This page provides information on how you can access print, braille, audio description, and text-only versions of Acadia National Park's souvenir park brochure. Learn more at go.nps.gov/AcadiaAccessibility
Print Version
Free copies of Acadia's printed sourvenir brochure are available at park visitor centers, fee stations and campgrounds.
A copy of the Braille translation is available for visitor use at each of these park locations –
Hulls Cove Visitor Center, information desk (May through October)
Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, winter information center (November through April)
Sieur de Monts Nature Center
Rockefeller Welcome Center at Schoodic Institute
Jordan Pond House, information desk
Thompson Island, information desk
Audio Described Versions
An audio described version of the brochure can be accessed five ways.
Download the UniDescription app which includes all NPS park brochures that have been audio described through a prolific partnership project with the University of Hawaii. The app is free and available on theiOS platform and Android platform.
Listen to each of the 28 recordings in a sequence of embedded audio players below. Click "transcript" to read the text for that partcular segment.
An unabridged live text version of all the audio descriptions is also provided at the bottom of this page for use with screen reader technology.
Recordings of Audio Descriptions
Brochure 1: Overview > About This Audio-Described Brochure
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
Welcome to the audio-described version of Acadia National Park's official print brochure. Through text and audio descriptions of photos, illustrations, and maps, this version interprets the two sided color brochure that Acadia National Park visitors receive.
This audio version is divided into 17 sections as a way to improve the listening experience.
Sections one through 10 cover the front side of the brochure, which orients visitors to the cultural history, geology, natural history, and diversity of life of Acadia National Park. For listeners of this program, there is a bonus section of text with expanded information about the accessible programs and services that are available for people with disabilities at Acadia.
Sections 11 through 17 cover the back of the brochure which includes a section of text with more specific trip planning information and safety advisories, as well as four colored small, medium and large wayfinding and orientation maps.
Brochure 2: Overview > Acadia National Park
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
Acadia National Park protects the natural beauty of the highest rocky headlands along the North Atlantic coastline of the United States, an abundance of habitats, and a rich cultural heritage. At 4 million visits a year, it's one of the top 10 most-visited national parks in the United States. Visitors enjoy 27 miles of historic motor roads, 158 miles of hiking trails, and 45 miles of carriage roads.
With headquarters based in Bar Harbor, Maine, the park is located 264 miles north and east from Boston, Massachusetts and 50 miles south and east from Bangor, Maine.
Acadia was the first national park created from private lands gifted to the public through the efforts of conservation minded citizens. With an initial donation of 5,000 acres to the federal government, President Woodrow Wilson announced the creation of Sieur de Monts National Monument in 1916. In 1919, as more property was acquired, President Wilson signed an act establishing Lafayette National Park. In 1929, Congress authorized the National Park Service to accept a donation of land on the Schoodic Peninsula as the park’s current name, Acadia National Park, was adopted.
A few highlights from the park's interpretive themes include:
Wabanaki, or People of the Dawn, and their ancestors have used the Acadian archipelago for thousands of years for hunting, fishing, and gathering. Many place names in use today a test to their presence.
Acadia's geologic resources have inspired and challenged humans in their quest to explore, subsist, recreate, and reflect on this landscape.
From sea to summit, Acadia's rocky foundation contributes to a diverse array of habitats where flora and fauna flourish, adapt, or struggle to survive.
Because Acadia is a patchwork of donated land bordering private land, it is important that the park work with private landowners and land trusts to protect the resource and the quality of the visitor experience.
To find out more or to contact the park directly, visit the "Accessibility" and "More Information" sections available in other areas of this audio-described brochure.
Brochure 3: Overview > Accessibility
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
For the most current and complete information about programs and services for people with disabilities at Acadia, please visit our accessibility webpage.
Accessible site descriptions, written for the perspective of people with disabilities, are offered for a growing number of popular park destinations, including:
Hulls Cove Visitor Center
Sand Beach
Ocean Path
Thunder Hole
Fabbri Picnic Area and Memorial
The park offers two audio description-based tours:
Audio Description Tour of Acadia Waysides. Most of Acadia's interpretive waysides and orientation panels are presented by geographic area. Recorded audio descriptions and transcripts are provided for each wayside.
Audio Description Tour of Acadia Artwork. More than a dozen visual art pieces from the Artist-in-Residence program currently are displayed in public spaces in Acadia. To make the gallery experience more inclusive for people who have visual impairments, a recorded audio description and transcript are offered at the top of each artwork's entry in the program's online catalog. In this tour, each displayed artwork is presented in sequence along with directions to navigate the physical space.
Some important general information about accessibility in Acadia includes:
Fare-free Island Explorer buses are accessible for wheelchair users, but not Bicycle Express vans. People with disabilities may call 2 0 7 6 6 7 5 7 9 7 to request a pickup at a location up to three-quarters of a mile off a regular bus route.
If you have a program accommodation request for any scheduled event or activity at Acadia, such as sign language interpretation, live audio description, or assistive listening, please contact us at least 10 days in advance at 2 0 7 2 8 8 3 3 3 8 or by email at acadia_information@nps.gov. All of Acadia's scheduled public events and ranger walks, talks, and campground programs are listed on an online event calendar.
Braille translations of both the park's Unigrid brochure and its "Essential Acadia" messages are available at these locations:
Hulls Cove Visitor Center information desk; Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce winter information center; Sieur de Monts Nature Center; Rockefeller Welcome Center at Schoodic Institute; Jordan Pond House information desk; and Thompson Island information desk.
Service animals are allowed in all park facilities and on all park trails unless closed by order of the superintendent. National Park Service policy defines a service animal as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. The tasks performed by the animal must be directly related to the person’s disability. Some park trails are very steep and require the use of iron rung ladders. These trails should be avoided when hiking with service animals:
Precipice, Beehive, Ladder Trail to Dorr Mountain, Cadillac Mountain West Face from Bubble Pond, Beech Cliff from Echo Lake, and Perpendicular Trail on Mansell Mountain.
US citizens or permanent residents who are permanently disabled may be eligible for the Interagency Access Pass. This free, lifetime admission pass is valid at National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, and Bureau of Reclamation sites.
Brochure 4: Overview > Front Side of Brochure
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
The front side of the brochure orients visitors to the cultural history, natural beauty, and diversity of life of Acadia National Park.
The page is structured with several horizontal sections or layers, beginning with a large, scenic panorama of Jordan Pond leading to tree lined mountains. This image has an associated section of text below it entitled, "Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast."
Beside it to the right is another section of text in four narrow columns entitled "Protect Acadia," which describes congestion across the park during peak season, along with a list of suggestions and strategies for avoiding it.
The next layer below has a section on the left entitled "Shaping the Land" that describes how geological forces have shaped the landscape. There are four small images and three columns of text.
To the right is another section entitled "People of Acadia" that includes a historic quote, a row of three images, and four columns of text.
The final section along the bottom of the page is entitled "Diversity of Life." It includes a paragraph of introductory text and a row of four small images with related text.
Brochure 5: Text & Image > National Park Service Branding
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
A black band that contains text and a color image.
SYNOPSIS:
A black band across the top of the brochure contains text that indicates it is about Acadia National Park. Other text identifies the specific U.S. government department and bureau that oversee operation of the park. A small color arrowhead logo of the National Park Service is printed on the right side. Together, these features represent graphic design branding that is common on official National Park Service publications.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
A solid black band about one-inch-high spans the width of the brochure. It serves as a background for three groups of white text at varying sizes. The largest text is a heading on the left that reads “Acadia” on one line that’s about half the height of the black band. Farther to the right side are two columns of smaller text stacked on two lines. One column reads, “Acadia National Park, Maine.” The next column placed farther to the right reads “National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.”
In the right corner is a logo of the National Park Service. It's about half the height of the black band. The outer shape resembles an arrowhead. From a tip that points downward, the shape rises and widens symmetrically to two asymmetrical notches at the widest point near the top. In the center, between the two notches, the top rises to a shallow, rounded cap. The design within this shape includes a tall green sequoia tree to the left, a white snow-capped mountain to the right, a green forest and open meadow in the middle, and a suggestion of one end of white alpine lake to the right. Near the tip in the center is a full body silhouette profile of a white buffalo. White text in all capital letters above the mountain reads, “National Park Service.”
Brochure 6: Image & Text > Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
IMAGE and TEXT: Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast
DESCRIBING:
A large horizontal color photograph.
SYNOPSIS:
A large landscape photo of Jordon Pond taken from the pond’s bank with the two low round peaks of The Bubbles in the distance. In the foreground, rust speckled boulders dot the shallow water. You can see through the clear shallow water to the flat rocks and beige slab rock covering the pond’s bottom. One of the photo's most unique features is its colors and symmetry. The pond widens and is bracketed on either side by the pond’s banks of small, rounded rust colored rocks and bright green evergreens. The stillness of the day is evident by the reflections of the trees, rounded peaks, and sky on the pond’s clear surface. The light blue sky is streaked with white light just above the rounded peaks covered by green vegetation in the distance. A larger mountain raises up to the right of the two low rounded peaks of The Bubbles into the top right corner of the photograph. There are wispy clouds hovering in front of the peaks.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
There is a large rounded pink granite rock in the front center of the photo. The left side of the large rock appears more orange speckled and transitions to pink and rust speckled on the right. The large rock rests on a sandstone slab covered in a few inches of water and is surrounded by many other smaller rounded pink granite rocks of various sizes extending above the water’s surface. Just above and right of the large rock, a weathered, white tree stump with roots extending in many directions appears like an octopus. The bottom of the photograph fades into the white background of the brochure and the black lettering of the descriptions. As the pond widens across the middle of the photograph, fewer pink, granite rocks are above the water line. The water in the middle of the pond and photograph is a reflection of the white and light blue clear sky. The evergreen trees on the left bank appear to be taller than the mixture of shrubs and evergreen greens on the right bank. The evergreen trees on the left bank have a more distinct reflection than the right bank, however, the right bank extends more into the foreground than the left side. The two small peaks of The Bubbles at the far side of the pond are rounded and connected with a small valley between the peaks. They are bluish with hazy green vegetation and faint wisps of clouds in front of the peaks. A larger or closer mountain appears in the top right with the same hazy, bluish green color and wisps of clouds floating just above the pond.
