Welcome to the Acadia National Park EarthCache Program! This National Park Service-sponsored recreational activity leads you to some of the park’s significant geological resources. Using your own Global Positioning System (GPS) unit and a set of clues obtained from this website and hidden along the journey, you can guide yourself to a series of sites in the park. To make your experience an unforgettable success, please read these guidelines and suggestions.

Please note that geocaching with traditional physical caches is not permitted in the park. For more information, contact the park's EarthCache coordinator.

What you will need to participate:

1. GPS unit
2. Information about the program obtained from this website (this introductory page and "The Story of Glaciers"—see "How the Program Works," below)
3. Detailed map of Mount Desert Island or an Acadia National Park map
4. Piece of paper and pen
5. Compass (optional, but it may prove useful)
6. Logbook, if you are a letterbox enthusiast
7. Enthusiasm to learn and explore Acadia!

General information:

1. This program requires the use of park roads. Most park roads are closed to vehicles in the winter due to snow and ice. The roads required to access the featured geological sites are generally open (weather permitting) from April 15 through November 30.
2. All of the sites are located on trails or hardened surfaces. There is no need to go off trail, and doing so will take you farther away from the site.
3. As with all EarthCache sites, there are no physical caches to be found. You do not need to find a physical box to continue the program. Instead you will be required to search for hidden clues.
4. Parking is available at or near each coordinate.
5. As with all park visitors, you are required to pay the park entrance fee at the Sand Beach Entrance Station, visitor center, or one of the other fee stations in the park. The Acadia Annual Pass or the America the Beautiful Annual Pass, Senior Pass, Access Pass, or Volunteer Pass can be used in lieu of paying the entrance fee. There is no fee to participate in the EarthCache Program.
6. Park visitor center hours of operation:

Park Headquarters Winter Visitor Center (Route 233, three miles west of Bar Harbor) - Open All Year

Hours of Operation: 
April 15 to October 31 – 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
November 1 to April 14 – 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. seven days a week (closed on Thanksgiving, December 24 and 25, and January 1)

Hulls Cove Visitor Center (Route 3, north of downtown Bar Harbor) - Open April 15 to October 31

Hours of Operation: Open seven days a week as follows:
April 15 through June – 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
July and August – 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
September – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
October – 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

How the program works:

1. Use your GPS and provided clues to search for and find multiple EarthCaches. You will be required to read a limited amount of background information and solve a clue at each site to discover the next site’s coordinates. “The Story of Glaciers” (pdf - 80kb) will provide coordinates for your first stop.
2. Keep a record of all coordinates. You will need them to solve the final clue.
3. With the successful completion of the program, you can obtain the hand-carved Acadia National Park EarthCache Program stamp imprint, enter your name in the program logbook, and earn the opportunity to print off a completion certificate.
4. Depending upon your familiarity with your GPS unit, the estimated time to complete the program is four to six hours. The tour will take you over much of the park, and you are guaranteed to see and learn about some striking glacial features.
5. Most of all, HAVE FUN!

A formatted, printer-friendly version of this information is available here (pdf - 98kb).

More Information
If you have comments or suggestions about Acadia's EarthCache program, please contact the park's EarthCache coordinator.

Are you interested in learning more about EarthCache activities nationwide? Then visit the Geological Society of America's EarthCache website.