Tag Archives: carriage-roads

Scenes from Acadia National Park during the pandemic: masks, closures, delays

Do you have to wear a mask everytime you go out in public in Maine, whether to hike the trails of Acadia National Park or walk Main Street in Bar Harbor? Why are the park’s picnic areas at Thompson Island and Bear Brook closed? When will the park campgrounds open? Is the Island Explorer running? These and other FAQs answered in the latest installment of “A view from Bubble Rock,” to help plan your visit to Acadia National Park during the pandemic.

Acadia National Park bus sets record ridership, eyes expansion

Were you among the more than 640,000 riders of the Island Explorer in 2019, the Acadia bus shuttle’s 20th anniversary year?
Well, you were part of the record setting year of ridership on the propane-powered bus line, which has transported more than 8 million passengers in and around Acadia National Park since its start in 1999.
Find out what’s in store for 2020 and beyond, in this Q&A with Paul Murphy, executive director of Downeast Transportation, Inc., which operates the Island Explorer, with funding from Friends of Acadia, L.L.Bean, Acadia National Park and other sources.

New center, buses, map aid Acadia National Park visitors this summer

Benefits for Acadia National Park visitors this summer season: Hulls Cove Visitor Center reopens after $1.2M remodel; new colorful carriage road map names carriage road bridges and loop options; Island Explorer kicks off its 21st year of service today with 21 new propane-powered buses; and Route 3 one-way detour in Bar Harbor ends. A round-up of news you can use as you make plans for your next visit.

Top 6 Acadia carriage road loop hikes for end of mud season

What better way to celebrate the end of mud season, than to hike the Acadia carriage roads, which recently opened to pedestrians, but not yet to bicyclists or horses? This special guide to the top 6 Acadia carriage road loop hikes of between 3 to 6 miles features interactive maps, elevation profiles and photos of some of the carriage road bridges and other sights to see. Thanks to reader Caroline, who posed this question as part of our “Ask Acadia on My Mind!” series.

“Hiking Acadia National Park” wins gold medal in international book awards

“Hiking Acadia National Park” received top honors in the Independent Publisher Book Awards travel guide category, joining winners from 43 US states, 6 Canadian provinces and 11 overseas nations, in the 22nd year of the “IPPY Awards.”

Rites of spring in Acadia: Mud season closes carriage roads, fundraisers blossom

In an early sign of spring in Acadia National Park, officials closed the carriage roads on Friday for mud season, and fundraisers to benefit the park are popping up like snowdrops. Before you know it, the peregrine falcons will be returning to nest, usually closing the Precipice Trail and other cliff climbs by late March; […]

Jordan Stream Path among best hikes in Acadia National Park

Jordan Stream Path is among the shortest and most overlooked hikes in Acadia National Park, but it travels to one of the park’s most unusual sights – Cobblestone Bridge, which is quietly marking its own centennial this year. Previously badly eroded, the Jordan Stream Path looks mostly pristine, following an extensive rehabilitation overseen by Christian Barter, a park trail crew supervisor who is also the park’s poet laureate.

Top 5 things to see and do for first-time visitors to Acadia National Park

cadillac mountain

If you’re first-time visitors to Acadia National Park this Centennial year, you’ll soon see why generations of families, artists, millionaires and even presidents have been lured by the magnificent scenery. The first national park east of the Mississippi, and still the Northeast’s only such park, Acadia boasts about 155 miles of hiking trails, from easy ocean […]

Camping in Acadia National Park? Ask Acadia on My Mind!

Latest installment in the Ask Acadia on My Mind! Q&As. Thanks to Steve and Janet, Anna, and Jaymi for the variations on the theme of camping in Acadia National Park. Answer includes info about biking, hiking, RV rules, where to swim, and where to get lobster.

Tips on bicycling Acadia carriage roads? Ask Acadia on My Mind!

schoodic woods bike path

Hi, we are making our first trip to Acadia  June 26 – July 8. We will camp at Blackwoods. Is it possible to bike from the campground to the carriage roads? Concern is with vehicle traffic and if there is sufficient road shoulder. Thanks. – Jay Miller, Brighton, Mich. Dear Jay, Great timing for your first trip […]