CAPTION:
Jordan Pond and The Bubbles
CREDIT:
Gregory Hartford
RELATED TEXT:
Acadia National Park protects the natural beauty of the highest rocky headlands along the US Atlantic coastline. The park features an abundance of habitats with high biodiversity, clean air and water, and a rich cultural heritage. Interlaced with picturesque communities, Acadia preserves about 38,000 acres with another 12,500 acres of conservation easements. The park includes 65 miles of rugged coastline on Mount Desert Island, Isle au Haut, Schoodic Peninsula, and 17 other coastal islands.
Spanning lakes, ponds, meadows, and mixed coniferous and deciduous forest, the landscape rises abruptly from sea level to 1,530 feet, with eight mountains above 1,000 feet. About 50 mammal and 300 bird species live here. Harbor seals, porpoise, lobster, sea stars, and other diverse fish and marine animals populate the surrounding waters.
First set aside in 1916 as Sieur de Monts National Monument, it became Lafayette National Park in 1919 and Acadia National Park in 1929. Early park amenities grew to include 33 miles of scenic motor roads, 158 miles of hiking trails, and 45 miles of historic carriage roads with 16 stone bridges.
Brochure 7: Text > Protect Acadia
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
This section lists congestion issues across the park and offers readers tips, strategies, and suggestions for alternative experiences.
TEXT:
Acadia consistently ranks among the most-visited parks in the United States. During peak season, typically May through October, it can be a challenge to experience some of the park’s more popular attractions without feeling crowded.
Low-Impact Transportation Options Always visit Acadia with a backup plan. If a parking lot or area is full when you arrive, pick a new destination. • Leave your car behind. Walk on a village connector trail, ride your bike, or take the fare free Island Explorer bus into Acadia. • Enjoy a car free biking experience by using Acadia’s carriage roads. Yield to horses and pedestrians, wear a helmet, and watch your speed for a safer ride. • Enjoy a summit view by hiking one of Acadia’s historic trails. Stay on established trails and wear sturdy hiking shoes for a safer hike.
Experience Special Places in New Ways Don’t miss Acadia at night. Seek out moonrise over a beach, shooting stars over a mountain, or owl calls echoing into the stillness of a forest trail. • Avoid crowds at sunrise and sunset by picking a new place or new way to experience these magical moments. Watch sunrise along the shore or take a sunset boat ride. • Do your favorite things at new times of the day. Visit Acadia in early morning or late afternoon to find less-crowded experiences. • Visit in winter, spring, or late fall to experience Acadia at its most peaceful.
Make It a Maine Experience Make Maine your destination, not only Acadia. • Spend the middle of the day, the park’s busiest time, exploring activities around Acadia in museums, libraries, historical societies, gardens, galleries, gift shops, and other local venues. • Extend your Maine adventure by visiting three other National Park Service sites. Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Patten. Roosevelt Campobello International Park, New Brunswick, Canada, and Saint Croix Island International Historic Site, Calais.
Brochure 8: Images and Text > Shaping the Land
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
This section entitled "Shaping the Land" describes how geological forces have shaped the landscape. There are four small images and three columns of text.
TEXT:
Various geologic processes have shaped Acadia National Park, leaving tangible evidence of the region’s ancient past.
Brochure 8A: Image and Text, 1 of 4 > Ellsworth Schist
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
A small, color, vertical, rectangular bird's-eye view photograph.
SYNOPSIS:
This photograph shows a towering outcrop of Ellsworth Schist along a Mount Desert Island shoreline under a clear afternoon sky. Clusters of spruce and pine trees stand on top of the outcrop, away from the water's edge. In the foreground, sun shines on the weathered, rounded, light gray outcrop facing the ocean, while the rock formation's jagged vertical faces are shaded and about double the height of the spruce and pine trees. In the middle ground, the blue sea washes against the rocky shore, leaving ribbons of sea foam floating on the water's surface. In the background, the sea extends beyond a rounded, evergreen-treed peninsula toward the horizon.
RELATED TEXT:
Five hundred million years ago sedimentary deposits of mud settled on the floor of an ancient sea. These deposits metamorphosed into distinct layers from increasing pressure and high temperatures deep in the Earth. The formation called Ellsworth Schist is the oldest rock exposed on Mount Desert Island.
CREDIT:
NPS / Will Greene
Brochure 8B: Image and Text, 2 of 4 > Glaciers
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
A photo of a person standing on a cliff over a lake surrounded by fall colors
SYNOPSIS:
A vertical photograph of a hiker standing on a rocky cliff sparsely covered in red and green vegetation. The hiker is facing away from the camera and overlooking a blue pond below. The hiker is wearing a sling style bag over their right shoulder, has shoulder length brown hair, and is wearing a white jacket and blue pants. Around the lake below is orange, red, yellow, and brown foliage. There are small rounded mountains visible on the horizon behind the lake. The sky is blue with wispy white clouds.
RELATED TEXT:
From the domed summit of Cadillac Mountain to the U-shaped valley of Bubble Pond, Acadia’s undulating landscape is the product of thousands of years of sculpting by glacial ice. The ice scoured away older rock, revealing the granite beneath. As the ice melted and retreated, it left behind its burden of boulders and debris strewn across the landscape.
CREDIT:
Copyright James Kaiser
Brochure 8C: Image and Text, 3 of 4 > Shoreline Processes
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
A small, color, horizontal, rectangular photograph.
SYNOPSIS:
This landscape view color photograph shows waves crashing on a rocky shoreline on a sunny day under a blue sky. Gray rocks with a light pink hue border the bottom and right sides of the photo and slope toward and jut into the water to the left. In a turbulent cove, white, frothy water roils between coastal boulders and the shoreline and sprays against the jagged shore's edge, drenching and shading a nearby rock a dark brown color. In the background, a distant mountain gradually peaks toward the sky beyond the deep blue sea.
RELATED TEXT:
The geologic processes that began millions of years ago continue today, shaping and reshaping the landscape. Shoreline erosion is an ever present example of the continuing changes wrought by the forces of the Earth. Protect this landscape. Please do not collect or stack cobbles.
CREDIT:
Copyright Bob Thayer
Brochure 8D: Image and Text, 4 of 4 > Cadillac Mountain Granite
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
A small, color, cut-out photograph on a blank background.
SYNOPSIS:
This photograph shows two, solitary, rounded granite cobbles. The cobble on the left is a rounded cube that is mainly pink and speckled with black and lavender flecks. The cobble on the right is half the height of the cobble on the left and is spheroid shaped. It is mostly tan in color with very small black flecks.
RELATED TEXT:
This rock began as magma that intruded into older, overlying rock. As it cooled, it hardened and crystallized. It is peppered with flecks of black hornblende and glistens with quartz crystal (right ). Pink feldspar gives this granite its pink hue.
CREDIT:
Copyright Jeff Foott
Brochure 9: Quote, Images and Text > People of Acadia
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
This is a group of three images arranged in a row from left to right under a heading, “People of Acadia,” and a quotation in larger bold text that has a deep, dark red color.
QUOTE:
“[The island] is very high, notched in places, so that there is the appearance to one at sea, as of seven or eight mountains extending along near each other. The summit of most of them is destitute of trees, as there are only rocks on them. The woods consist of pines, firs, and birches only. I name it Isle des Monts Deserts.” —Samuel Champlain, 1604
Brochure 9A: Image and Text, 1 of 3 > People of the Dawnland
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
This is a close-up image from a larger design “etched” into the surface of birch bark. The shapes are very faint light gray on a white background.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION.
The design appears to include representational images of a large tree, a bird, two large animals with antlers, and what seem to be patterns of abstract astronomical shapes moving across the sky. At the far left, and extending the full height of the frame, is a tall tree with long, thin, downward flowing branches similar to a mature willow tree. Below it and to the right is a bird walking across the ground with its tail feathers spread and extended behind it, its wings clasped tight to its body, and its neck and head thrust forward in the manner of a turkey or grouse. In the middle is the full body profile of a moose with broad antlers, a small beard draped under its chin above a broad chest, heavy neck and shoulders. Behind and beside it is a drawing of the head and front two legs of another large animal that is more likely a deer, with thin, multi-branched antlers, and a longer, thinner extended neck. At three places along the ground are shapes that may be cultivated plants emerging from raised piles of earth.
RELATED TEXT:
Long before Europeans arrived, the Wabanaki, or “People of the Dawnland,” lived here in all seasons. Setting up camps near places like Somes Sound, they hunted, fished, gathered berries, harvested clams, and traded with each other. Later they resisted colonization while maintaining their culture and an enduring connection to this landscape.
Brochure 9B: Image and Text, 2 of 3 > Colonization and Development
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
MAGE and TEXT: 2 of 3, Colonization and Development
IMAGE 2 of 3
DESCRIBING:
Horizontal outdoor photograph of people gathered on a cliff.
CREDIT:
NPS
SYNOPSIS:
This is a historic, sepia tone photograph of a large group gathered on rocks and boulders above a patchwork of forests and bodies of water visible in the distance and far below.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
The people gathered in this 1922 photograph are wearing dark, tailored outdoor clothing with brimmed hats and long waisted woolen jackets. Most are seated or standing behind on a loose collection of rocks and boulders. They are facing a man and a woman who may be featured speakers standing near the edge of Beech Cliff overlooking Echo Lake.
RELATED TEXT:
In 1604, while mapping the North Atlantic coastline, French explorer Samuel Champlain recorded his observations of Mount Desert Island. For the next 150 years the French and British competed to control this territory. Beginning in 1781, early colonizers received free land in exchange for establishing settlements on the island. They built a local economy around abundant natural resources. They fished, farmed, quarried granite, and engaged in shipping.
In the nineteenth century tourism offered a new income source. Landscape painters of the Hudson River School inspired city dwellers to seek out Mount Desert Island. Enormous hotels and extravagant “cottages” built by wealthy summer residents soon transformed quiet farming and fishing villages.
Beginning in 1901, conservation minded philanthropists worked with the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations to acquire and present 5,000 acres of donated land to the federal government.
