Spring Painting in Acadia
One of the best reasons to get out in the park to paint or take photos in Spring is that you’ll have the place almost to yourself!
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WELCOME HOME TO ACADIA NATIONAL PARK
For anyone who loves the outdoors, Mount Desert Island offers unparalleled opportunities: explore the park’s vast network of hiking trails, from leisurely strolls along the ocean to more demanding ladder trails; kayak around the island’s many coves and inlets, feeling the rise and fall of the tides and coming face-to-face with some of the area’s distinctive marine wildlife; bicycle on over 60 miles of non-motorized carriage roads, while discovering the island’s rich history; welcome the day atop Cadillac Mountain; take a sunset cruise on Frenchman Bay; or sample some of Maine’s quintessential culinary delights.
Whatever your vacation plans, from active to unhurried, Mount Desert Island is at the center of scenic Maine. Let Visit Acadia be your virtual guidebook through the rich offerings of Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island, and Acadia National Park. Whether you’re looking for a hiking trail, an engaging museum or a relaxing spa treatment, Visit Acadia will point the way to the best of Mount Desert Island, Maine. We hope to welcome you soon!
EXPLORE THE ISLAND
Bar Harbor
Bar Harbor is the most popular destination for visitors to Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park. As the largest town center on the island, Bar Harbor has eclectic shops, restaurants, art galleries, hotels, and B&Bs, as well as many community facilities. Nearby are numerous beaches, lakes, ponds, and mountains, as well as the hiking, biking, and carriage trails of Acadia National Park.
Mount Desert
Mount Desert encompasses six villages across a large portion of Mount Desert Island – from Pretty Marsh on the western side through Somesville to Northeast and Seal Harbors and Otter Creek to the east. With a variety of wonderful harbors and waterways, historic architecture, lovely shops, and Acadia National Park bordering every village, Mount Desert has something for everyone.
Southwest Harbor
The youngest of Mount Desert Island’s four towns, Southwest Harbor split off from Tremont in 1905. It gets its name from its location at the southwest entrance of Somes Sound. The town seal features three words: Vacationing, Industry, and Fishing. Southwest Harbor ranks as one of the top commercial harbors in Maine, and the area is known for its fine boatbuilding and design – as well as beautiful lodging, shopping and dining options for those seeking a more restful and quiet visit to the island.
Tremont
Located on the southwestern side of Mount Desert Island, the municipality of Tremont includes the villages of West Tremont, Seal Cove, Bass Harbor, Bernard, and Gotts Island. The primary industry for the area is fishing, with lobster being the prevailing one. Locals lovingly refer to this part of Mount Desert Island as the “Backside” or the “Quietside” of the island.
The Outer Islands
Several islands are accessible from the main harbors on Mount Desert Island and offer spectacular panoramic views of the mountains of Acadia National Park. The outer island include Outer Long Island, Great Cranberry Island, Little Cranberry Island, Greening Island, Sutton Island and Swans Island. Ferry service is offered to several of the islands from Northeast Harbor, Southwest Harbor and Bass Harbor.
WHERE TO EAT
Lobster and blueberry pie isn’t the only thing on the menu when you visit Mount Desert Island & Acadia National Park. Find a delicious meal right here.
GO WILD!
The range of activities available on Mount Desert Island & in Acadia National Park is extensive, with the beautiful Maine coast providing a backdrop for it all.
POINTS OF INTEREST
There’s plenty to see and do on Mount Desert Island and in Acadia National Park, with magnificent views at every turn.
Read the Latest from the Blog
Winter Landscape Painting in Acadia
When I saw the freshly fallen snow outlining every cliff on Champlain Mountain, the scene begged for my attention!
A Brief History of Schooner Head
Explore the history of Schooner Head, one of three rocky promontories that dominate the eastern shoreline of Mount Desert Island.
Waiting for Snow: How to Keep Busy While You Wait for Winter Adventures to Start
Although not traditionally known as a major winter destination, I think Acadia is one heck of a place to visit when the white stuff flies. This is the time of the year when many locals come together in our attempt to be patient as we await the first cross-country ski or snowshoe of the season.
Why National Parks Are More Important Than Ever
National Parks are more important than ever, as they remain the epitome of wilderness, on a planet with less and less of it each and every day.
Art in Acadia: Painting Autumn
Learn more about painting autumn with Emily Bracale in Acadia National Park. Capture the brilliance of a landscape filled with the colors of the season.
5 Reasons to Hike Acadia
Hiking can be so many things. Going on a hike can be challenging & exhausting. It can also be easy & fun. Discover 5 reasons to hike Acadia National Park.
Apple Cider Whoopie Pies
These apple cider whoopie pies are inspired by the classic apple cider doughnut and, true to form, are dusted with cinnamon sugar.
Art in Acadia: Leaf Rubbings 101
Explore the first installment of our Art in Acadia series with Emily Bracale. Take a walk in the autumn woods and learn more about making a leaf rubbing!
Acadia With Young Children: 7 Essential Tips
A visit to Acadia with young children is a chance to both disconnect and reconnect. Here, you can spend quality-time together and inspire your children through your love of the mountains, the forest and the ocean.
Imagine Your Park Through Poetry
In 2016, in celebration of the National Park Service Centennial, the Academy of American Poets commissioned fifty poets to write poems about a park in each of the fifty states. Acadia’s poem was written by Christian Barter.
Make Your Own Popovers
Acadia National Park is full of more natural wonders than can be counted. Sand Beach . . . Thunder Hole . . .Otter Cliffs . . .Cadillac Mountain . . .Popovers. . .Wait. . .say what? Yes – that’s right. Irresistibly yummy and totally magical. Popovers in Acadia National Park are legendary. In the summer, on Mount Desert Island, popovers almost outnumber visitors.
The Bliss of Little Long Pond: Acadia With Your Dog
One of the most beautiful places to explore with your dog on a Fall day is Little Long Pond. Off-leash play doesn’t get any better than this!
Why We Love Mount Desert Island in the Fall
For so many Mount Desert Island locals, fall is the best time of the year. At last, the busy rush of summer starts to slow down, and the evenings take on a beautiful crispness. A visit here in Fall is a chance to live like a local.
The Shore Path: A Scenic Walk Down Memory Lane
What could possibly be more pleasant than a stroll along a secluded shore front path – granite outcroppings and the waters of Frenchman Bay on one side, and many of Bar Harbor’s beautiful old homes on the other? Bar Harbor’s Shore Path offers just such an experience.
Bar Harbor, A Look Back
As a summer community, Bar Harbor enjoys a long history; Native Americans had been summering here hundreds of years before it was “discovered” by the French map maker, Samuel de Champlain in 1604.
Desert or Dessert?
An ongoing debate about the pronunciation of the middle word in the phrase Mount Desert Island leads us to no firm conclusion.
A Brief History of High Seas
If you’ve ever hiked near Champlain Mountain, you’ve seen High Seas. It sits near the base, on a property with almost 1,500 feet of ocean frontage.
