Located on Mount Desert Island on the Atlantic coast of Maine, Acadia National Park is one of the smallest national parks and is also the only one in the northern part of the East Coast of the United States. The park was formed by the donation of land by private owners who wanted to preserve the region and keep it free from development. Among the instrumental contributors to the park’s creation in the early 18th century were Charles Eliot, Charles W. Eliot, and George Dorr, all of whom enjoyed spending time in their island homes and had a vision for the land’s future. Later, John Rockefeller Jr. tripled its size from 5,000 to 15,000 acres and built the “carriage” roads through the park to make access to many scenic location in the park easier, which are still in use today. The Rockefeller’s have a continuing connection with Acadia; in fact, John Rockefeller Jr.’s son, David Rockefeller, celebrated his 100th birthday in 2015 by donating over 1000 additional acres to the park, which today contains 47,000 acres.

Just outside the park’s boundary is a small town called Bar Harbor which has many restaurants and shops, providing a nice place to go after spending the day in the park. We traveled to the park in late October just when the town began closing down for the winter and the crowds were decreasing. This was also a time when the leaves were just past peak color, although there were some patches that were just now in full display. Walking along one of the carriage roads provided a way to see the color up-close as well as presenting views of many attractive sights of the land. The carriage roads provide a great place to go for a stroll or bike ride as an alternative to a more strenuous hike. 

One of the most striking displays of color came from the numerous huckleberry bushes that adorn much of the landscape, and whose leaves turned a deep red hue. Another prominent feature on the Acadia landscape is the rocky surfaces that cover many of the trails. The rock adds to the trails personality and is quite nice to walk on in my opinion, acting like a natural pavement. One trail was made entirely of beach-ball sized, rounded, rocks that were on a steep incline on a mountainside. The only delineation between the trail and the rest of the mountain was blue paint on some of the rocks. It led to a lake’s edge and a small, unusual looking footbridge. There were many outstanding hiking trails in the park, some of which traverse the mountainous geology, carve through the forested regions, skirt the boundaries of the scenic lakes, or follow the majestic coastline.

The mountains in the park are small enough to be ascended in a relatively short amount of time, but large enough to provide expansive views of the vistas. There is a road that provides access to the peak of Cadillac Mountain which gives views of many small islands off the Atlantic coast, the town of Bar Harbor, and many other landmarks and features of the landscape. For about half the year, it is also the first destination in the country to feel the morning sun’s rays.

We only spent a few days in the park, and it was completely cloudy nearly the entire time we were there, preventing me from capturing Acadia’s starry night sky, which I had heard is quite nice. In most cases the best lighting for photos happens near sunset or sunrise, but the clouds prohibited the sun’s light from producing any color for most of our trip. The only exception was the morning of our last full day when there was a partial break in the cloud cover. I took advantage of the opportunity by heading out around 6:45 am, 45 minutes before sunrise. It was already light outside as I drove toward the park loop road with the intent of finding a location along the coast to see the sun coming up over the horizon. As I drove along a road that was elevated on a mountainside, I saw a bright red luminescence on the horizon. At this point I wished I had set out even earlier, but I still was hoping for a nice display later on when I would arrive at the place I was heading. I parked near Thunder Hole, a location along the rocky shoreline that is known to produce thunderous sound at certain times of day the waves crash into a certain formation in the rock. I immediately setup my camera and began taking pictures, at this point about 10 minutes before sunrise. It was a beautiful sunrise, as most sunrises are (although I don’t generally see many of them), and I continued to shoot as the sun rose and was obscured by clouds. I then walked along a trail that follows the scenic coast and provides many regions where one can meander around on the rocks or down on one of the rocky beaches on which unusual looking, egg-shaped, rocks reside. The night before we were fortunate enough to spot a porcupine along one of the roads in the park. The only other animals we observed in the park were deer and red squirrels, although moose, bald eagles, and harbor seals do inhabit the area, and whales sometimes can be seen offshore. 

Acadia is a beautiful and unique park that is consistent with what I have come to expect from the national parks I have visited so far. Each one I have experienced has been incredible and special in its own way. It is impossible to compare one to another since each has its own unique qualities. Acadia has wonderful hikes, spectacular views of the lakes, forests, and rocky coastline, and a wild, rawness, about it that I found very appealing. The only part of the park that one wishes would be different would be the size; it would be better if there was more of it, as unfortunately it is one of the smallest national parks and one can gets a sense of this when sounds from nearby towns are heard while walking in certain parts of the park, such as Gorham Mountian trail (which was one of my favorite hikes during our trip). I also enjoyed walking on the carriage road and imagine it would be wonderful to bike as well. Jordan Pond stands out as a particularly scenic spot also. It is fortunate that this land was aside for preservation and enjoyment for the public. Acadia holds its own as a unique national park, not just in terms of being alone geographically, but also with respect to of its natural composition.