In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the area Sieur de Monts National Monument. As more land donations expanded the monument, in 1919 Congress designated it the first eastern national park. George B. Dorr, a tireless early park advocate and donor, was the first superintendent.
Brochure 9C: Image and Text, 3 of 3 > Wabanaki People Are Still Here
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
IMAGE and TEXT: 3 of 3, Wabanaki People Are Still Here
IMAGE 3 of 3
DESCRIBING:
Image of a woman’s hand holding a bundle of grass
CREDIT:
Photo by Will Newton, Friends of Acadia, of a sweetgrass bundle held by Tania Morey, citizen of the Mi'kmaq Nation.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
This is a Photoshop clipped color photograph against a black background of a woman’s left hand entering from the right side of the frame and holding a bundle of wild, harvested sweetgrass. The heel of her hand and wrist are draped inside the cuff and twisted folds of a dark, loose sweatshirt sleeve. Her knuckles are facing outward and her fingers and thumb are clasped tight around the back of the bundle. Emerging upward from the top of her grasp by three or four inches, and carefully aligned across the top, are several dozen yellow and brown moist and fibrous root strands. Extending below her grasp and off the bottom of the image frame is a spray of bright green grass blades that twist and widen more loosely the farther they extend down from her hand.
RELATED TEXT:
Since time immemorial, Native American peoples have inhabited the land now called Maine. Acadia National Park continues to be a place of enduring and immeasurable importance to the Wabanaki, People of the Dawnland. Resistant and resilient, Wabanaki people are still here. We gratefully acknowledge the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Mi'kmaq Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkokmikuk, Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik, and the Penobscot Indian Nation on whose ancestral homelands we now gather.
Brochure 10: Images and Text > Diversity of Life
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
This section entitled "Diversity of Life" includes a paragraph of introductory text and a row of four small images with related text.
TEXT:
Sea meets land at Acadia and life thrives from shore to summit. The arctic black crowberry grows beside the more temperate bunchberry. Songs of wood warblers fill the forest. A green snake basks in the sun. Mammals from the little brown bat to white tailed deer also add to Acadia’s diversity of life.
Brochure 10A: Image and Text, 1 of 4 > Tide Pools
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
This collage includes a cut-out, enlarged image of a Northern Sea Star overlapping the lower left corner of a square image of a tide pool. The five-armed sea star’s body is orange red and covered in short white spines. Its arms extend from its center and curve toward its left as if it is clinging onto a slippery surface. The tide pool image is shown from an angle just above the water’s surface in the foreground. Along the pool’s left edge, a white man and woman stoop down on the surrounding flat, brown rocks and peer into the tide pool’s deep, clear, light blue water. Fall leaves float on the water’s surface, which reflects a clear blue sky. Under the water's surface, rocks extend into the deep pool. Beyond the tide pool’s surrounding rocks, the blue ocean extends to the horizon.
RELATED TEXT:
Pockets in the rocky shore trap pools of water as the tide recedes. Amazing plants and creatures, including sea stars (left), survive in the inhospitable world between the tides. Step carefully. Do not disturb the creatures. Watch for rising tides.
CREDIT:
Copyright Robert Thayer
Brochure 10B: Image and Text, 2 of 4 > Woodlands
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
A small, horizontal, rectangular, color photograph.
SYNOPSIS:
Fox in a woodland scene.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
A small red fox sits among a cluster of sharp rocks in a dense forest, looking attentively at something to its left outside of the frame. Its ears sit straight up and its big bushy tail curls loosely around its side. It has black paws and a white chin, chest, and belly. In the foreground among the rocks are traces of white and green moss and lichens. Spruce, fir, and pine trees around it have spiky dark green leaves, which are called needles.
RELATED TEXT:
Spruce-fir Forest dominated the park until 1947, when 10,000 acres burned. Sun-loving birch, aspen, and oak grew in its wake. New and varied growth after the fire attracted new wildlife, like the red fox.
CREDIT:
Copyright Fred Hirschmann
Brochure 10C: Image and Text, 3 of 4 > Lakes and Ponds
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
A small, horizontal, rectangular, color photograph.
SYNOPSIS:
A night skies photograph of a lake with mountains and their reflections in the distance.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
The lake is a deep blue that is almost purple in color and the night sky is a majestic blue filled with stars, including what appears to be a portion of the Milky Way, that are white, gold and pink in color. Star light is reflected in the water and adds to an illusion that blends boundaries between the sky and water. The lake is cradled by trees, most of the trees look to be a mixture of pine, spruce, and fir, spanning from light green to dark green.
RELATED TEXT:
Glacially carved valleys cradle freshwater lakes and ponds in Acadia’s interior. Waterfowl, amphibians, reptiles, and many invertebrates thrive.
CREDIT:
Copyright Evan Kokoska
Brochure 10D: Image and Text, 4 of 4 > Mountains
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
This photograph shows a mountain trail hiker’s perspective on a cloudy fall day. Bordered by a row of boulders, pink feldspar granite cobblestones and steps delineate the hiking trail, which ascends a slope along the right side of the photograph. A stand of understory deciduous trees dappled in bright yellow, orange, and red sweeps down the slope to the left, interspersed with grand evergreen trees.
RELATED TEXT:
The mountains are not nearly as barren as Samuel Champlain described. They are home to woodlands and many plant species. Peregrine falcons nest on some cliff faces.
CREDIT:
Copyright Joe Braun
Brochure 11: Overview > Back Side of Brochure
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
Side two of the brochure has two primary elements.The first is a shallow band of text across the top, with trip planning and safety messages arranged in eight columns under a heading, "Explore Acadia's Natural Beauty."
The second is a group of four colored wayfinding and orientation maps that fill more than three-quarters of the remainder of the page.
Two smaller maps and one medium map span the middle in a horizontal row, including a regional map of Downeast Maine on the left, a close-up map of Isle au Haut in the center, and a larger map of the Schoodic Peninsula represented on the right.
Filling the width of the page along the bottom is a large map of Mount Desert Island and several outlying islands along the North Atlantic coastline.
Brochure 12: Text > Explore Acadia's Natural Beauty
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
Getting Here by Car. Take Maine Route 3 to Mount Desert Island. Reach Schoodic Peninsula by Maine Route 186.
By Air. Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport is 10 miles from the park. Bangor International Airport is 50 miles away.
By Ferry. Bar Harbor connects with Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
Island Explorer Bus Shuttles. Late June through mid-October, fare-free buses link the park with surrounding communities. Visit www.exploreacadia.com.
Park Entrance Passes. Buy your pass online and print a copy to display on your dashboard before you arrive. Passes are also sold year-round at the fee station along the Park Loop Road, Hulls Cove Visitor Center, and other locations listed on the park website.
Visitor Center. Open seasonally, Hulls Cove Visitor Center offers information, activity schedules, and a park store.
Ferries. There are three seasonal passenger ferries.
One between Bar Harbor, on Mount Desert Island, and Winter Harbor, on Schoodic Peninsula.
A second ferry serves Northeast Harbor, on Mount Desert Island, and Islesford, on Little Cranberry Island.
The third ferry connects Stonington, on Deer Isle, and Isle au Haut.
Scenic Drives. The Park Loop Road, which is 27 miles long connects Acadia’s lakes, mountains, and seashore.
Hiking. From lowland paths to mountain routes, Acadia’s many historic trails provide a variety of experiences. Trips and falls are the number one safety hazard in the park. Granite surfaces are extremely slick when wet. Plan ahead and bring a map. Know the trail difficulty level and your physical abilities. Dress for variable weather. Wear sturdy hiking shoes. Carry water. Trails are for day hiking only. There is no backcountry camping.
Carriage Roads. Forty-five miles of historic gravel roads offer opportunities for recreation like walking, biking, and equestrian use in designated locations. The speed limit for all is 20 mph. Bicyclists must stop for horses and yield to all other users. Motorized vehicles and Class 2 and 3 e-bikes are prohibited.
Bicycling. In addition to park roads and carriage roads on Mount Desert Island, eight miles of gravel paths are available to bicyclists on the Schoodic Peninsula. Bicycles are prohibited off- road and on hiking trails. Stay to the right and watch your speed.
Swimming. Echo Lake Beach, which is fresh water, and Sand Beach, which is salt water, are popular swimming areas. Most lakes and ponds on Mount Desert Island supply public drinking water and are closed to swimming and wading.
Winter Visits. Most park facilities and services are closed in winter, including all but about two miles of Park Loop Road. Visitors enjoy hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing as conditions allow. Snowmobiles are allowed on designated routes only.
Campgrounds. Advance online reservations are required at www.recreation.gov. Blackwoods, Duck Harbor, Seawall, and Schoodic Woods campgrounds are open seasonally. Store and dispose of food appropriately at all campgrounds. Do not bring firewood into the park from outside the area. Private campgrounds and lodging are available in nearby towns. Backcountry camping in the park is prohibited.
Accessibility. We strive to make facilities, services, and programs accessible to all. See the park website for a list of accessible services and facilities.
Weather. Be prepared for changeable weather and chilly summer nights. Typical seasonal temperatures are 80 degrees in summer, 60 degrees in spring and fall, and 0 degrees to 40 degrees in winter. Annual snowfall averages 60 inches.
Safety. Use caution near cliff edges; dangerous footing can cause serious trips and falls. Wet trails and the shoreline are slippery. Waves can knock you down and sweep you out to sea.
Tick-borne diseases are a public health concern. Prevention and timely detection of a tick bite is essential for humans and pets. To limit exposure, walk in the middle of trails away from vegetation, wear light-colored clothing so ticks are easier to spot, tuck pants into socks, spray shoes and clothing with repellent, and check yourself after walks.
Protect the Park. Federal law requires that all pets must be kept on a leash no longer than 6 feet, or 2 meters, at all times. Collect and dispose of animal waste in trash receptacles. • Parking, camping, and fires are permitted only in designated areas. • Federal law prohibits removing or disturbing plants, animals, rocks, and other natural or historic features. • Do not build or remove rock cairns. • Observe wildlife at a distance. Do not feed wildlife, including birds and squirrels. • Stay on designated hiking trails. Walk and rest on durable surfaces, like rock, when possible. • Using remotely piloted aircraft like drones is prohibited.
