This is the trailhead for Acadia Mountain, a 681 ft mountain located on the west side of Mount Desert Island. The trailhead is on Maine Route 102, about 3 miles south of Somesville and just after Ikes Point Boat Launch.
This memorial plaque is dedicated to Ruth and Tris Colket. Both were philanthropists who saw the need for an endowed trail system and made a gift of $5 million to Friends of Acadia for restoration and maintenance of Acadia’s historic trail system.
The Hulls Cove Visitor Center is Acadia’s main visitor contact station and transportation hub from May into October. The building sits atop a hill above a large parking lot. Visitors must climb 52 steps to reach the main entrance. There is a separate accessible entrance behind the facility. To get there, drive straight at a four-way intersection off Route 3 rather than turn into the main parking lot. This entrance has an automatic door and an elevator to the main floor.
Amphitheatre Bridge (1931) is the largest of 17 bridges constructed along 57 miles of carriage road on Mount Desert Island between 1917 and 1940. It carries Amphitheatre Road (Asticou-Jordan Pond Road) -- which itself had been abandoned for ten years due to the objections of summer residents -- near the Little Harbor Brook waterfall.
This memorial plaque is dedicated to Atwater Kent who donated 62 acres known as Bliss Field off Schooner Head Road to Acadia. It is now designated as Atwater Kent Field.
The Bass Harbor Head Light Station is located in Tremont, Maine, marking the entrance to Bass Harbor and Blue Hill Bay on the southwest corner of Mount Desert Island.
Located between Long Pond and Echo Lake, Beech Mountain rises to an elevation of 839 feet with a fire tower located near the summit that was used as a lookout from 1941 to the mid-1950s.
The Blue Duck Ships store was first constructed as a store to sell essential supplies to the residents of Islesford, Little Cranberry Island, Maine in the 1850s. It also served the 'maritime highway' of trade. Today, the store is used by Islesford Boatworks, a non-profit that continues the tradition of boat building by teaching boat building skills to Island youth.
Brown Mountain Gatehouse, and its counterpart, Jordan Pond Gatehouse, were built to mark the entrance to Acadia historic carriage road network. Though never put into practice as true 'gatekeepers' to the carriage roads, these architectural marvels are a beautiful and whimsically quaint introduction to the near-fantasy of the carriage roads.
Bubble Pond Bridge (1928) was the tenth of 17 bridges constructed along 57 miles of carriage road on Mount Desert Island between 1917 and 1940. It carries the Bubble Pond Road over a portion of the Jordan Pond/Eagle Lake motor road that was abandoned when that road was realigned in 1962-1964. This bridge is now a relic with no function. Access to a parking lot along the shore of Bubble Pond remains.
Cadillac Mountain is a popular destination for visitors to Acadia National Park. Accessible by car, it is the highest point on the eastern seaboard of the U.S., and offers magnificent views of a glaciated coastal and island landscape. The short, paved Cadillac Summit Loop Trail, interpretive waysides, restrooms, and gift shop are located at the summit. In the summer, reservations are required to drive to the summit.
The Carroll Farm represents changing farm life during the 19th and early 20th century on Mount Desert Island. The house was built by John and Rachel Carroll in 1820 and remained in the family until its purchase by the Maine Coast Heritage Trust and later by the park.
Charles William Eliot was a founder of the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations and his preservation efforts were largely inspired by the death of his son, who founded the Champlain Society.
Chasm Brook Bridge (1926) was the seventh of 17 bridges constructed along 57 miles of carriage road on Mount Desert Island between 1917 and 1940. It carries Jordan-Sargent Mountain Road over Chasm Falls. It was the last of four bridges required along the Jordan-Sargent Mountain Road.
Cliffside Bridge (1932) is one of 17 bridges constructed along 57 miles of carriage road on Mount Desert Island between 1917 and 1940. It carries Amphitheater Road (Asticou-Jordan Pond Road) over a ravine on the flank of Jordan Mountain along a road between Amphitheater and West Branch bridges.
