34 Best Sights in Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island, Maine

This important museum dedicated to Maine's Indigenous tribes—collectively known as the Wabanaki—is the state's only Smithsonian-affiliated facility and one of the few places in Maine to experience Native culture as interpreted by Native peoples themselves. Spanning 12,000 years, the "core" exhibit, People of the First Light, features items such as birch bark canoes, basketry, and bone tools as well as photos and interactive displays. Changing exhibits often showcase contemporary Native American art. A birchbark canoe made at the Abbe anchors the free Orientation Gallery beside the gift shop at the entrance. Check the website for events, from basket weaving and boatbuilding demonstrations to author talks and family-friendly pop-up rainy days activities.

Opened in 1928, the Abbe's Acadia National Park location at Sieur de Monts is its original home. Longtime exhibits in the small eight-sided building include artifacts from early digs on Mount Desert Island and dioramas of Native American life here before European settlement.

This important museum dedicated to Maine's indigenous tribes—collectively known as the Wabanaki—is the state's only Smithsonian-affiliated facility and one of the few places in Maine to experience Native culture as interpreted by Native peoples themselves. The year-round archaeology exhibit displays spear points, bone tools, and other artifacts found around Mount Desert Island and exhibits often feature contemporary Native American art, and there are frequent demonstrations of everything from boatbuilding to basket weaving. Call on rainy days for impromptu children's activities. A second location, inside the park at Sieur de Monts Spring, open only during the summer, features artifacts from the earliest digs around the island.

Built in 1858, this is one of Maine’s most photographed lighthouses; it's been a part of Acadia National Park since 2020. Now automated, it marks the entrance to Bass Harbor and Blue Hill Bay at the island’s southernmost point nearly 2 miles below Bass Harbor village. You can't go inside, but a walkway brings you to a seaside viewing area with placards about its history. The small parking lot typically fills for sunset viewing in high season and parking isn’t allowed on the entrance road or on Route 102A. The free Island Explorer bus doesn’t serve the lighthouse.

One of Acadia’s premier attractions, 1,530-foot Cadillac Mountain is the Eastern Seaboard's tallest mountain. Stunning panoramic views sweep across bays, islands, and mountains on and off Mount Desert Island. You can see Bar Harbor below on the northeast side and Eagle Lake to the west. Low-lying vegetation like pitch pine and wild blueberry plants accent granite slabs in the "subalpine-like" environment. There’s a paved summit loop trail and several hiking trails up Cadillac, named for a Frenchman who explored here in the late 1600s and later founded Detroit. From mid-May–mid-October, a vehicle reservation (done through  www.recreation.gov) is needed to drive to the summit. Sunrise slots are in high demand, as this is one of the first places in the country to see first light, not to mention the perfect spot to watch the sunset or stargaze in the spring and fall—Bar Harbor’s light ordinance helps with that. 

Soak up the mountain scenery, listen for the call of loons, and watch for cliff-nesting peregrine falcons along the 3.3-mile trail around this 187-acre tarn—a mountain lake formed by retreating glaciers—on Park Loop Road’s two-way portion. Several carriage roads converge here, one marked by a fanciful gatehouse, one of two on the road network. Visitors kayak and canoe on the deep water (no swimming) and gaze down on Great Pond after hiking up nearby mountains. A popular choice is The Bubbles, with twin peaks whose distinct shape makes up for what they lack in size. They rise across the water from Jordan Pond House Restaurant, where folks come for popovers served with strawberry jam and tea, hoping for a table on the expansive lawn—a tradition started in the 1890s in the original Jordan Pond House, which burned in 1979. The rebuild has a two-story gift shop and, on the upper level, an observation deck and Carriage Road Carry Out, with to-go items like sandwiches and salads—or try the popover sundae. Parking lots here fill fast in high season; consider biking or taking the free Island Explorer bus.

This 27-mile road provides a perfect introduction to the park. You can drive it in an hour, but allow at least half a day, so that you can explore the many sites along the way, including Thunder Hole, Sand Beach, and Otter Cliff. The route is also served by the free Island Explorer buses. Traffic is one-way from near the Route 233 entrance to the Stanley Brook Road entrance south of the Jordan Pond House. The 2-mile section known as Ocean Drive is open year-round, as is a small section that provides access to Jordan Pond from Seal Harbor.

Massed granite ledges meet crashing waves at Schoodic Peninsula's tip, off the loop road at the end of Arey Cove Road. Dark basalt rock slices through pink granite, to dramatic effect. Look east for a close view of Little Moose Island; a bit farther away to the west is a sidelong view of Mount Desert Island; and to the south, an inspiring open ocean view. There are bathrooms and a good-size parking area. 

