Acadia National Park is a delightful natural wonderland in northeastern Maine, one that was established as a national monument in 1919, then as a national park in 1929. Four million plus people visit yearly, marking it firmly as one of the most attended and most popular parks in the system. Beyond the stunning beauty of the Atlantic coastal shoreline and balding granite mountaintops, visitors enjoy hiking (Jordan Pond Path to the Bubbles, Great Head Trail, Beehive Loop), kayaking and canoeing (Long Pond and Jordan Pond), biking (any of the Carriage Roads), wildlife watching (whales, otters, seals, beavers, porcupines, eagles), and driving along any of the scenic byways. Nearby is the popular and quaint village of Bar Harbor, which serves as ambassador and home base for the park. Here you will find numerous restaurants, coffee houses, and ice cream shops, along with artsy souvenir emporiums and boutiques. My wife, sister-in-law, and I visited in the middle of May 2022, and though some places in town weren’t open, we found the park itself (and Bar Harbor) relatively free of the masses that would be filling the region a short couple of weeks later. No matter when you visit, you will definitely understand why Acadia is often referred to as the Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast.