This beach is not protected by any landforms and gets hammered with waves all day. Only the cobbles remain because their larger size makes them resistant to these strong waves.
Located on private land outside park boundaries on the Gardiner-Mitchell Hill-Jordan Stream Road, Cobblestone Bridge (1917) was the first of 17 bridges constructed along 57 miles of carriage road on Mount Desert Island between 1917 and 1940.
Deer Brook Bridge (1925) was the sixth of 17 bridges constructed along 57 miles of carriage road on Mount Desert Island between 1917 and 1940. The bridge carries the Jordan-Sargent Mountain Road over Deer Brook at a waterfall near the north end of Jordon Pond.
Duck Brook Bridge (1929) was the 11th of 17 bridges constructed along 57 miles of carriage road on Mount Desert Island between 1917 and 1940. It carries the Witch Hole Pond Loop portion of the Hulls Cove Road over Duck Brook to connect with New Eagle Lake motor road. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. considered this area the “grand northern terminus” of his carriage road system and planned magnificent vistas of Frenchman Bay from this road and the adjacent Paradise Hill Loop Road.
Eagle Lake Bridge (1927) was the ninth of 17 bridges constructed along 57 miles of carriage road on Mount Desert Island between 1917 and 1940. It carries Route 233 over the Hulls Cove carriage road. Its completion made possible the construction of new carriage roads on lands north of Eagle Lake, where John D. Rockefeller, Jr. planned magnificent views of Frenchman Bay.
Located near the intersection of Schooner Head Road, the entrance station along Acadia's Park Loop Road is open year-round and offers full-service sales and information about park entrance fees, the Acadia Annual Pass, and all federal recreational lands passes. Staff can provide basic information, the Unigrid brochure and other park publications. Nearby destinations include several trailheads, Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Otter Cliff and the Fabbi Picnic Area.
The Flying Mountain Trailhead is located north of Southwest Harbor, ME off State Route 102 via Fernald Point Road. It directly serves Flying Mountain and Valley Cove Trails with connections to Valley Peak Trail and Saint Sauveur Mountain Trail.
George B. Dorr devoted most of his adult life and fortune to securing and protecting the lands that would later become the park. He was Acadia National Park’s first superintendent.
Hemlock Bridge (1924) was the fourth of 17 bridges constructed along 57 miles of carriage road on Mount Desert Island between 1917 and 1940. It carries the Jordan-Sargent Mountain Road over a deep, rocky ravine created by the Maple Spring Brook. The difficult, yet spectacular site conditions necessitated careful ground inspection and preliminary staking to ensure that the site was not adversely affected by construction.
Hulls Cove Visitor Center is Acadia National Park's primary visitor contact station. Hundreds of thousands of visitors a year take their first 'hike' in Acadia up the 52 steps to the main visitor center entrance.
Islesford Historical Museum is located on Little Cranberry Island, accessible by mail boat or tour boat from Northeast Harbor or Southwest Harbor. Exhibits tell the story of changing island life, schooner empires, summer residents, and the fishing industry. The museum is open seasonally and has interpretive exhibits, ranger programs, restrooms, and a gift shop.
Morris K. Jesup and Maria DeWitt Jesup. Both were philanthropists who gave generously to projects that benefited both the park and the community of Mount Desert Island.
John D. Rockefeller Jr. was a businessman and philanthropist, responsible for many creations of and contributions to national parks across the country.
The Jordan Pond Dam Bridge (1920) was the third of 17 bridges constructed along 57 miles of carriage road on Mount Desert Island between 1917 and 1940. The bridge carries Asticou-Jordan Pond Road across Jordan Stream adjacent to a small dam at the southwest corner of Jordan Pond.
Jordan Pond Gatehouse, and its counterpart, the Brown Mountain Gatehouse, were built in 1932 to mark the entrance to Acadia's historic carriage road network. Though never put into practice as actual 'gatekeepers' to the carriage roads, these impressive structures are a whimsical and quaint introduction to the near-fantasy beauty of the carriage paths.
