Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park encompasses more than 49,000 acres on Mount Desert Island, Maine, making it the largest national park in the eastern United States. Visitors explore a dramatic landscape where granite mountains meet the Atlantic Ocean — a collision of terrain that includes wave-carved sea cliffs, glacially scoured lakes, and dense spruce-fir forests. The park's 45 miles of carriage roads, built by John D. Rockefeller Jr., wind through the interior on crushed gravel paths free of motor vehicles. The summit of Cadillac Mountain (1,530 ft) is the park's defining landmark and, from October through early March, one of the first places in the contiguous United States to receive the morning sun. Most first-time visitors spend at least three days: one day driving the 27-mile Park Loop Road past Thunder Hole, Sand Beach, and Otter Point; a second day cycling the carriage roads around Eagle and Jordan Lakes; and a third day hiking trails such as the Beehive (1.6 mi round-trip, exposed iron rungs) or the Gorham Mountain Trail (1.8 mi). Sand Beach is the park's main swimming area, though Atlantic water temperatures hover around 55–60°F even in midsummer. The Hulls Cove Visitor Center provides orientation maps and sells the seven-day vehicle pass ($35). Peak season runs mid-July through mid-August when Park Loop Road can be heavily congested; arriving before 9 a.m. or after 3 p.m. avoids the worst delays. Autumn (late September–October) brings spectacular foliage with notably thinner crowds and dramatic color over the pond reflections and granite summits.