Things to Do in Acadia National Park

Somes Sound Overlook

Viewpoint

The east side of Mount Desert Island is Acadia’s most visited area, featuring a 27‑mile Park Loop Road with coastal and mountain views and access to highlights like Cadillac Mountain, Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Otter Cliffs, Jordan Pond, and Bar Island. Visitor services include Hulls Cove Visitor Center, Sand Beach Entrance Station, Sieur de Monts Nature Center, Jordan Pond House, and Blackwoods Campground; the area is reachable by car, bicycle, or bus and the park map shows trails.

Viewpoint

The east side of Mount Desert Island is Acadia's most visited area, centered on the 27-mile Park Loop Road that provides outstanding coastal and mountain views and access to highlights like Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Otter Cliffs, Jordan Pond, Cadillac Mountain, Eagle Lake, and Bar Island. Visitor services include Hulls Cove Visitor Center, Sand Beach Entrance Station, Sieur de Monts Nature Center, Jordan Pond House, and Blackwoods Campground, and the area is accessible by car, bicycle, or bus.

Viewpoint

Mount Desert Island’s east side is Acadia’s most visited area, centered on the 27-mile Park Loop Road and offering outstanding coastal, mountain, and pond views with easy access to Cadillac Mountain, Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Otter Cliffs, Jordan Pond, and Sieur de Monts. Visitor services include Hulls Cove Visitor Center, Sand Beach Entrance, Jordan Pond House, Sieur de Monts Nature Center, Blackwoods Campground, and the Abbe Museum; the area is reachable by car, bicycle, or bus.

Viewpoint

The east side of Mount Desert Island is Acadia’s most visited area, anchored by the 27-mile Park Loop Road that delivers outstanding coastal and mountain views and access to icons like Cadillac Mountain, Jordan Pond, and Sand Beach. Visitors can arrive by car, bicycle, or park bus and find visitor services such as Hulls Cove Visitor Center and Jordan Pond House; park maps show roads, trails, peaks, and access points to help plan outings.

Viewpoint

The east side of Mount Desert Island is Acadia's most visited area, where the 27-mile Park Loop Road delivers outstanding coastal and mountain views and access to icons like Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Jordan Pond, and Cadillac Mountain. Reachable by car, bicycle, or bus, the east side hosts visitor services such as Hulls Cove Visitor Center, Sand Beach Entrance Station, Sieur de Monts Nature Center, Jordan Pond House, and Blackwoods Campground to help plan hikes and scenic drives.

Viewpoint

The east side of Mount Desert Island is Acadia's most visited area, centered on the 27-mile Park Loop Road that provides outstanding coastal and mountain views and access to highlights such as Cadillac Mountain, Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and Jordan Pond. Park maps show park boundaries, private land, paved and carriage roads, and trails; visitor services include Hulls Cove Visitor Center, Jordan Pond House, Sand Beach Entrance Station, and Blackwoods Campground, and access is by car, bicycle, or bus.

Viewpoint

This viewpoint offers sweeping panoramas of Mount Desert Island’s most visited east side, providing easy access to iconic Park Loop Road highlights such as Cadillac Mountain, Sand Beach, Jordan Pond, Thunder Hole, and Otter Cliffs. Reachable by car, bicycle, or bus along the 27-mile Park Loop Road, the area is supported by visitor services including Hulls Cove Visitor Center, Sand Beach Entrance Station, Sieur de Monts Nature Center, Jordan Pond House, and nearby campgrounds and information centers.

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Viewpoint Schoodic Point

Frazer Point

Frazer Point offers a rare glimpse into the Schoodic Peninsula’s coastal fishing heritage, where historic scenes, such as the mid-1800s fishing village shown in a black-and-white photograph and Harmon’s Pound, a long wall that sectioned off a cove to hold lobsters in the 1930s, still shape the shoreline.

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Beach

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Overlook

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Sunset view

This sunset viewpoint showcases Acadia’s pink-hued granite shoreline where waves crash and spray against jagged rocks as the sea and a distant mountain meet the blue horizon. Plan visits in summer and fall for the best light and foliage; note that vehicle access to Cadillac Summit is seasonal (Park Loop Road closed Dec 1–Apr 14) and daytime access May–Oct uses a Vehicle Reservation System — overnight parking is prohibited, though you may hike or bike to the summit without a reservation.

The Bubble

The Bubbles are two low, rounded granite peaks that rise above Jordan Pond, celebrated for their near-perfect reflections on the pond’s clear, shallow waters and for the rust-speckled granite boulders dotting the shoreline. These rounded summits and scattered erratics are remnants of the last glacial period (the Wisconsin glaciation). Visitors often enjoy views of the Bubbles from the Jordan Pond House, where afternoon tea and popovers are a popular treat (reservations recommended).

Otter Point

Otter Point's rugged granite coastline and cliffside overlooks offer dramatic ocean views and tidepooling among massive boulders. Reach it via the Park Loop Road or the Ocean Path from Sand Beach, where park maps mark trailheads, parking, picnic areas, overlooks and nearby facilities such as a boat ramp, restaurant, and stables.

Otter Cliffs Rock Climbing

Otter Cliffs offers spectacular sea-cliff climbing on solid pink granite, with crack and face routes to 5.12, multi-pitch climbs (up to three pitches) and rappel access. Climbers assume responsibility for safety—the park maintains fixed anchors on some tops that must be used instead of trees, so evaluate protection, know tides and weather (especially at Otter Cliffs and Great Head), and organized groups of 6–12 must reserve a permit from the Friday before Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Schoodic Point

Schoodic Point on the Schoodic Peninsula, the only part of Acadia National Park on the mainland, features rugged granite headlands, secluded seacoast scenery, and intentionally low visitation. After Winter Harbor, you’ll pass Schoodic Woods Campground and Frazer Point Picnic Area with tables, fire rings, restrooms, and drinking water. A one-way park road with turnouts leads to Schoodic Point, and a narrow one-mile gravel road, suitable for driving or walking, climbs to Schoodic Head. Use caution with traffic and enjoy ocean, forest, and mountain views on clear days.