Acadia fall foliage just one focus of rest of Centennial year

The days are shorter, the nights chillier, and Acadia fall foliage is getting ready to put on its spectacular color show. The season to visit Acadia National Park has been gradually getting longer, and this year, Centennial events promise to make the fall – and even winter – busier than ever.

With about 100 days left in the Centennial year, and Acadia fall foliage still to peak, among the major events and projects featuring the park still on the calendar:

treasured lands

QT Luong, whose large-format photographs of all of America’s national parks was featured in Ken Burns’s and Dayton Duncan’s PBS series, has a new book coming out on Oct. 1 in celebration of the National Park Service Centennial. The book includes a section on Acadia. Pre-orders placed by Oct. 1 eligible for special offers. (Image courtesy of QT Luong)

Feast your eyes on Acadia fall foliage, in person or in photos

Otter Cove in Acadia National Park

This photo of fall foliage in the village of Otter Creek led our No. 1 blog post of 2014 (Photo by QT Luong/terragalleria.com all rights reserved)

To find out when Acadia fall foliage is at peak, check area live webcams and the official state of Maine weekly foliage report. Last year, peak in the Acadia region was declared on Oct. 14 by the state, and in 2013, it was Oct. 8.

But if your visit doesn’t match up with peak foliage, or you can’t make it to Acadia before the year is over, there are plenty of other things on the Centennial calendar over the coming weeks and months to feast your eyes on, and to otherwise indulge your senses, and satisfy your intellectual curiosity. You can be part of the year-long celebration, whether you’re able to set foot in the park by Dec. 31 or not.

qt luong

QT Luong’s photo of sunrise lighting up Otter Point is part of the Treasured Lands exhibit, which just ended at the Museum of Science in Boston and moving to Las Vegas.

You can also enjoy the photos of Acadia provided here courtesy of QT Luong, and also by getting a copy of his Treasured Lands book or visting his Treasured Lands exhibit of large-format photos, which just ended this weekend at the Museum of Science in Boston and is heading to Las Vegas next.

  • Art Meets Science Exhibition – Through Sept. 30, an exhibit of science-inspired art at the MDI Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor
  • Designing Acadia – Through Jan. 14, 2017, an exhibit that focuses on the design and layout of Acadia National Park, at the Maine Historical Society in Portland
  • Before Acadia: Adventure and Discovery Exhibit – Through Oct. 31, an exhibit on the Champlain Society, young men of Harvard who summered on Mount Desert Island in the 1880s and helped lead to an appreciation of what would become Acadia, at the Mount Desert Island Historical Society Somesville Museum Campus
  • The Acadia Centennial Collection – Through Oct. 31, modern artists’ interpretation of Hudson River School artists such as Frederic Church and Thomas Cole, at the Gallery at Somes Sound in Somesville
  • National Parks Adventure – Oct. 2, Maine premier of the Robert Redford-narrated film, hosted by Sierra Club and Reel Pizza Cinerama, introduced by Acadia superintendent Kevin Schneider, at Reel Pizza Cinerama in Bar Harbor
  • Great Fire of 1947 Commemoration and Reception – Oct. 23, at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor

    acadia national park hiking

    The Acadia Centennial Medallion, depicted on the top of Cadillac, is an optional purchase for those who finish the free 100-mile virtual Acadia Centennial Trek, and is part of the registration fees for participants in the virtual MDI Marathon and Half Marathon. At least 5 percent of gross proceeds go to help support the park.

  • Acadia Centennial Trek – This free 100-mile virtual race has drawn nearly 300 participants from around the world, with people running, hiking, biking and step-counting their way along a virtual route that starts at the top of Cadillac and ends at the real-life finishing line of the Mount Desert Island Marathon and Half Marathon. More than half of the participants have finished – but for all those who have registered and not yet started logging their miles, below is a handy countdown clock before the race ends on Dec. 31. The optional Acadia Centennial Trek Medal helps raise funds for the park, and is also the finisher’s medal that comes with the registration fee for participants in the virtual MDI Marathon or Half Marathon.

countingdownto.com

QT Luong’s large-format photos of Acadia in autumn

QT Luong and Acadia National Park fall foliage

Colorful mosaic of fall foliage in Acadia National Park as seen through the lens of noted photographer QT Luong.

QT Luong and Acadia National Park fall foliage

Fall colors shine through even on a rainy day in autumn in Acadia National Park

 

QT Luong and Acadia National Park fall foliage

Another of QT Luong’s favorites is this one of crimson fall foliage atop Cadillac.

QT Luong and Acadia National Park fall foliage

One of QT Luong’s most popular Acadia National Park images.

Goat Trail on Isle au Haut in Acadia National Park

Another favorite photo of QT Luong’s is this one from the Goat Trail on Isle au Haut. (Photo by QT Luong/terragalleria.com all rights reserved)

QT Luong photo of Jordan Pond at sunset, Acadia National Park

This is one of QT Luong’s favorites, Jordan Pond at sunset, as seen from North Bubble. (Photo by QT Luong/terragalleria.com all rights reserved)

 

Bass Harbor Head Light photo by QT Luong

Bass Harbor Head Light at night with moon reflection in ocean. (Photo by QT Luong/terragalleria.com all rights reserved)

 

QT Luong and Otter Point in Acadia National Park, at sunrise

Another favorite Acadia photo for QT Luong is this sunrise shot at Otter Point. (Photo by QT Luong/terragalleria.com all rights reserved)

 

 

 

 

3 thoughts on “Acadia fall foliage just one focus of rest of Centennial year

  1. Pingback: Acadia's Ship Harbor ideal for hiking Maine coast year-round

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