Until further notice, typically mid-August, Penobscot East Trail, Jordan Cliffs Trail, Precipice Trail, and Valley Cove Trail are closed for Peregrine falcon nesting season. Also, as roads reopen, the Precipice Trail parking lot will remain closed. More
Historic carriage roads closed until further notice for "mud season"
Spring thaw has led to temporary closures to protect Acadia's historic carriage roads during "mud season." Walking, bicycling or riding horses in these wet and soft conditions can cause costly ruts and potholes that channel water and exacerbate erosion. More
From hiking trails to historic carriage roads to scenic drives, there are many ways to find a good view in Acadia.
Ashley L. Conti/Friends of Acadia
Scenic Vistas
Both the motor road system and the (non-motorized) carriage road system at the park were carefully laid out by prominent landscape architects to take advantage of spectacular views. Although they are dependent on the naturally mountainous landscape of Acadia, many of these views are actually designed landscapes have themselves become significant, owing to their history and the sensitivity with which they were designed and built.
A Disappearing View
Though pristine views are visible on most days, Acadia is located in mid-coast of Maine, which downwind from large urban and industrial areas in states to the south and west. Periodically, high concentrations of air pollutants blow into the park from these areas. Acadia is considered a Class I area under the Clean Air Act, which means that the park deserves the highest level of air-quality protection.
Protecting the View
In recent years, park staff have been actively restoring historic vistas on the carriage road system through a vista management project. Acadia is also deeply involved in the assessing air pollution impacts and protect air quality. Since 1979, Acadia scientists have been studying air pollution.
You can help Acadia's scenic views as well. In addition to reducing your air pollution at home, you can take public transportation to get here and while you're here through the fare-free Island Explorer bus.
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Locations:Acadia National Park, Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, Amistad National Recreation Area, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, Arches National Park, Assateague Island National Seashore, Big Bend National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Big Thicket National Preserve, Biscayne National Park, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, Buffalo National River, Cape Cod National Seashore, Capitol Reef National Park, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Channel Islands National Park, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, City Of Rocks National Reserve, Colorado National Monument, Congaree National Park, Crater Lake National Park, Craters Of The Moon National Monument & Preserve, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Denali National Park & Preserve, Devils Tower National Monument, Dinosaur National Monument, Everglades National Park, Fort Larned National Historic Site, Gateway National Recreation Area, Glacier National Park, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Portage National Monument, Grand Teton National Park, Great Basin National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site, Homestead National Historical Park, Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, Hot Springs National Park, Indiana Dunes National Park, Isle Royale National Park, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Joshua Tree National Park, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Katmai National Park & Preserve, Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Lowell National Historical Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park, Minute Man National Historical Park, Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, Monocacy National Battlefield, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Mount Rainier National Park, Natchez Trace Parkway, Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail, New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, Niobrara National Scenic River, North Cascades National Park, Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, Olympic National Park, Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Padre Island National Seashore, Petersburg National Battlefield, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Pinnacles National Park, Pipestone National Monument, Prince William Forest Park, Redwood National and State Parks, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River, Rock Creek Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Saguaro National Park, Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, San Juan Island National Historical Park, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Shenandoah National Park, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve, Tumacácori National Historical Park, Tuzigoot National Monument, Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River, Valles Caldera National Preserve, Voyageurs National Park, Weir Farm National Historical Park, Wind Cave National Park, Women's Rights National Historical Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Yucca House National Monument, Zion National Parkmore »
Offices:Air Resources Division, National Natural Landmarks Program, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate
Read the abstract and get the link to a published paper on a model to predict mercury risk park waterbodies: Kotalik, C.J. et al. 2025. Ecosystem drivers of freshwater mercury bioaccumulation are context-dependent: insights from continental-scale modeling. Environmental Science & Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c07280
Locations:Acadia National Park, Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, Amistad National Recreation Area, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Big Bend National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Big Thicket National Preserve, Cape Cod National Seashore, Capitol Reef National Park, Channel Islands National Park, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Colorado National Monument, Congaree National Park, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Death Valley National Park, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Denali National Park & Preserve, Everglades National Park, Gateway National Recreation Area, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Portage National Monument, Grand Teton National Park, Great Basin National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Homestead National Historical Park, Hot Springs National Park, Indiana Dunes National Park, Isle Royale National Park, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Katmai National Park & Preserve, Klondike Gold Rush - Seattle Unit National Historical Park, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, Minute Man National Historical Park, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, Redwood National and State Parks, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River, Rock Creek Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Saguaro National Park, Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, San Juan Island National Historical Park, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Shenandoah National Park, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve, Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River, Valles Caldera National Preserve, Voyageurs National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Zion National Parkmore »
Offices:Air Resources Division, National Natural Landmarks Program, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate, Wild and Scenic Rivers Program
Read the abstract and get the link to a published paper on how dragonfly mercury studies uncover unexpected atmospheric delivery pathways: Janssen, S.E., C.J. Kotalik, J.J. Willacker, M.T. Tate, C. Flanagan Pritz, S.J. Nelson, D.P. Krabbenhoft, D. Walters, and C. Eagles-Smith. 2024. Geographic Drivers of Mercury Entry into Aquatic Foods Webs Revealed by Mercury Stable Isotopes in Dragonfly Larvae. Environmental Science & Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c02436
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.
“You can hear the waves on the rocks, the wind blowing, the seagulls crying, and the sound of the fog bells dinging offshore. You can smell the salt from the ocean and the pine trees that grow right up to the oceans edge.” This is how Jeffrey Malone describes his favorite view at Acadia National Park.
Acadia National Park has an astonishing diversity of lichen life. Multiple organisms living together form unique structures to survive in challenging conditions.
National Park Service staff studying effects of the Coronavirus pandemic found wide variations in park visitation, fewer park programs, gaps in long-term monitoring of natural and cultural resources, and lost park-related employment across the U.S. in 2020. Findings in the paper show that in the early stages of the pandemic in April 2020, visitation to U.S. national parks declined by about 87 percent. In some parks visitation rebounded quickly as the summer progressed, while in others it remained low. Other parks, particularly those near urban areas, experienced increased numbers of visitors as people sought safe areas for recreation and exercise.
Locations:Acadia National Park, Arches National Park, Badlands National Park, Bandelier National Monument, Big Bend National Park, Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Chiricahua National Monument, Crater Lake National Park, Craters Of The Moon National Monument & Preserve, Denali National Park & Preserve, Everglades National Park, Glacier National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Haleakalā National Park, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Isle Royale National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lava Beds National Monument, Mammoth Cave National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park, Petrified Forest National Park, Pinnacles National Park, Point Reyes National Seashore, Redwood National and State Parks, Rocky Mountain National Park, Saguaro National Park, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Shenandoah National Park, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Virgin Islands National Park, Voyageurs National Park, Wind Cave National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Zion National Parkmore »
Clean air matters for national parks around the country.
Air quality profile for Acadia National Park. Gives specific information about air quality and air pollution impacts for Acadia NP as well as the studies and monitoring conducted for Acadia NP.