For a complete list of regulations, including firearms information, visit the park website.
Brochure 13: Map > Acadia National Park
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
A small, color, regional map that includes wayfinding, cognitive, and natural history information.
SYNOPSIS:
This small, color regional map of Downeast Maine titled “Acadia National Park” highlights the three main areas of Acadia National Park: Mount Desert Island, Isle au Haut, and Schoodic Peninsula. These areas are shown in more detail in three separate maps on the back side of this brochure.This map is oriented with north toward the top of the map and a scale of approximately one inch equals 10 miles and one and one eighth inch equals 20 kilometers. Mainland Maine extends beyond the western and northern sides of the map. Acadia National Park is along the southern and eastern sides of the map. The rugged coastline weaves southwest to northeast, and dozens of coastal islands are shown in this regional map. The bold blue label, “Acadia National Park,” is shown in the southeastern corner of the map.Parkland is shown in green, non-parkland is shown in off-white, and surrounding bays, harbors, and the Atlantic Ocean are shown in light blue. Gray lines depict primary U S and state roads, thick red lines depict the Park Loop Road, dashed-gray lines depict unpaved roads, and dashed-blue lines depict passenger and vehicle ferry routes. Surrounding towns are shown with yellow dots, their names are labeled in bold black text, and distances between them are labeled in black text.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
Using the orientation of an analog clock face, this in-depth description starts at 8 o’clock and continues clockwise, generally in a west to east configuration.
Mainland Downeast Maine is shown and extends beyond the edges of the map from 8 o’clock to 1 o’clock. The following coastal towns are shown with yellow dots and labeled with bold black text.
Rockland and Camden at 8 o’clock.
Belfast at 10 o’clock.
Bucksport at 11 o’clock.
Ellsworth at 12 o’clock and West Gouldsboro and Gouldsboro at 1 o’clock.
U S 1 connects these towns from southwest to northeast and is shown as a gray line labeled with a white shield containing a number 1. Text southwest of Rockland reads, “To Wiscasset and Portland.”
Distances between some towns are labeled with black text.
27 miles, 43 kilometers between Camden and Belfast.
18 miles, 29 kilometers between Belfast and Bucksport.
20 miles, 32 kilometers between Bucksport and Ellsworth.
19 miles, 31 kilometers between Ellsworth and West Goldsboro.
State route 3, shown as a gray line labeled with a white horizontal oval containing a number 3, joins U S 1 from the west in Belfast. Text southwest of Belfast along state route 3 reads, “To Interstate 95, Augusta, and Portland.” U S 1 A, shown as a gray line labeled with a white shield containing the number one and the letter A, connects to Ellsworth from the north. Text north of Ellsworth along U S 1 A reads, “Ellsworth to Bangor and Interstate 95.”
A peninsula extends southeast of Bucksport along state route 15 and southwest of Ellsworth along state route 172 to the town of Blue Hill. State route 15 continues south to Deer Isle and the town of Stonington at the island’s southern tip. Distances of 36 miles and 58 kilometers and shown along state route 15 between Blue Hill and Stonington. At 6 o’clock, a passenger ferry route is shown with a dashed blue line and labeled in light blue text between Stonington and Isle au Haut. The Isle au Haut park area is highlighted with a translucent blue square, shaded slightly darker than the surrounding water.
General information is shown on the vertical football-shaped Isle au Haut. Green parkland in the island’s center and southwestern tip. A paved road shown as a gray line along the northern and eastern sides of the island. An unpaved road shown as a dashed-gray line along the western and southern sides of the island through the park. And a passenger ferry route shown as a dashed-blue line along the island’s western edge.
The square area is labeled with bold blue text, “Isle au Haut Detail,” which corresponds to the Isle au Haut map described separately in this audio described brochure.
Mount Desert Island is just east of the center of the map, southeast of and connected to Ellsworth by state route 3. The island is shaped like an upside-down lobster claw, with a long narrow inlet, labeled Somes Sound, dividing it into western and eastern areas. Green parkland covers about half of the island. The Mount Desert Island area is highlighted with a translucent blue square, shaded slightly darker than the surrounding water. The square area is labeled with bold blue text, “Mount Desert Island Detail,” which corresponds to the Mount Desert Island map described separately in this audio described brochure. General information is shown on Mount Desert Island. On the western segment, the town of Bass Harbor is shown along its southern tip. A vehicle ferry route is shown with a dashed-blue line connecting Bass Harbor to Swans Island to the south. The town of Southwest Harbor is shown along Somes Sound. State route 102 circles the western segment. On the eastern segment, the town of Northeast Harbor is shown along Somes Sound, and Bar Harbor is shown along the island’s northeastern edge. State route 3 circles the eastern segment, and the Park Loop Road, shown as a thick red line, circles the eastern edge of the eastern segment south of Bar Harbor. On state route 3, the distance between the northern terminus of the island and Bar Harbor is shown as 20 miles and 32 kilometers. A passenger ferry route shown as a dashed-blue line connects Bar Harbor to the town of Winter Harbor on Schoodic Peninsula to the east.
At 1 o’clock, the Schoodic Peninsula extends south from West Gouldsboro and Gouldsboro. U S 1 connects West Gouldsboro and Gouldsboro from west to east. State route 186 connects West Gouldsboro and Gouldsboro with a loop extending along the peninsula’s western edge to Winter Harbor, turning east, then turning north along the peninsula’s eastern edge. State route 195 bisects the peninsula from U S 1 between West Gouldsboro and Gouldsboro, from northwest to southeast. The cone-shaped Schoodic Peninsula area of the park is at the peninsula’s southern tip, highlighted with a translucent blue square, shaded slightly darker than the surrounding water. The square area is labeled with bold blue text, “Schoodic Peninsula Detail,” which corresponds to the Schoodic Peninsula map described separately in this audio described brochure. Green parkland and a Park Loop Road shown as a thick red line along the edge of the southern tip of the peninsula are shown.
Brochure 14: Map > Isle au Haut
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
A small, color, regional map that includes wayfinding, cognitive, and natural history information.
SYNOPSIS:
This small, color regional map titled “Isle au Haut” is a detailed map of the Isle au Haut area highlighted in the "Acadia National Park" regional map described in the Acadia National Park section of this audio described brochure. This map centers on the Isle au Haut island and is oriented with north toward the top of the map at a scale of approximately one and a quarter inch equals two miles and approximately three-quarters of an inch equals two kilometers. Open water extends around the main vertical football-shaped island and beyond the boundaries of the map. Thirteen smaller islands surround Isle au Haut and are labeled in black text. The black, all capitalized, italicized label, “Isle au Haut,” is shown on the center of the island, in the center of the map.
Parkland is shown in green mainly in the island’s center and southwestern tip, non parkland is shown in off white, and surrounding coves, harbors, and the Atlantic Ocean are shown in light blue and labeled in dark blue text. Black lines depict primary paved roads, dashed-black lines depict unpaved roads, white dashed lines depict hiking trails, and dashed-blue lines depict passenger ferry routes. Ferry stops are shown with black dots, labeled in bold black text. Towns are shown with yellow dots, labeled in bold black text. Mountain peaks are shown with small black dots, and their names and elevations are labeled with bold black text. Icons for restrooms, ranger stations, campsites, lighthouses, and ferry parking areas are shown.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
Using the orientation of an analog clock face, this in-depth description starts at 10 o’clock on Isle au Haut and continues in a clockwise direction describing the features of the main island as well as the adjacent water features and islands surrounding the main Isle au Haut island. Parkland is shown in green shading, mainly in the island’s center and southwestern tip.At 10 o’clock on Isle au Haut, the coastal town of Isle au Haut is shown with a yellow dot and labeled with black text. A ranger station and restrooms are located just south of town at a hiking trailhead. Kimball Island is shown directly west of the town of Isle au Haut. Kimball Head peninsula is labeled at the western terminus of Kimball Island. Islands adjacent to the island of Isle au Haut from 11 o'clock to 3 o'clock are Merchant Island, Nathan Island, Pell Island, Burnt Island, Fog Island, York Island, and two islands labeled as The Cow Pen.
Town Landing ferry terminal is shown on Isle au Haut with a black dot just west of the town of Isle au Haut. A blue dashed line labeled Isle au Haut Thorofare indicates the ferry route from the north, west of Merchant Island and Nathan Island, and is labeled "Passenger ferry Stonington to Town Landing, Isle au Haut (year-round)."
A paved road shown as a black line heads east from the town of Isle au Haut and passes Birch Point at 12 o'clock and Richs Point and 1 o'clock along the coast and Mount Champlain rising to the south to an elevation of 543 feet or 166 meters. Mount Champlain is located in non-parkland. The road turns south at approximately 1 o'clock and continues along the coast past Turnip Yard, which is an area of open water, and Boom Beach, a coastal beach. The road parallels Long Pond, a narrow north-south oriented pond to the west. Little Spoon Island and Great Spoon Island are to the east of Boom Beach at approximately 4 o'clock.
The paved road continues toward the southeastern tip of the island, Eastern Head, which is a peninsula that is shaded green to depict a section of Acadia National Park. The small Eastern Ear Island is just east of Eastern Head. Head Harbor is just west of Eastern Head. Here, the road turns west along the southern part of the island and becomes an unpaved road shown as a dashed black line. The unpaved road enters Acadia National Park, shaded green, at about 6 o'clock, and passes Duck Harbor Mountain at elevation 314 feet or 96 meters, Barred Harbor, and Deep Cove at about 7 o'clock to the south. The southwestern tip of the island is labeled Western Head. The small Western Ear Island is just south of Western Head. White dashed lines indicate hiking trails that weave through the Barred Harbor, Deep Cove, Western Head, and Duck Harbor Mountain areas.
