Welcome to the Coastal Features of Acadia NP!

Acadia National Park protects the natural scenery and history of 7 of Maine's islands. Two of the bigger islands, Mount Desert Island and Isle au Haut, are listed below.

Mount Desert Island

[IMAGE OF ACADIA'S COAST] Mount Desert Island, which is considered the heart of Acadia, has something for everyone. Acadia has over 44 miles of carriage roads, perfect for any hiker, horseback rider, or bicyclist. The carriage roads are closed off to all motor vehicles (except motorized wheelchairs), creating a peaceful and tranquile place for anyone and everyone to explore.

For you less "carriage" type people, there are plenty of other things to do besides hiking, horseback riding, and biking. During the summer, lifeguards are on duty at Echo Lake and Sand Beach. However, one of the best features of Acadia NP is that you don't have to do anything to have a good time. Just drive your car around the 20-mile loop that encircles the park and see spectacular glacier-carved valleys and dense forests. For you bona fide couch potatoes, don't even bother driving and just sit down on a beach and relax.

No matter what you plan to do in Acadia, there's always the oppurtunity to learn about its history. Even though they're no longer there, at one time huge ice fields, sometimes 2 miles thick, covered Acadia. After the glacier had melted, it left a huge puddle around the island that we now call the Atlantic Ocean. The melted glacier had also carved out grooves in the island, creating the mystic moutains of Mount Desert Island.

Isle au Haut

What the heck does that mean? Isle au Haut is the name the French explorer Samuel Champlain gave to the island; in English it means "High Island." Isle au Haut is an great place to explore and hike, as it is somewhat isolated from the rest of the park. It is not accesible by car or an auto ferry, although a mailboat ferry offers access to the island year round. It does function just like your everyday postal truck, so no rides to Duck Harbor on Sundays. If you would like to go to Isle au Haut, inquire about rides in the mainland town of Stonington. If you do visit Isle au Haut, please make a note that only a half of the island is federal park land. The rest is privately owned.
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