Maine
Acadia Park Loop Road
About this adventure route
The Park Loop Road is a 27 mile one-way circuit that takes in most of what Acadia is known for on the eastern side of Mount Desert Island. Granite headland at Thunder Hole, the only sand beach on the loop, the carriage-road hub at Jordan Pond, and the summit road up Cadillac. Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on the North Atlantic seaboard, and from October to March it is the first place in the United States to see sunrise.
Bar Harbor to Sand Beach, Jordan Pond and the summit of Cadillac Mountain.
Highlights
What earns the trip
- Cadillac Mountain summit at 1,530 feet, reachable by car
- Sand Beach and Thunder Hole within a mile of each other
- Jordan Pond House, the trailhead for the carriage road network
- Most of the loop is one-way, so the driving is relaxed
Stops
- 1
Bar Harbor
The gateway town on Mount Desert Island.
- 2
Sand Beach
The only sand beach on the loop, with Thunder Hole just south.
- 3
Jordan Pond House
Carriage road hub with the Bubbles across the water.
- 4
Cadillac Mountain
Summit road to the highest point on the eastern seaboard.
When to go
Best time to go
Late September and early October for color and thinner crowds. The loop road closes in winter.
Planner estimate for the mapped line: 1h 17m
Before you go
Know before you go
- A vehicle reservation is required for the Cadillac Summit Road in season and sells out quickly.
- Parking along the loop is roadside and fills by mid-morning in summer.
- The rocks at Thunder Hole are slick and waves are unpredictable. People are swept off them.
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