The unpaved road loops north along the west coast of Isle au Haut from the Duck Harbor Landing ferry terminal, which includes parking for the ferry and restrooms. The ferry route from the north is labeled "Passenger ferry to Duck Harbor Landing (seasonal)" and connects to Town Landing ferry terminal via the Isle au Haut Thorofare. A campground sits adjacent to the ferry terminal. The unpaved road weaves its way north back toward the town of Isle au Haut, crisscrossing hiking trails and passing Moores Harbor along the west coast at 9 o'clock. The unpaved road passes three peaks to the east: a 198-foot or 60 meter unnamed peak at 8 o'clock, and two peaks in the center of the island, Bowditch Mountain at elevation 405 feet or 123 meters and Jerusalem Mountain at elevation 472 feet or 144 meters. Hiking trails weave toward and around these peaks. Northeast of Moores Harbor, a non-parkland peninsula juts west at 10 o'clock. Trial Point is labeled at the peninsula's terminus, Bald Mountain is labeled along the peninsula's east coast with an elevation of 167 feet or 51 meters, and Robinson Point lighthouse sits on the peninsula's northern coast, along the Isle au Haut Thorofare.
North of Robinson Point, the unpaved road returns to a paved road as it approaches the town of Isle au Haut along the west coast of the island at 10 o'clock.
Brochure 15: Map > Schoodic Peninsula
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
A medium sized color map that includes wayfinding, cognitive, and natural history information
SYNOPSIS:
This map, entitled “Schoodic Peninsula,” is an orientation and wayfinding map for the Schoodic District of Acadia National Park on the mainland of the Downeast Maine region, along the North Atlantic coastline.
The map fully encompasses the Schoodic Peninsula and is oriented with north toward the top of the map at a scale of approximately one and one eighth inch equals one mile, and approximately three-quarters of an inch equals one kilometer.
Open water extends around the peninsula and beyond the boundaries of the map. As many as 13 smaller islands surround the peninsula. Eight have names labeled in black text. A large black, all capitalized and italicized label, “Schoodic Peninsula,” appears in the center of the map.
Parkland, shown in light green, covers most of the peninsula. Non- Park areas are shown in off white on several neighboring coves, harbors and islands. The Atlantic Ocean is shown in light blue and several harbors are labeled in dark blue text.
Black lines depict primary paved roads. A dark red line indicates the Schoodic Loop Road. White dashed lines depict hiking trails. A dashed-blue line depicts a passenger ferry route. A ferry stop is shown with a black dot, and is labeled in bold black text. Two nearby towns are shown with yellow dots and labeled in bold black text.
Several high summits are shown with small black dots, and their names are labeled with bold black text. Icons for a ferry stop, bus stops, picnic areas, restrooms, a ranger station and a campground are shown.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
Using the orientation of an analog clock face, this in-depth description starts at 11 o’clock on the peninsula and continues in a counterclockwise direction.
At 11 o’clock along the top edge of the map the coastal town of Winter Harbor is shown with a yellow dot and labeled with black text. Slightly south and east, a ferry stop, and a bus stop are indicated. A blue dashed line labeled "Passenger ferry to Bar Harbor (seasonal)" indicates a ferry route south and west through the light blue shaded coastal waters that also bear the name, Winter Harbor.
Grindstone Neck, a smaller peninsula to the south and west of the harbor, is indicated in off white, as are several nearby islands, including Heron Island, Turtle Island, Ned Island, and Mark Island.
Just east of the town of Winter Harbor along Route 186 is the paved entrance to the Schoodic District. This two lane, two way road travels south about a mile into the peninsula to the entrance of the Schoodic Woods Campground and amphitheater. Icons for a ranger station, bus stop, parking area, and restrooms are indicated here.
Less than half a mile farther south, at about 10 o'clock on the analog orientation clock, the road color changes to a heavier dark red to indicate the beginning of the Schoodic Loop Road. A short distance farther along, at the entrance to Frazer Point, a label in bold text reads, "Begin one way traffic. Autos only." A short access road west leads to Frazer Point along the coast facing west into Mosquito Harbor and Winter Harbor. The site is labeled with icons for a bus stop, picnic area, and restrooms.
From there, the one way Schoodic Loop Road travels close to the coastline along the peninsula about three miles to a point that is oriented at about six o'clock on the analog clock. The Loop Road forks here. Drivers may continue to the west to continue driving west and then north around the peninsula. Or they may turn right to travel south and west for about half a mile on a two way stretch of road to the entrance of the Schoodic Institute and Welcome Center, which is labeled with an icon for a bus stop and restrooms. A short distance farther along this road spur ends with a turnaround on Schoodic Point at the southernmost tip of the peninsula. This spot is labeled with icons for a bus stop, restrooms and parking areas. Directly to the east are two islands indicated in light green as park lands, Little Moose Island and Schoodic Island.
After returning north along the two-way spur to the fork in the Schoodic Loop Road, traffic resumes one way only direction to the east. Within about half a mile is a destination labeled Blueberry Hill with an icon for a parking area. This location is oriented at about five o'clock on the analog clock face.
Traveling north along the coastline, in about a mile, Rolling Island is labeled as green parkland in light blue waters labeled as Schoodic Harbor.
Another mile farther north along the coastline, at about three o'clock on the analog clock, there is a parking area icon where the light green parkland ends, and there are labels in bold green for "Park Exit," and in dark red for "End one way traffic." From here and farther north, the dark red line indication for the Schoodic Loop Road changes back to a thinner black paved road. In about two miles, at the intersection with Route 186, this road ends as it meets the town of Birch Harbor shown with a yellow dot and labeled with black text. This location corresponds to about one o'clock on the analog clock.
From here, Route 186 travels east and north off the map, or west and slightly north back toward the entrance road into the Schoodic District or the town of Winter Harbor slightly beyond.
Brochure 16: Map > Mount Desert Island
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
A large color map that includes wayfinding, cognitive, and natural history information.
SYNOPSIS:
This map, entitled “Mount Desert Island,” is an orientation and wayfinding map for the primary district of Acadia National Park located off the mainland of the Downeast Maine region along the North Atlantic coastline.
The map fully encompasses the island and is oriented with north toward the top of the map at a scale of just under one-inch equals one mile, and just over one-half inch equals one kilometer. Open water extends around the peninsula and beyond the boundaries of the map. As many as 32 smaller islands. A large black, all capitalized and italicized label, “Mount Desert Island,” appears near the center of the map.
Mount Desert Island is split into two halves separated by Somes Sound. An irregular, checkerboard of boundary areas show that Acadia is roughly half the area of Mount Desert Island. A large portion of the eastern half of Mount Desert Island and the interior of the western half are within park boundaries. Parkland is shown in light green. Non-Park areas are shown in off-white on several neighboring coves, harbors and islands. The Atlantic Ocean is shown in light blue and several harbors and bays are labeled in dark blue text. Black lines depict primary paved roads. A dark red line indicates the Park Loop Road. Thin, gray, dashed lines depict hiking trails. Dashed-blue lines depict passenger ferry routes. Ferry stops are shown with a black dot and are labeled with a ferry icon. The boundaries of towns are indicated with light brown shading and labeled spelled out with thin capital letters. Summits are indicated with small black dots and spelled out in small, bold, italicized characters with elevations indicated in feet and meters.
The map identifies:
locations of Acadia National Park’s visitor centers.
navigational points, including the Park Loop Road, unpaved and paved roads, locked gates, national park boundaries, park headquarters, and town boundaries.
points of interest, including hiking trails, carriage roads, ponds, lakes, peak heights and location, and lighthouses.
amenities, including picnic areas, campgrounds, swimming areas, boat launches, rest rooms, parking, bus stops food services, and ferries.and warnings, including low clearance bridges, vehicle reservation requirements, and no swimming areas.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
In the upper left corner of the map, across a short span labeled "Mount Desert Narrows," a series of bridges along Route 3 connects the mainland to the northwest tip of Mount Desert Island. Along the way is Thompon Island, which has a small visitor contact station and restrooms along the south side of the road and a large picnic area and restrooms along the north side of the road. Continuing along Route 3 onto Mount Desert Island, there is an immediate fork with a left turn for Route 3 continuing east across the top of the island and a right turn on Route 1 0 2 and 1 9 8 traveling south toward the Somes Sound and the western side of the island.
Mount Desert Island is an irregular, round island with numerous coves, harbors and surrounding smaller islands. There are several high mountain ranges stacked side-by-side across the island from east to west and oriented vertically, north to south. Near the middle of the island, extending north from the Atlantic Ocean, is a long, narrow, and deep body of water labeled "Somes Sound," which effectively divides the island into two halves. State Routes 2 3 3 and 1 9 8, threading across the middle of the island, provide an east to west road corridor between the two halves.
Using the orientation of an analog clock face, the Hulls Cove Visitor is located along Route 3 at about one o’clock near the center in the north, northeast corner of the island. The site is marked with icons for bus stop, ranger station, restrooms, and parking. Bar Island, Sheep Porcupine Island, Burnt Porcupine Island, Long Porcupine Island, Bald Porcupine Island, Ironbound Island, and Jordon Island lie off the northeast coast.
This visitor center location serves the start of the 27-mile Park Loop Road, which is indicated with a heavier line colored dark red. This scenic road travels south, then east to meet and travel south along the North Atlantic coastline. At the far southern extent of the island, the Park Loop Road turns west and then north around mountain ranges before traveling north the full length of the island back to the visitor center.
Popular destinations that are located along the Park Loop Road include. Sieur de Monts Nature Center and the Wild Gardens of Acadia.
Sand Beach.
Thunder Hole.
Otter Point.
Fabbri Memorial and Picnic Area
Wildwood Stables.
Jordan Pond House, and
Cadillac Moutain.
In the northeast corner of the island, located about two miles farther east from the visitor center on Route 3 along the coastline, is the town of Bar Harbor. It is oriented at about two o'clock on the analog clock face. There is a ferry stop icon located along the coast. Along side streets near the center of town, a black dot notes the location of the "Village Green," with icons for a bus stop and ranger station.
Continuing about a mile south from Bar Harbor on Route 3 is a park entrance with access to Sieur de Monts Spring and Nature Center, and the Wild Gardens of Acadia. Numerous hiking trails intersect in this area, including those with access to Dorr and Cadillac mountains.
Route 3 continues south between mountain ranges and through the town of Otter Creek, indicated with a yellow dot at about four o'clock on the analog clock face.
