Work on historic hiking paths in Acadia steps up for high season

On Ocean Path in Acadia National Park, trails crew supervisor Christian Barter knelt on the ground on a sunny morning in April while he built a new retaining wall, aiming to protect the trail from climate and the relentless pounding of hikers. “You have to think about every bit of edge along that trail and […]

Bar Island Trail one of a kind in Acadia National Park

One in a series of historic trail highlights leading up to the Acadia Centennial The Bar Island Trail is one of a kind in Acadia National Park. The wooded, rocky island can only be reached at low tide each day, starting at a sand bar that begins at the end of Bridge Street in Bar […]

Jordan Pond a special fall experience at Acadia National Park

One in a series of historic trail highlights celebrating the Acadia Centennial The path around Jordan Pond is an ideal hike for any time of year but it is especially beautiful in the fall. The fall colors around Jordan Pond are spectacular if you catch them at peak, as we did on Saturday, Oct. 15. We especially […]

Acadia Centennial Partners

UPDATE 5/20/2016: Acadia Centennial Trek Medal now available for purchase, to help raise funds for the park Acadia on My Mind is one of the official Acadia Centennial Partners, approved on Jan. 19, 2016 – a fitting date, since that’s the 1st of 3 birthdays being celebrated by the park, marking the 1929 change in name from Lafayette […]

Kurt Diederich’s Climb built in 1915 to pave way for Acadia

Another in a series of historic trail highlights leading up to the Acadia Centennial If not for the building of Kurt Diederich’s Climb 100 years ago, there may not have been an Acadia Centennial to celebrate in 2016. In the spring of 1914, George B. Dorr, the “father of Acadia,” failed in his initial attempt to […]

Lupine wildflowers of Acadia and monarchs in coming clash?

Cross over to Bar Island at low tide in June and July, and soon you’ll discover fields of majestic purple, blue and pink lupine wildflowers of Acadia, beckoning to be admired and photographed. Squeezed along the edge of the fields stands a less showy plant – common milkweed – which could be missed if not […]

New edition of award-winning Acadia hiking book now out

July heralds the start of the summer season at Acadia National Park. This year, the month also marks the publication of the 4th edition of our award-winning book, Hiking Acadia National Park: A Guide to the Park’s Greatest Hiking Adventures by Falcon Guides. It’s the second year in a row we’ve had a new hiking book […]

Acadia’s Ship Harbor ideal for hiking Maine coast year-round

One in a series of historic Acadia hiking trail highlights With a possible maritime disaster in its past, a big undeveloped harbor and sprawling pink granite, the Ship Harbor Trail in Acadia National Park epitomizes a lot about hiking Maine coast. We’ve often walked the Ship Harbor Trail over the past two decades, but for […]

Jordan Stream Path one of top hikes in Acadia National Park

One in a series of historic Acadia hiking trail highlights Jordan Stream Path is among the shortest and most overlooked hikes in Acadia National Park, but it travels to one of the park’s unusual sights – Cobblestone Bridge, which is quietly marking its own centennial this year. Previously badly eroded, the Jordan Stream Path looks […]

It’s a good thing: Martha Stewart to give $1M for Acadia

Like any other fan of Acadia during the Centennial year, Martha Stewart hiked the trails, climbing the Beehive and exploring Great Head, all just a short way from her Seal Harbor home. Now, as the Centennial year nears an end, to show her appreciation for the park and invite others to show theirs, she has made […]

Top 5 things to see and do for first-time visitors to Acadia

If you’re first-time visitors to Acadia National Park this year, you’ll soon see why generations of families, artists, millionaires and even presidents have been lured by the magnificent scenery. The first national park east of the Mississippi, and still the Northeast’s only such park, Acadia boasts about 155 miles of hiking trails, from easy ocean […]

Following in the footsteps of George Dorr, “father of Acadia”

From the top of Cadillac to the garden-like paths around Sieur de Monts, from the stacks at Jesup Memorial Library to the labs of 2 major research institutions on Mount Desert Island, the presence of George Dorr can be felt. Not only was Dorr the “father of Acadia,” he had a hand in creating Bar […]

Year in review: Top 5 Acadia stories, top 5 blog posts in 2015

UPDATE 2/14/2016: Revised 2015 park statistics show 2.8 million visitors to Acadia, most since 1995. Change primarily a result of more accurate count of Schoodic visitors. Link to final numbers here. UPDATED 1/6/16: December visitors to Acadia total 13,880, pushing total in 2015 to 2.756 million, up 7.5% from 2014, most since 2.760 million in 1997. See updated story […]

Top platform at Beech Mountain fire tower open in Acadia

One in a series of historic hiking trail highlights leading up to the Acadia Centennial Most people who hike Beech Mountain in Acadia National Park may not be aware of a rare opportunity that could await them at the peak. The National Park Service has begun opening the top platform of the steel fire tower […]

New edition of Best Easy Day Hikes, Acadia National Park

UPDATE 4/3/15: Just learned of a way you can get a copy of “Best Easy Day Hikes, Acadia National Park” for free – by joining the American Hiking Society​ at the family level. FalconGuides, publisher of the guide, is one of AHS’s partners in its Families on Foot initiative, to encourage families, particularly those with kids, […]