Amazing Acadia

A vacation in Acadia National Park is a symphony for the senses. The smell of salt in the air intertwines with the sound of roaring surf amid a ruggedly pristine landscape where mountains meet the sea. Last summer, my family and I spent a week immersing ourselves in this natural symphony.

We rented a home on Mount Desert Island, the largest island off the coast of Maine and where most of the 47,000-acre national park resides. Even though Acadia is one of our nation’s smaller national parks, it boasts nearly 60 miles of coastline, 150 miles of hiking trails and a 27-mile Park Loop Road. With time to sink into this setting, we kept a slower pace to savor our daily adventures, stopping every so often at roadside lobster shacks for a fresh-from-the-ocean feast. Here are our highlights.

Cadillac Mountain sunrise; Photo courtesy of NPS/Parkinson

CADILLAC MOUNTAIN
The highest point on the North Atlantic Coast offers panoramas of coastal landscape, including islands and the Atlantic Ocean. It’s the first place on the East Coast to see the sun’s rays each morning, making it a popular spot at sunrise. My family likes to sleep in while on vacation, however, so we arrived before sunset to enjoy a picnic perched high above the ocean.

Note: Timed vehicle reservations are required for those who wish to drive up and park at the summit. They can be made up to 90 days in advance.

CARRIAGE ROADS
Acadia is home to 45 miles of immaculately maintained, automobile-free roads that crisscross the park. They meander over hand-built stone bridges that blend seamlessly into the landscape and through pristine settings—from woodlands to waterfalls to lakes—that distance you from modern-day noise.

While most visitors bike or hike Acadia’s carriage roads, my family decided to give our legs a rest by booking a horse-drawn carriage tour that began at Wildwood Stables, the only horse stable within the park. It was a peaceful morning trot that felt like a step back in time, narrated by an amusing guide who brought the history of the park to life and made me grateful to philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. for his foresight and funding of these pathways.

Sand Beach; Photo courtesy of NPS/Will Greene

SAND BEACH
Nestled against the granite-girdled cliffs that hug the coastline, this is the largest sandy beach in Acadia. We spent time building sandcastles, dipping our toes in the chilly ocean waters, and carefully climbing the massive rocks that fringe the edges of the beach.

While many come to Sand Beach to start one of Acadia’s most popular hikes, the Beehive Loop, we knew that its challenging rung-and-ladder sections would be a no-go with our toddler daughter. Instead, we spent a morning hiking up the Great Head Trail, a 1.9-mile loop accessible from Sand Beach. It offered an exhilarating mix of dramatic ocean vistas, historic ruins and rocky scrambles that tested my husband’s balance as he navigated the climb while wearing our amused daughter in a backpack carrier.

Wonderland Trail; Photo by Erica Bray

WONDERLAND TRAIL
Hikes with a big payoff needn’t be strenuous. One of the most accessible and family-friendly coastal trails in Acadia, this flat, gravel path loops 1.4 miles out to the ocean and back. A short walk through a forest of spruce and pine leads to a long stretch of granite flats perfect for tidepooling. My family happily lost track of time at this oceanfront setting while searching for barnacles, crabs, sponges and snails.

The author’s family enjoys Hunters Beach; Photo by Erica Bray

HUNTERS BEACH
Often overlooked by visitors to Acadia, this place was one of the most enchanting we visited. We began with a short hike through a canopy of pine forest alongside a babbling brook. It so reminded me of a woodland storybook setting that I was half-expecting to greet fairies and gnomes. Once the forest opens to the ocean, however, it’s precisely what I envisioned of Maine before arriving: a gorgeously rugged cove framed by towering cliffs and covered with ocean-tumbled rocks.

We had the place to ourselves and arrived at low tide, a time when the beach looked particularly otherworldly, as the exposed rocks were moss-covered in a vibrant green that further enhanced the fairy-tale appeal. (Don’t mix up Hunters Beach with Little Hunters Beach, a separate location within the park.)

JORDAN POND
If Acadia had an “It Girl” locale, this serene pond would be it. Surrounded by stunning mountain scenery, it’s picture-perfect from every angle. My family enjoyed strolling a section of the 3.5-mile walking trail around the shoreline of the lake, playing a game of “Eye Spy” featuring frogs and birds. The park’s only full-service restaurant, Jordan Pond House, famous for its afternoon tea with popovers and strawberry jam, is here. If you can’t score a reservation, bring some goodies from a local bakery for a picnic overlooking the lake.

Schoodic Point; Photo Courtesy of NPS/Victoria Stauffenberg

SCHOODIC PENINSULA
Not many visitors to Acadia make it to the nearly 2,300 acres of the park residing on the mainland. Those who do, however, are richly rewarded as this piece of the park is purposely managed as a minimally developed, low-visitation area. My family made the 75-minute drive from Bar Harbor to this peninsula region while a cruise ship was docked in town, as we wanted to avoid crowds that would inevitably flock to Acadia’s more easily accessible landmarks.

Schoodic Point was our favorite spot along the Schoodic Peninsula Loop, a scenic drive offering ocean-view pullouts and hikes that feature lighthouses, lobster boats and forested islands. We spent a few hours scrambling across the massive pink slabs of granite that extend toward the Atlantic, weaving in periods of sitting in silence, simply listening to and watching the pounding surf amid endless ocean views. We even met a few locals who set up lawn chairs on the granite to do the same.

It was this lesser-traveled section of Acadia, most of all, that hushed me, wowed me and inspired me to vow a return.