A short distance along Route 3 to the west and south is the entrance to Blackwoods Campground and amphitheater, which is indicated by icons for a campground, bus stop and ranger station. There are trails leading from the campground northeast toward Otter Cove and northwest to the park interior.
A bit farther west, Route 3 enters the town of Seal Harbor, which is oriented at about 5 o'clock on the analog clock. A short distance beyond, at the Stanley Brook Entrance, is a road that travels north to connect with the Park Loop Road.
Continuing west on the southern coast on Mount Desert Island, Route 3 meets a junction. Continuing north from here along Route 3 is a gatehouse, bus stop, restrooms, and parking areas for hiking trails and carriage roads. Traveling south from this junction leads to the town Northeast Harbor, where there is a bus stop and a passenger ferry to Great Cranberry Island. Smaller islands off the coast include Greening Island, Bear Island, Sutton Island, and Baker Island. From the northwest corner of Northeast Harbor, Sergeant Drive traces the coastline along Somes Sound to connect back with Route 3 roughly three miles farther north.
Continuing north, Route 3 transitions to Route 1 9 8. Along the way, there is an intersection with Route 2 3 3 that travels east and north past Eagle Lake toward Bar Harbor, roughly 4.5 miles away. Traveling west from that intersection along 1 9 8 leads to the western portion of Mount Desert Island.
At about 10 o'clock on the analog clock face, Route 1 9 8 intersects with Route 1 0 2. Traveling north, 1 0 2 eventually passes through the town of Town Hill and swings northwest to connect with Route 3 and cross Thompson Island to return to the mainland.
Traveling south from that intersection, 102 follows the western coast of Somes Sound through the town of Somesville.
Roughly two miles south is a boat launch on Echo Lake at Ikes Point.
About a half mile farther south along 1 0 2 is Echo Lake Beach, where swimming is allowed. There is a bus stop, restrooms, parking, and hiking trails.
From the parking lot at Echo Lake Beach, Lurvey Spring Road travels southwest to meet the southern edge of Long Pond, where there is a boat launch and hiking trails.
Continuing south along Route 1 0 2 about a half mile is the entrance to Caroll Homestead, which hosts living history activities and Junior Ranger events.
A short distance farther south on 1 0 2 is the town of Southwest Harbor, where there is a bus stop and seasonal ferry to Cranberry Island.
South of Southwest Harbor the road splits with 1 0 2 traveling southwest, and 1 0 2 A traveling southeast. Route 1 0 2 to the southwest connects with the towns of Bass Harbor and Bernard.
Route 1 0 2 A to the southeast winds around the coast about two and a half miles to Seawall and Seawall Campground. Seawall is located directly on the coastline and has a picnic area and restrooms. Seawall Campground is located on the inland side of the road and has a campground, amphitheater, bus stop, and ranger stations. One mile farther west along Route 1 0 2 A is the Wonderland hiking trail. A half mile beyond is Ship Harbor cove with a parking lot, restrooms, and hiking loop. Roughly another mile beyond, 1 0 2 A intersects with a two-lane road south to Bass Harbor Head Light Station, which has a very limited number of parking spaces, restrooms, and a short hiking trail down to the water's edge.
Traveling north on Route 1 0 2 A about one mile leads to the town of Bass Harbor, where there is a vehicle ferry to Swans Island.
Just north of Bass Harbor is the intersection with Route 102. Turning east leads back at Southwest Harbor and turning west leads to Tremont Road and the town of Bernard.
Tremont Road continues northwest along the west coast of Mount Desert Island. The town of West Tremont is about two miles north, and the town of Seal Cove is another two miles farther north.
Continuing north another four miles leads to Pretty Marsh, which has a parking lot, picnic tables, and restrooms.
A short distance beyond is an intersection with Indian Point Road, which travels along the northwest coast of Mount Desert Island to intersect with Routes 1 0 2 and 1 9 8 near the town of Town Hill.
At the town of Pretty Marsh, Tremont Road turns into Pretty Marsh Road, which travels northeast back toward 1 0 2 and the north end of Somes Sound. Along the way, there is a boat launch at the north edge of Long Pond. Just beyond, an intersection with Ripples Road to the south transitions to Beech Hill Road and travels south several miles to Beech Mountain parking area and hiking trails. As Pretty Marsh Road runs continues east, it connects with Route 1 0 2, where it turns north toward Somesville and eventually connects with Route 3 to cross Thompson Island to return to the mainland.
Brochure 17: Overview > More Information
Computer-generated voice recording from an audio described version of the souvenir park brochure for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. (2024 edition)
Acadia National Park. PO Box 1 7 7. Bar Harbor. Maine. 0 4 6 0 9 . 0 1 7 7
Phone number
2 0 7 . 2 8 8. 3 3 3 8.
Website
www.nps.gov/acad.
Email Address
acadia_information@nps.gov
Follow us on social media.
Use the official NPS App to guide your visit.
Acadia is one of over 400 parks in the National Park System. To learn more, visit www.nps.gov
Live Text Version for Use With Screen Reader Technology
OVERVIEW: About this Audio-Described Brochure
Welcome to the audio-described version of Acadia National Park's official print brochure. Through text and audio descriptions of photos, illustrations, and maps, this version interprets the two sided color brochure that Acadia National Park visitors receive.
This audio version is divided into 17 sections as a way to improve the listening experience.
Sections one through 10 cover the front side of the brochure, which orients visitors to the cultural history, geology, natural history, and diversity of life of Acadia National Park. For listeners of this program, there is a bonus section of text with expanded information about the accessible programs and services that are available for people with disabilities at Acadia.
Sections 11 through 17 cover the back of the brochure which includes a section of text with more specific trip planning information and safety advisories, as well as four colored small, medium and large wayfinding and orientation maps.
OVERVIEW: Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park protects the natural beauty of the highest rocky headlands along the North Atlantic coastline of the United States, an abundance of habitats, and a rich cultural heritage. At 4 million visits a year, it's one of the top 10 most-visited national parks in the United States. Visitors enjoy 27 miles of historic motor roads, 158 miles of hiking trails, and 45 miles of carriage roads.
With headquarters based in Bar Harbor, Maine, the park is located 264 miles north and east from Boston, Massachusetts and 50 miles south and east from Bangor, Maine.
Acadia was the first national park created from private lands gifted to the public through the efforts of conservation minded citizens. With an initial donation of 5,000 acres to the federal government, President Woodrow Wilson announced the creation of Sieur de Monts National Monument in 1916. In 1919, as more property was acquired, President Wilson signed an act establishing Lafayette National Park. In 1929, Congress authorized the National Park Service to accept a donation of land on the Schoodic Peninsula as the park’s current name, Acadia National Park, was adopted.
A few highlights from the park's interpretive themes include:
Wabanaki, or People of the Dawn, and their ancestors have used the Acadian archipelago for thousands of years for hunting, fishing, and gathering. Many place names in use today a test to their presence.
Acadia's geologic resources have inspired and challenged humans in their quest to explore, subsist, recreate, and reflect on this landscape.
From sea to summit, Acadia's rocky foundation contributes to a diverse array of habitats where flora and fauna flourish, adapt, or struggle to survive.
Because Acadia is a patchwork of donated land bordering private land, it is important that the park work with private landowners and land trusts to protect the resource and the quality of the visitor experience.
To find out more or to contact the park directly, visit the "Accessibility" and "More Information" sections available in other areas of this audio-described brochure.
OVERVIEW: Accessibility
For the most current and complete information about programs and services for people with disabilities at Acadia, please visit our accessibility webpage.
Accessible site descriptions, written for the perspective of people with disabilities, are offered for a growing number of popular park destinations, including:
Hulls Cove Visitor Center
Sand Beach
Ocean Path
Thunder Hole
Fabbri Picnic Area and Memorial
The park offers two audio description-based tours:
Audio Description Tour of Acadia Waysides. Most of Acadia's interpretive waysides and orientation panels are presented by geographic area. Recorded audio descriptions and transcripts are provided for each wayside.
Audio Description Tour of Acadia Artwork. More than a dozen visual art pieces from the Artist-in-Residence program currently are displayed in public spaces in Acadia. To make the gallery experience more inclusive for people who have visual impairments, a recorded audio description and transcript are offered at the top of each artwork's entry in the program's online catalog. In this tour, each displayed artwork is presented in sequence along with directions to navigate the physical space.
Some important general information about accessibility in Acadia includes:
Fare-free Island Explorer buses are accessible for wheelchair users, but not Bicycle Express vans. People with disabilities may call 2 0 7 6 6 7 5 7 9 7 to request a pickup at a location up to three-quarters of a mile off a regular bus route.
If you have a program accommodation request for any scheduled event or activity at Acadia, such as sign language interpretation, live audio description, or assistive listening, please contact us at least 10 days in advance at 2 0 7 2 8 8 3 3 3 8 or by email at acadia_information@nps.gov. All of Acadia's scheduled public events and ranger walks, talks, and campground programs are listed on an online event calendar.
Braille translations of both the park's Unigrid brochure and its "Essential Acadia" messages are available at these locations:
Hulls Cove Visitor Center information desk; Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce winter information center; Sieur de Monts Nature Center; Rockefeller Welcome Center at Schoodic Institute; Jordan Pond House information desk; and Thompson Island information desk.
Service animals are allowed in all park facilities and on all park trails unless closed by order of the superintendent. National Park Service policy defines a service animal as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. The tasks performed by the animal must be directly related to the person’s disability. Some park trails are very steep and require the use of iron rung ladders. These trails should be avoided when hiking with service animals:
Precipice, Beehive, Ladder Trail to Dorr Mountain, Cadillac Mountain West Face from Bubble Pond, Beech Cliff from Echo Lake, and Perpendicular Trail on Mansell Mountain.
US citizens or permanent residents who are permanently disabled may be eligible for the Interagency Access Pass. This free, lifetime admission pass is valid at National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, and Bureau of Reclamation sites.
OVERVIEW: Front Side of Brochure
The front side of the brochure orients visitors to the cultural history, natural beauty, and diversity of life of Acadia National Park.
The page is structured with several horizontal sections or layers, beginning with a large, scenic panorama of Jordan Pond leading to tree lined mountains. This image has an associated section of text below it entitled, "Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast."