About 65 immaculately maintained vehicles from the “Brass Era”—the beginning of auto production until about 1915—are displayed in this large warehouse-type space. There are gasoline, steam, and electric vehicles; each has a sign detailing its history. The big red 1914 Stanley Mountain Wagon was used to ferry passengers between the train station and lodging—the term "station wagon" derives from such vehicles. Enticing not only car buffs, the changing exhibit (new every two years) also highlights the impact of early automobiles on society and culture ("Engines of Change" explored how autos helped drive the suffragette movement). There are also 30-plus vintage motorcycles. Kids of all ages love hopping a ride on vehicles taken outside for "exercise" and a close-up look (catch-as-catch-can but call ahead to up the odds). On Tuesday, you can watch car mechanics at work. For Cars & Coffee on select Saturdays, folks head over in historic and unique vehicles; admission is free during the event, however you arrive, and always free for kids (under age 18). Check the website for information about other special events.

The seasonal ranger-staffed Nature Center is the first major stop along the Park Loop Road. There are exhibits about the park's conservation efforts, as well as a park information center. The area is known as the “Heart of Acadia,” which memorializes George Dorr, Acadia National Park’s first superintendent, and includes walking trails, Sieur de Monts Spring, Wild Gardens of Acadia, and Abbe Museum (its main location is in downtown Bar Harbor), which honors the area’s Native American heritage. 

This 681-foot peak is situated between Echo Lake to the east and Somes Sound to the west and is accessible via Route 102. The only mountain on Mount Desert Island that lies east--west rather than north--south, it features a popular summit trail with outstanding and expansive views.

Offering one of Acadia National Park’s more unique experiences, Bar Island is only accessible by foot and during a three-hour window when low tide exposes a ½-mile gravel bar connecting Bar Island to Bar Harbor. The entire Bar Island trail offers an easy 1.9-mile round-trip hike; once on the island you can enjoy views of Bar Harbor and Frenchman Bay. Make sure to check the tide charts before setting out, because once covered by rising tidal waters it’ll be another nine hours before the land bridge is once again exposed.

This seasonally opened picnic area is located just past the entrance to Sieur de Monts along the one-way section of the Park Loop Road. Trees shade most of its 35 sites. A restroom is available.

A unique payoff awaits on this 1.2-mile round-trip hike: a fire lookout tower where you can enjoy views of Somes Sound, Echo Lake, Acadia Mountain, and beyond from its platform. The forested and rocky trail is popular with sunset seekers, who are reminded to carry appropriate clothing and headlamps for the descent. Moderate.

Swans Island is a picturesque 6-mile ferry ride from Bass Harbor at the bottom of Mount Desert Island. There are numerous outdoor activities, like hiking, swimming, fishing, and biking, but the 35-foot-tall white Burnt Coat Harbor Lighthouse on the south shore is not to be missed. Both the light and the keeper's house, which has history exhibits, an art gallery, bathrooms, and a small gift shop, are open from late June to early September. An apartment upstairs can be rented on a weekly basis from June through October. Aside from vacation rentals, there's only one lodging, the five-room Harbor Watch Inn ( www.harborwatchinnswansisland.com). The Island Market & Supply ( www.tims-swans-island.com) is a great place to get picnic supplies or other general store needs.

For almost 100 years beginning in the early 1800s, three generations of the Carroll family homesteaded at this small-scale farm that was donated to the park in 1982. A few miles north of the village of Southwest Harbor, the weathered farmhouse still stands and is occasionally opened for ranger-led tours during the summer; check the park website for details.

Just beyond Bar Harbor proper, this easy 0.8-mile round-trip trail through woods to the shore passes through land that belonged to George B. Dorr—Acadia National Park’s first superintendent and a key player in its creation. Views extend to Ironbound Island across Frenchman Bay, and you can check out remnants of Dorr's estate, including the manor house's foundation, remains of a saltwater pool, stone steps to the ocean, and old gardens and apple trees. Easy.

A quiet lake surrounded by woods in the shadow of Beech Mountain, Echo Lake is one of Acadia’s few swimming beaches. The water is considerably warmer, if muckier, than nearby ocean beaches, and dogs are allowed in the off-season. The surrounding trail network skirts the lake and ascends the mountain. A boat ramp is north of here along Route 102 at Ikes Point. Amenities: lifeguards (at times); parking; toilets. Best for: sunset; swimming; solitude. 

Open year-round, with 23 sites and restrooms, Fabbri is beyond Otter Point via the one-way section of Park Loop Road and also accessible from Otter Cliff Road.

Just before the start of the one-way section of the loop road, this serene spot has views across to Winter Harbor and out to nearby islands. Open year-round, it has 26 sites and a handicapped-accessible pier where you can fish, launch your canoe or kayak, or simply soak up the view. For the warm months, a float dock is attached to the pier.

Housed in the town's former fire station, this museum promotes and celebrates the Mount Desert Island region's maritime heritage. Inside, a map of the Great Harbor at the mouth of Somes Sound anchors a display that helps visitors orient themselves to the area as well as the museum. Interesting changing exhibits about local history have a nautical theme and include photographs and objects like ship models from the museum’s collection as well as other area institutions.

This is a great spot to get your bearings. A large 3D relief map of Mount Desert Island gives you the lay of the land, and there are free park and carriage road maps. The gift shop sells hiking maps, guidebooks, and a CD for a self-driving park tour and is well-stocked with books about Acadia. Ranger-led programs include guided hikes and other interpretive events, and there are Junior Ranger programs for kids, family-friendly campfire talks at campground amphitheaters (open to all visitors), and night sky talks at Sand Beach. 

