Forty-five miles of rustic carriage paths weave around the mountains and through the valleys of Acadia National Park, the gift of philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and family. Rockefeller, a skilled horseman, desired to travel on motor-free byways via horse and carriage into the heart of Mount Desert Island. His construction efforts, from 1913-1940, resulted in roads with sweeping vistas and close-up views of the landscape.
 |
The carriage roads are broken stone roads, a type commonly used at the turn of the century. Acadia's carriage roads are the best example of broken stone roads left in America. They are true roads, approximately sixteen feet wide, constructed with methods which require much hand labor. The roads were engineered to contend with Maine's wet weather. Three layers of rock, stone culverts, wide ditches, and a substantial six to eight inch crown ensure good drainage. Rather than flattening hillsides to accommodate the roads, breast walls and retaining walls were built to preserve the line of hillsides and save many trees. Rockefeller, naturally gifted with the eye of a landscape architect, aligned the roads to follow the contours of the land and to take advantage of scenic views. He graded the roads so they were not too steep or too sharply curved for horse drawn carriages. |
| Road crews quarried island granite for road material and bridge facing. Roadsides were landscaped with native vegetation such as blueberries and sweet fern. The use of native materials helped blend the roads into the natural landscape. In 1989, an historic resource study (for the National Park Service) on the carriage roads documented the roads' development and construction and made recommendations for their rehabilitation and maintenance. |
 |
Between 1992 and 1995, the roads were extensively rehabilitated. woody vegetation was removed from roads, shoulders, and ditches, and drainage systems were established to arrest erosion. The crown and subgrade layers were restored and new surface materials applied to replace thousands of cubic yards washed away over the years. Coping stones were reset or replaced, and some of the historic vistas that once greeted horseback riders, carriage drivers, and walkers have been reopened. Rehibilation was funded through a special program of federal construction funds with matching private funds. This funding will ensure that the roads will continue to be maintained in the future.
SOME RULES
 |
Motor vehicles are prohobited |
|
Hiking trails are off-limits to bicycles and horses |
|
Horses are prohibited on the Witch Hole Pond and Eagle Lake loops, except between signs 7 & 8 |
|
Green Rock Company carriage roads are off-limits to bicycles |
|
Pets must be leashed |
|
Leave no trace. Carry out what you carry in. |
Please be patient they take a while to load.
| Mount Desert Island |  |
Carriage Paths - Section A |  |
Carriage Paths - Section B | 
|
|---|
The solid black lines on these maps indicate the Carriage Paths and the double lined roads indicate the Park Loop Road. The single solid black lines indicate paved state roads. Some of the Carriage Paths do not allow bikes, but it is a very small section at the southern end of the island (indicated by a speckled background on the maps). Park lands are indicated by a gray background.
Acadia Information Center