Beside it to the right is another section of text in four narrow columns entitled "Protect Acadia," which describes congestion across the park during peak season, along with a list of suggestions and strategies for avoiding it.
The next layer below has a section on the left entitled "Shaping the Land" that describes how geological forces have shaped the landscape. There are four small images and three columns of text.
To the right is another section entitled "People of Acadia" that includes a historic quote, a row of three images, and four columns of text.
The final section along the bottom of the page is entitled "Diversity of Life." It includes a paragraph of introductory text and a row of four small images with related text.
IMAGE and TEXT: National Park Service Branding
DESCRIBING:
A black band that contains text and a color image.
SYNOPSIS:
A black band across the top of the brochure contains text that indicates it is about Acadia National Park. Other text identifies the specific U.S. government department and bureau that oversee operation of the park. A small color arrowhead logo of the National Park Service is printed on the right side. Together, these features represent graphic design branding that is common on official National Park Service publications.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
A solid black band about one-inch-high spans the width of the brochure. It serves as a background for three groups of white text at varying sizes. The largest text is a heading on the left that reads “Acadia” on one line that’s about half the height of the black band. Farther to the right side are two columns of smaller text stacked on two lines. One column reads, “Acadia National Park, Maine.” The next column placed farther to the right reads “National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.”
In the right corner is a logo of the National Park Service. It's about half the height of the black band. The outer shape resembles an arrowhead. From a tip that points downward, the shape rises and widens symmetrically to two asymmetrical notches at the widest point near the top. In the center, between the two notches, the top rises to a shallow, rounded cap. The design within this shape includes a tall green sequoia tree to the left, a white snow-capped mountain to the right, a green forest and open meadow in the middle, and a suggestion of one end of white alpine lake to the right. Near the tip in the center is a full body silhouette profile of a white buffalo. White text in all capital letters above the mountain reads, “National Park Service.”
IMAGE and TEXT: Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast
DESCRIBING:
A large horizontal color photograph.
SYNOPSIS:
A large landscape photo of Jordon Pond taken from the pond’s bank with the two low round peaks of The Bubbles in the distance. In the foreground, rust speckled boulders dot the shallow water. You can see through the clear shallow water to the flat rocks and beige slab rock covering the pond’s bottom. One of the photo's most unique features is its colors and symmetry. The pond widens and is bracketed on either side by the pond’s banks of small, rounded rust colored rocks and bright green evergreens. The stillness of the day is evident by the reflections of the trees, rounded peaks, and sky on the pond’s clear surface. The light blue sky is streaked with white light just above the rounded peaks covered by green vegetation in the distance. A larger mountain raises up to the right of the two low rounded peaks of The Bubbles into the top right corner of the photograph. There are wispy clouds hovering in front of the peaks.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
There is a large rounded pink granite rock in the front center of the photo. The left side of the large rock appears more orange speckled and transitions to pink and rust speckled on the right. The large rock rests on a sandstone slab covered in a few inches of water and is surrounded by many other smaller rounded pink granite rocks of various sizes extending above the water’s surface. Just above and right of the large rock, a weathered, white tree stump with roots extending in many directions appears like an octopus. The bottom of the photograph fades into the white background of the brochure and the black lettering of the descriptions. As the pond widens across the middle of the photograph, fewer pink, granite rocks are above the water line. The water in the middle of the pond and photograph is a reflection of the white and light blue clear sky. The evergreen trees on the left bank appear to be taller than the mixture of shrubs and evergreen greens on the right bank. The evergreen trees on the left bank have a more distinct reflection than the right bank, however, the right bank extends more into the foreground than the left side. The two small peaks of The Bubbles at the far side of the pond are rounded and connected with a small valley between the peaks. They are bluish with hazy green vegetation and faint wisps of clouds in front of the peaks. A larger or closer mountain appears in the top right with the same hazy, bluish green color and wisps of clouds floating just above the pond.
CAPTION:
Jordan Pond and The Bubbles
CREDIT:
Gregory Hartford
RELATED TEXT:
Acadia National Park protects the natural beauty of the highest rocky headlands along the US Atlantic coastline. The park features an abundance of habitats with high biodiversity, clean air and water, and a rich cultural heritage. Interlaced with picturesque communities, Acadia preserves about 38,000 acres with another 12,500 acres of conservation easements. The park includes 65 miles of rugged coastline on Mount Desert Island, Isle au Haut, Schoodic Peninsula, and 17 other coastal islands.
Spanning lakes, ponds, meadows, and mixed coniferous and deciduous forest, the landscape rises abruptly from sea level to 1,530 feet, with eight mountains above 1,000 feet. About 50 mammal and 300 bird species live here. Harbor seals, porpoise, lobster, sea stars, and other diverse fish and marine animals populate the surrounding waters.
First set aside in 1916 as Sieur de Monts National Monument, it became Lafayette National Park in 1919 and Acadia National Park in 1929. Early park amenities grew to include 33 miles of scenic motor roads, 158 miles of hiking trails, and 45 miles of historic carriage roads with 16 stone bridges.
TEXT: Protect Acadia
SYNOPSIS:
This section lists congestion issues across the park and offers readers tips, strategies, and suggestions for alternative experiences.
TEXT:
Acadia consistently ranks among the most-visited parks in the United States. During peak season, typically May through October, it can be a challenge to experience some of the park’s more popular attractions without feeling crowded.
Low-Impact Transportation Options
Always visit Acadia with a backup plan. If a parking lot or area is full when you arrive, pick a new destination. • Leave your car behind. Walk on a village connector trail, ride your bike, or take the fare free Island Explorer bus into Acadia. • Enjoy a car free biking experience by using Acadia’s carriage roads. Yield to horses and pedestrians, wear a helmet, and watch your speed for a safer ride. • Enjoy a summit view by hiking one of Acadia’s historic trails. Stay on established trails and wear sturdy hiking shoes for a safer hike.
Experience Special Places in New Ways
Don’t miss Acadia at night. Seek out moonrise over a beach, shooting stars over a mountain, or owl calls echoing into the stillness of a forest trail. • Avoid crowds at sunrise and sunset by picking a new place or new way to experience these magical moments. Watch sunrise along the shore or take a sunset boat ride. • Do your favorite things at new times of the day. Visit Acadia in early morning or late afternoon to find less-crowded experiences. • Visit in winter, spring, or late fall to experience Acadia at its most peaceful.
Make It a Maine Experience
Make Maine your destination, not only Acadia. • Spend the middle of the day, the park’s busiest time, exploring activities around Acadia in museums, libraries, historical societies, gardens, galleries, gift shops, and other local venues. • Extend your Maine adventure by visiting three other National Park Service sites. Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Patten. Roosevelt Campobello International Park, New Brunswick, Canada, and Saint Croix Island International Historic Site, Calais.
IMAGES and TEXT: Shaping the Land
SYNOPSIS:
This section entitled "Shaping the Land" describes how geological forces have shaped the landscape. There are four small images and three columns of text.
TEXT:
Various geologic processes have shaped Acadia National Park, leaving tangible evidence of the region’s ancient past.
IMAGE and TEXT: 1 of 4, Ellsworth Schist
IMAGE 1 of 4
DESCRIBING:
A small, color, vertical, rectangular bird's-eye view photograph.
SYNOPSIS:
This photograph shows a towering outcrop of Ellsworth Schist along a Mount Desert Island shoreline under a clear afternoon sky. Clusters of spruce and pine trees stand on top of the outcrop, away from the water's edge. In the foreground, sun shines on the weathered, rounded, light gray outcrop facing the ocean, while the rock formation's jagged vertical faces are shaded and about double the height of the spruce and pine trees. In the middle ground, the blue sea washes against the rocky shore, leaving ribbons of sea foam floating on the water's surface. In the background, the sea extends beyond a rounded, evergreen-treed peninsula toward the horizon.
RELATED TEXT:
Five hundred million years ago sedimentary deposits of mud settled on the floor of an ancient sea. These deposits metamorphosed into distinct layers from increasing pressure and high temperatures deep in the Earth. The formation called Ellsworth Schist is the oldest rock exposed on Mount Desert Island.
CREDIT:
NPS / Will Greene
IMAGE and TEXT: 2 of 4, Glaciers
IMAGE 2 of 4
DESCRIBING:
A photo of a person standing on a cliff over a lake surrounded by fall colors
SYNOPSIS:
A vertical photograph of a hiker standing on a rocky cliff sparsely covered in red and green vegetation. The hiker is facing away from the camera and overlooking a blue pond below. The hiker is wearing a sling style bag over their right shoulder, has shoulder length brown hair, and is wearing a white jacket and blue pants. Around the lake below is orange, red, yellow, and brown foliage. There are small rounded mountains visible on the horizon behind the lake. The sky is blue with wispy white clouds.
RELATED TEXT:
From the domed summit of Cadillac Mountain to the U-shaped valley of Bubble Pond, Acadia’s undulating landscape is the product of thousands of years of sculpting by glacial ice. The ice scoured away older rock, revealing the granite beneath. As the ice melted and retreated, it left behind its burden of boulders and debris strewn across the landscape.
CREDIT:
Copyright James Kaiser
IMAGE and TEXT: 3 of 4, Shoreline Processes
IMAGE 3 of 4
DESCRIBING:
A small, color, horizontal, rectangular photograph.
SYNOPSIS:
This landscape view color photograph shows waves crashing on a rocky shoreline on a sunny day under a blue sky. Gray rocks with a light pink hue border the bottom and right sides of the photo and slope toward and jut into the water to the left. In a turbulent cove, white, frothy water roils between coastal boulders and the shoreline and sprays against the jagged shore's edge, drenching and shading a nearby rock a dark brown color. In the background, a distant mountain gradually peaks toward the sky beyond the deep blue sea.
RELATED TEXT:
The geologic processes that began millions of years ago continue today, shaping and reshaping the landscape. Shoreline erosion is an ever present example of the continuing changes wrought by the forces of the Earth. Protect this landscape. Please do not collect or stack cobbles.
CREDIT:
Copyright Bob Thayer
IMAGE and TEXT: 4 of 4, Cadillac Mountain Granite
IMAGE 4 of 4
DESCRIBING:
A small, color, cut-out photograph on a blank background.
