttle bus is free, although donations are welcome. The ocean temperature in the summer is between 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The seagulls will explore all bags and treats on the beach so you will want to ensure that all of your food is secured and not left unattended.
Hidden and not so well known treasures of Acadia National Park:
Schoodic Peninsula is part of Acadia National Park but apart from the better known Mt Desert Island portion of the park. It is approximately an hour’s drive from Mt Desert Island. The drive is worth it if you have the time. Schoodic Peninsula has spectacular breaking waves against granite slabs of rock jutting out into the ocean. It also has a campground and some short hiking trails, the longest one being 3.2 miles round trip.
Fjord of Acadia National Park or Somes Sound that almost cuts Mt Desert Island in half. You can see this if looking at a map of Maine, there are two distinct halves of Mt Desert Island. Sargeant Drive off of Rte 3 is a small but fairly long road that will take you right along the Sound with small turn-offs along the side of the road for one or two cars.
Other Activities
Biking the Carriage trails is a fun activity with wide trails, rolling hills, and nice scenery along the way. There are many picturesque lakes and ponds, beaver homes, and high points above Jordan Pond. One of the best spots to access the trail system is the far corner of the main visitor center parking lot as there is plenty of parking. We like to start from the visitor center mid-morning and make it to Jordan Pond just before lunch. Then have lunch and popovers outside on the lawn of the Jordan Pond House Restaurant, see Jordan Pond House at Acadia National Park. You will want to get there early as there can be a long wait, especially on nice weather weekends. You may also have problems finding a parking spot if driving to the restaurant, another reason to bike there.
