A Brief One-Day Tour

A Brief One-Day Tour

Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island are filled with beautiful places to see and exciting things to do. Many people return to this area regularly for two or more weeks each year and few ever claim to have done or seen everything. Even those who have lived here for years have no trouble finding "new" places to hike or picnic or just to enjoy.

That said, however, we know that some first time visitors have allocated only one day to see Acadia. If you are in this category, or if you want to get a one-day overview at the beginning of a longer stay so that you are able to more effectively plan the rest of your vacation, we offer the following itinerary.

Our suggestion for the best place to start is the summit of Cadillac Mountain. Cadillac, which is the highest point on the east coast of North America, is easily reached by an excellent automobile road, and from the top you can see most of Mount Desert Island as well as, on a clear day, the beautiful coastline and offshore islands from Petit Manan south to the Camden Hills. It is a great spot to

"get your bearings" before visiting the rest of the park and MDI. If you are able to get started early, Cadillac is a very popular spot to watch the sunrise (4:30 - 5:30 a.m. in mid summer). In any case, the mountain and the Park Loop Road become quite crowded between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., so the earlier you can visit these areas the more enjoyable your experience will be.

Upon descending the road from the Cadillac summit, turn right and follow the Park Loop Road that soon becomes one way in a clockwise direction. You will have many opportunities to stop at magnificent views of the rocky Maine coast, and as the road turns inland, you will see glacial lakes backed by granite mountains and the cool Maine spruce forest.

Your next stop should be Bar Harbor, and you will see exit signs from the Loop Road. Bar Harbor is the largest and best-known resort town on Mount Desert Island, with a beautiful and active harbor along with many restaurants, shops and lodging establishments. From Bar Harbor, follow Main Street away from the harbor and you will be on Route 3

South. This will lead you between two mountains and by a lake known as the Tarn to the village of Otter Creek. Continuing on Rt. 3 you will pass through the summer residential village of Seal Harbor and on to Northeast Harbor which is both a summer residential village and a major destination for sailing yachts from around the world.

Upon leaving the harbor at Northeast Harbor, stay left and follow the residential streets to reach Sargent Drive which runs along the eastern side of Somes Sound, the only fjord on the east coast of the United States. Note, however, that because it is so narrow, Sargent Drive is restricted to passenger cars only - no trucks or motor homes. When Sargent Drive returns to Route 3, turn left and continue to the stoplight where you will turn left again and enter the historic village of Somesville. The first village to be established on Mount Desert Island, Somesville's main street is lined with beautiful white clapboard New England homes and boasts a wonderful view across the mill pond and Somes Harbor to Sargeant Mountain in the background.

Continuing through Somesville, you will follow Route 102 past Eagle Lake to the year round fishing and boat building community of Southwest Harbor. Turn left on Clark Point Road in the center of the village and you will reach the lower town dock where lobster boats will usually be coming and going. This is also the location of the U.S. Coast Guard base that serves our area of downeast Maine. Many well-known sailboat and powerboat builders can be found in Southwest Harbor, some of whom still work primarily with wood and use traditional methods.

Returning to the center of town via Clark Point Road, turn left and continue South out of the village on Route 102. After about one mile, turn left on Route 102A to visit the village of Seawall where the road enters Acadia National Park once again and crosses over a large natural rock seawall. Following Rt 102A for a few more miles, you will come to the

traditional and picturesque Maine fishing village of Bass Harbor. The beautiful Bass Harbor lighthouse is the only lighthouse on Mount Desert Island, and is probably the most photographed lighthouse in the State of Maine.

From Bass Harbor, continue following Route 102A in a clockwise direction for about two miles until you come to a triangle intersection with Route 102. Turn (or stay) left and follow Route 102 through the villages of Tremont, Seal Cove and Pretty Marsh back to Somesville.

At this point, you will have completed your one-day tour. You can leave the island by proceeding left through Somesville, staying straight at the traffic light, and reaching the Mount Desert Island bridge after about 5 miles; or you can return to your lodging. There are many opportunities to have lunch and dinner at various points along this suggested itinerary, and several restaurants will be happy to pack you a picnic lunch that can be fun to enjoy at one of the many scenic spots you will visit.

Once you have completed this circuit, we know you will want to return and spend many days exploring in much more detail the wonderful places you have just seen.

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Our suggestion for the best place to start is the summit of Cadillac Mountain. Cadillac, which is the highest point on the east coast of North America, is easily reached by an excellent automobile road, and from the top you can see most of Mount Desert Island as well as, on a clear day, the beautiful coastline and offshore islands from Petit Manan south to the Camden Hills. It is a great spot to
"get your bearings" before visiting the rest of the park and MDI. If you are able to get started early, Cadillac is a very popular spot to watch the sunrise (4:30 - 5:30 a.m. in mid summer). In any case, the mountain and the Park Loop Road become quite crowded between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., so the earlier you can visit these areas the more enjoyable your experience will be.

Your next stop should be Bar Harbor, and you will see exit signs from the Loop Road. Bar Harbor is the largest and best-known resort town on Mount Desert Island, with a beautiful and active harbor along with many restaurants, shops and lodging establishments. From Bar Harbor, follow Main Street away from the harbor and you will be on Route 3
South. This will lead you between two mountains and by a lake known as the Tarn to the village of Otter Creek. Continuing on Rt. 3 you will pass through the summer residential village of Seal Harbor and on to Northeast Harbor which is both a summer residential village and a major destination for sailing yachts from around the world.

	Returning to the center of town via Clark Point Road, turn left and continue South out of the village on Route 102. After about one mile, turn left on Route 102A to visit the village of Seawall where the road enters Acadia National Park once again and crosses over a large natural rock seawall. Following Rt 102A for a few more miles, you will come to the
traditional and picturesque Maine fishing village of Bass Harbor. The beautiful Bass Harbor lighthouse is the only lighthouse on Mount Desert Island, and is probably the most photographed lighthouse in the State of Maine.