The scent of fir and spruce trees mingle with the ocean’s salty tang at this secluded seasonal picnic spot on the quiet western side of Mount Desert Island. A handful of picnic tables, including the park's only covered ones, are set close to a stairway leading down to the shore alongside Pretty Marsh Harbor.

This impressive 1934 structure resembles a mansion but was built as housing for personnel at the U.S. Navy base that operated on Schoodic Peninsula for decades. Now part of Schoodic Institute, an Acadia-affiliated research and education nonprofit, the first floor houses a seasonal park welcome center. You can get information, watch a video about Schoodic, and check out kid-friendly exhibits about this neck of Acadia and the navy base. There's a small gift shop area. An automated fee machine inside the gatehouse at the complex's entrance sells Acadia weekly park passes.

At this 290-yard-long pocket beach, hugged by picturesque rocky outcroppings, the combination of crashing waves and chilly water (normal range is 50--60°F) keeps most people on the beach. You'll find some swimmers at the height of summer, when lifeguards may be on duty, but the rest of the year this is a place for strolling and snapping photos. In fact, when the official swimming season (mid-June to early September) ends, more activities are allowed, from fishing and surfing to dog walking and boat launching/landing. Amenities: parking; toilets. Best for: solitude; sunrise; walking.

You can drive up or walk up to the 440-foot summit —the highest point in these Acadia lands—along a narrow 1-mile gravel road. It's unmarked, so watch for it 2½ miles from the start of the one-way portion of Schoodic Loop Road. Prefer an actual hiking trail? You've got options: plot your course for an easier or longer way up, or down. Starting at Schoodic Woods Campground, Buck Cove Mountain Trail—Schoodic's longest at 3.2 miles—summits its namesake before climbing Schoodic Head’s north face. On the southeastern side, the challenging 1.1-mile Anvil trail links with 0.6-mile Schoodic Head Trail to the summit, as does the easy 0.6-mile Alder Trail. Trailheads for both are along the loop drive near the Blueberry Hill parking area; hikers often combine them. A bit farther is a terminus for the ½-mile East Trail; this challenging, steep climb up Schoodic Head’s east face connects, near the summit, with Schoodic Head Trail. Regardless of your route, on a clear day atop Schoodic Head, spectacular views flow across the forested peninsula and island-dotted Frenchman Bay to Cadillac Mountain.

Formerly apartments and offices for the U.S. Navy base that operated here for decades, this massive 1934 French Eclectic-style structure is on the National Registry of Historic Places. Today, the building is known as Rockefeller Hall, and its home to the Schoodic Institute, which is home base for many ranger-led programs and family-friendly activities at the park’s Schoodic District, including public programs of its own (some have fees and require overnight stays; check the institute's website for more information); it’s the largest facility of its kind at a national park. The Rockefeller Welcome Center is on the first floor.

Less than a mile from the entrance to Schoodic Woods Campground and Ranger Station, and just beyond Frazer Point Picnic Area, the only road into the park becomes one-way and continues for about 6 miles to the park exit (no RVs are allowed on the road after the campground entrance). Edging the coast and sprinkled with pullouts, the first few miles yield views of Grindstone Neck, Winter Harbor, Winter Harbor Lighthouse, and, across the water, Cadillac Mountain. After a few miles, a two-way spur, Arey Cove Road, passes Schoodic Institute en route to Schoodic Point. Here, huge slabs of pink granite lie jumbled along the shore, thrashed unmercifully by the crashing surf, and jack pines cling to life amid the rocks. Continuing on the loop road, stop at Blueberry Hill parking area to look out on near-shore islands. The Anvil and Alder trailheads are near here. From the park exit, continue two miles to Route 186 in Birch Harbor. There's a biking path trailhead with parking at the exit and another one about midway to Route 186, both on your left.

Built with materials from the surrounding region and opened in 2015 along with the campground here, this striking post-and-beam structure serves double duty as campground host and information center—Acadia passes and Federal Lands passes are sold. Inside, a large Schoodic District relief map centers the room, which has a gift shop area and exhibits, some hands-on, about the park. Comfy chairs flank a fireplace, inviting visitors to relax, pamphlet in hand, after chatting with a ranger or park volunteer. Outside, the setting is village-like, with walkways and handsome signage for bike paths that converge here, a stop for the free Island Explorer buses, and restrooms in a cabin-like building. Trailheads for 3.2-mile Buck Cove Mountain and 1.5-mile Lower Harbor trails are nearby. A campground amphitheater hosts ranger programs for park visitors and campers.

This 14-site picnic area, open year-round, has restrooms. Tables are perched along the shoreline with water views. The park’s Seawall Campground is across the road.

Popular with families and birders, this 1.3-mile figure-8 trail loops through woods and follows a sheltered cove where you may spot great blue herons feeding in the mudflats during low tide. Easy