Attractions
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Attractions |
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| Getting There | Lodging | Restaurants | Hiking | Cruises | Attractions |
On a map, Acadia is one of the smaller national parks. But it's deceptive. There is a lot to see and do. To do Acadia justice you need to spend a week here. Remember, you cannot quickly drive from one attraction to another. These narrow, winding roads were built for a time when far fewer people came, bumper to bumper traffic will slow you down, and when you get to your next attraction you'll need 60-90 minutes to find a parking space. Complicating this situation, you can only get out to the islands by ferries, and the drive around Frenchman's Bay to Schoodic Peninsula takes a full hour. Assume, to start with, you're going to hike at least the most famous trails. Then assume you're going to take the four cruises. Already, you're short of time. We'll make suggestions about how to combine attractions to cut driving. |
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| Since it takes a full hour to drive over and a full hour to drive back, and you'll have stops once there that you'll be reluctant to leave, the Schoodic Peninsula might take up a whole day. The two photos above and the one here at right show why this is such a spectacular place. The deep water allows high waves to crash full force on the rocky cliffs, exploding upward in 40 foot plumes and loud roars. Schoodic Drive hugs the shoreline, so you'll want to stop several times for photos and just to sit or stand and enjoy the excitement. But your longest stop will be at Schoodic Point, seen in the top photo. Remember at all these stops to be careful. Those warning signs are serious. These waves wash up over these terraces with tremendous force and can easily wash someone off the rocks and down into the water. It happens to several people a year. The Schoodic Peninsula is one of the most dramatic places in America to watch the full power of Nature unleashed. To get there, take Route 3 west from Bar Harbor, turn right onto Route 1, turn right onto Route 186, and turn right onto Schoodic Loop Road. |
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As part of your trip to Schoodic Peninsula, you have to stop by Reversing Falls, sometimes called Tidal Falls. This is a waterfall which flows in one direction as the tide comes in and the other direction as it goes out. You should pick up a tide chart as soon as you arrive in Bar Harbor so you can plan your trips to Schoodic Peninsula, Tidal Falls and Thunder Hole to catch the tide cycle. To reach Reversing Falls, follow Route 1 toward the Schoodic Peninsula. The Falls is eight miles from Ellsworth, just on the right before the Taunton River Bridge. There's a little park surrounding the Falls. You'll probably see Seals playing in the water as the Falls rise and fall with each tidal cycle. You should stop both on the way over to Schoodic Peninsula and back so you'll catch the Falls flowing both ways. |
| The third famous wave crashing site is Thunder Hole, just off the Park Loop Road a few miles down from Bar Harbor. Since it's easier to get to, Thunder Hole draws huge crowds. Once again, waves are funneled into narrow openings where they crash with jet plane or thunder sounds and kick up 40 foot sprays. To see Thunder Hole at its best you need to be here two hours before high tide. 90 minutes approaching high tide produce the loudest noises and highest sprays. At actual high tide, and then as the tide ebbs out, the waves are much less and so are the sounds and sprays. Thunder Hole is less impressive than Schoodic Point, but is worth visiting to watch the crowds. The really brave venture out the walkway and hang onto the steel railing while they get drenched by oncoming waves, or climb onto the rocky crag where they look down on the spray as it rises and drenches them. The craziness of wave lovers is as entertaining as the waves themselves. You need to get here a full two hours before high tide to find a parking space. By 90 minutes before the spaces are all taken and you'll end up parking along the road and walking a mile or more. |  |
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When John D. Rockefeller owned this property he had 48 miles of Carriage Roads built so he and his guests could ride horseback or horse drawn carriages around to its most scenic points. He loved architecture, especially bridges, so he had 16 stone arch bridges built so he could admire them as he rode about the property. No motor vehicles have ever been allowed on these roads. Today, you can ride carriages, horses or bicycles or just hike the Carriage Roads. You can rent electric bikes in Bar Harbor or horses or carriages at Jordan Pond. They are unique to Acadia; no other national park has such a network. With electric bikes you can ride the entire 48 miles in one long day and it's a magnificent experience. But it's a popular activity so like most Acadian attractions you need advance reservations. |
| Northeast Harbor is around the other side of Acadia National Park from Bar Harbor. It's the most picturesque classic fishing village in Maine. It's not a tourist town. Instead, it's a town based on fishing : Lobster fishing, charter fishing both onshore and off shore, and commercial fishing for Cod, Haddock, Scallops, Hake and Herring. The few small restaurants serve fresh seafood right off the docks. Main Street looks like a movie set. Ferries to Great Cranberry Island and Little Cranberry Island depart from here. The author of Murder She Wrote set the series here but renamed it Cabot Cove; he was disappointed when Hollywood decided to film it in Mendocino, California. But parts of other TV series and full length movies have been filmed here. Several celebrities also have homes here. Many frequent Acadia visitors stay here for a more authentic experience than Bar Harbor. Trails lead out of town to Jordan Pond, Norumbega Mountain, Upper and Lower Hadlock Ponds, Asticou Ridge, Eliot Mountain and Sargent Ridge. As you follow Route 3 around the park this might be a fine lunch stop. |  |
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