Acadia National Park, southeast of Bangor, Maine, preserves a beautiful, rugged area of the Atlantic Ocean coastline.  Although it is one of America’s smallest national parks, it is one of the most visited because of its location in the northeast corridor.  Much of the area of the park was donated (predominantly by the Rockefellers). Park Loop Road provides access to the major attractions of the park, such as Cadillac Mountain and Otter Cliffs.  Interestingly, Acadia National Park is composed of two separate areas, the main one, described above, and the Schoodic Peninsula, about one hour’s drive northeast along the coast.

            Bar Harbor, Maine, is the gateway into Acadia National Park.  As such, it offers lodging, restaurants, and shops as well as boat tours and cruises of the surrounding offshore area.  It is somewhat “honky-tonk” as many of these types of venues tend to become, but it retains a kind of charm, nevertheless.  Bar Harbor is also a primary departure and arrival points for ferries to and from Nova Scotia, Canada and provides access to Canada’s Maritime Provinces while avoiding some of the long driving distances.  

            Gary’s Gem:

                        1. Cadillac Mountain affords breathtaking views of the Maine Coast and is a popular vista from which to observe sunrise (park literature claims that observers here are the first in the USA to see the sun rise). 

                        2.  There are numerous walking/hiking trails within the park which traverse the woods, as well as the coastline.   

                        3.  Don’t forget to sample the fresh lobster available at many of the communities which border the park.