SYNOPSIS:
This photograph shows two, solitary, rounded granite cobbles. The cobble on the left is a rounded cube that is mainly pink and speckled with black and lavender flecks. The cobble on the right is half the height of the cobble on the left and is spheroid shaped. It is mostly tan in color with very small black flecks.
RELATED TEXT:
This rock began as magma that intruded into older, overlying rock. As it cooled, it hardened and crystallized. It is peppered with flecks of black hornblende and glistens with quartz crystal (right ). Pink feldspar gives this granite its pink hue.
CREDIT:
Copyright Jeff Foott
QUOTE, IMAGES, and TEXT: People of Acadia
SYNOPSIS:
This is a group of three images arranged in a row from left to right under a heading, “People of Acadia,” and a quotation in larger bold text that has a deep, dark red color.
QUOTE:
“[The island] is very high, notched in places, so that there is the appearance to one at sea, as of seven or eight mountains extending along near each other. The summit of most of them is destitute of trees, as there are only rocks on them. The woods consist of pines, firs, and birches only. I name it Isle des Monts Deserts.”
—Samuel Champlain, 1604
IMAGE and TEXT: 1 of 3, People of the Dawnland
IMAGE 1 of 3
DESCRIBING:
Horizontal image of Native American artwork
CREDIT:
Courtesy of Abbe Museum.
SYNOPSIS:
This is a close-up image from a larger design “etched” into the surface of birch bark. The shapes are very faint light gray on a white background.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION.
The design appears to include representational images of a large tree, a bird, two large animals with antlers, and what seem to be patterns of abstract astronomical shapes moving across the sky. At the far left, and extending the full height of the frame, is a tall tree with long, thin, downward flowing branches similar to a mature willow tree. Below it and to the right is a bird walking across the ground with its tail feathers spread and extended behind it, its wings clasped tight to its body, and its neck and head thrust forward in the manner of a turkey or grouse. In the middle is the full body profile of a moose with broad antlers, a small beard draped under its chin above a broad chest, heavy neck and shoulders. Behind and beside it is a drawing of the head and front two legs of another large animal that is more likely a deer, with thin, multi-branched antlers, and a longer, thinner extended neck. At three places along the ground are shapes that may be cultivated plants emerging from raised piles of earth.
RELATED TEXT:
Long before Europeans arrived, the Wabanaki, or “People of the Dawnland,” lived here in all seasons. Setting up camps near places like Somes Sound, they hunted, fished, gathered berries, harvested clams, and traded with each other. Later they resisted colonization while maintaining their culture and an enduring connection to this landscape.
IMAGE and TEXT: 2 of 3, Colonization and Development
IMAGE 2 of 3
DESCRIBING:
Horizontal outdoor photograph of people gathered on a cliff.
CREDIT:
NPS
SYNOPSIS:
This is a historic, sepia tone photograph of a large group gathered on rocks and boulders above a patchwork of forests and bodies of water visible in the distance and far below.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
The people gathered in this 1922 photograph are wearing dark, tailored outdoor clothing with brimmed hats and long waisted woolen jackets. Most are seated or standing behind on a loose collection of rocks and boulders. They are facing a man and a woman who may be featured speakers standing near the edge of Beech Cliff overlooking Echo Lake.
RELATED TEXT:
In 1604, while mapping the North Atlantic coastline, French explorer Samuel Champlain recorded his observations of Mount Desert Island. For the next 150 years the French and British competed to control this territory. Beginning in 1781, early colonizers received free land in exchange for establishing settlements on the island. They built a local economy around abundant natural resources. They fished, farmed, quarried granite, and engaged in shipping.
In the nineteenth century tourism offered a new income source. Landscape painters of the Hudson River School inspired city dwellers to seek out Mount Desert Island. Enormous hotels and extravagant “cottages” built by wealthy summer residents soon transformed quiet farming and fishing villages.
Beginning in 1901, conservation minded philanthropists worked with the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations to acquire and present 5,000 acres of donated land to the federal government.
In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the area Sieur de Monts National Monument. As more land donations expanded the monument, in 1919 Congress designated it the first eastern national park. George B. Dorr, a tireless early park advocate and donor, was the first superintendent.
IMAGE and TEXT: 3 of 3, Wabanaki People Are Still Here
IMAGE 3 of 3
DESCRIBING:
Image of a woman’s hand holding a bundle of grass
CREDIT:
Photo by Will Newton, Friends of Acadia, of a sweetgrass bundle held by Tania Morey, citizen of the Mi'kmaq Nation.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
This is a Photoshop clipped color photograph against a black background of a woman’s left hand entering from the right side of the frame and holding a bundle of wild, harvested sweetgrass. The heel of her hand and wrist are draped inside the cuff and twisted folds of a dark, loose sweatshirt sleeve. Her knuckles are facing outward and her fingers and thumb are clasped tight around the back of the bundle. Emerging upward from the top of her grasp by three or four inches, and carefully aligned across the top, are several dozen yellow and brown moist and fibrous root strands. Extending below her grasp and off the bottom of the image frame is a spray of bright green grass blades that twist and widen more loosely the farther they extend down from her hand.
RELATED TEXT:
Since time immemorial, Native American peoples have inhabited the land now called Maine. Acadia National Park continues to be a place of enduring and immeasurable importance to the Wabanaki, People of the Dawnland. Resistant and resilient, Wabanaki people are still here. We gratefully acknowledge the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Mi'kmaq Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkokmikuk, Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik, and the Penobscot Indian Nation on whose ancestral homelands we now gather.
IMAGES and TEXT: Diversity of Life
SYNOPSIS:
This section entitled "Diversity of Life" includes a paragraph of introductory text and a row of four small images with related text.
TEXT:
Sea meets land at Acadia and life thrives from shore to summit. The arctic black crowberry grows beside the more temperate bunchberry. Songs of wood warblers fill the forest. A green snake basks in the sun. Mammals from the little brown bat to white tailed deer also add to Acadia’s diversity of life.
IMAGE and TEXT: 1 of 4, Tide Pools
IMAGE 1 of 4
DESCRIBING:
A collage of two small color photographs.
SYNOPSIS:
This collage includes a cut-out, enlarged image of a Northern Sea Star overlapping the lower left corner of a square image of a tide pool. The five-armed sea star’s body is orange red and covered in short white spines. Its arms extend from its center and curve toward its left as if it is clinging onto a slippery surface. The tide pool image is shown from an angle just above the water’s surface in the foreground. Along the pool’s left edge, a white man and woman stoop down on the surrounding flat, brown rocks and peer into the tide pool’s deep, clear, light blue water. Fall leaves float on the water’s surface, which reflects a clear blue sky. Under the water's surface, rocks extend into the deep pool. Beyond the tide pool’s surrounding rocks, the blue ocean extends to the horizon.
RELATED TEXT:
Pockets in the rocky shore trap pools of water as the tide recedes. Amazing plants and creatures, including sea stars (left), survive in the inhospitable world between the tides. Step carefully. Do not disturb the creatures. Watch for rising tides.
CREDIT:
Copyright Robert Thayer
IMAGE and TEXT: 2 of 4, Woodlands
IMAGE 2 of 4
DESCRIBING:
A small, horizontal, rectangular, color photograph.
SYNOPSIS:
Fox in a woodland scene.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
A small red fox sits among a cluster of sharp rocks in a dense forest, looking attentively at something to its left outside of the frame. Its ears sit straight up and its big bushy tail curls loosely around its side. It has black paws and a white chin, chest, and belly. In the foreground among the rocks are traces of white and green moss and lichens. Spruce, fir, and pine trees around it have spiky dark green leaves, which are called needles.
RELATED TEXT:
Spruce-fir Forest dominated the park until 1947, when 10,000 acres burned. Sun-loving birch, aspen, and oak grew in its wake. New and varied growth after the fire attracted new wildlife, like the red fox.
CREDIT:
Copyright Fred Hirschmann
IMAGE and TEXT: 3 of 4, Lakes and Ponds
IMAGE 3 of 4
DESCRIBING:
A small, horizontal, rectangular, color photograph.
SYNOPSIS:
A night skies photograph of a lake with mountains and their reflections in the distance.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
The lake is a deep blue that is almost purple in color and the night sky is a majestic blue filled with stars, including what appears to be a portion of the Milky Way, that are white, gold and pink in color. Star light is reflected in the water and adds to an illusion that blends boundaries between the sky and water. The lake is cradled by trees, most of the trees look to be a mixture of pine, spruce, and fir, spanning from light green to dark green.
RELATED TEXT:
Glacially carved valleys cradle freshwater lakes and ponds in Acadia’s interior. Waterfowl, amphibians, reptiles, and many invertebrates thrive.
CREDIT:
Copyright Evan Kokoska
IMAGE and TEXT: 4 of 4, Mountains
IMAGE 4 of 4
DESCRIBING:
A small, vertical, rectangular, color photograph.
SYNOPSIS:
This photograph shows a mountain trail hiker’s perspective on a cloudy fall day. Bordered by a row of boulders, pink feldspar granite cobblestones and steps delineate the hiking trail, which ascends a slope along the right side of the photograph. A stand of understory deciduous trees dappled in bright yellow, orange, and red sweeps down the slope to the left, interspersed with grand evergreen trees.
RELATED TEXT:
The mountains are not nearly as barren as Samuel Champlain described. They are home to woodlands and many plant species. Peregrine falcons nest on some cliff faces.
CREDIT:
Copyright Joe Braun
OVERVIEW: Back Side of Brochure
Side two of the brochure has two primary elements.The first is a shallow band of text across the top, with trip planning and safety messages arranged in eight columns under a heading, "Explore Acadia's Natural Beauty."
The second is a group of four colored wayfinding and orientation maps that fill more than three-quarters of the remainder of the page.
Two smaller maps and one medium map span the middle in a horizontal row, including a regional map of Downeast Maine on the left, a close-up map of Isle au Haut in the center, and a larger map of the Schoodic Peninsula represented on the right.
Filling the width of the page along the bottom is a large map of Mount Desert Island and several outlying islands along the North Atlantic coastline.
TEXT: Explore Acadia’s Natural Beauty
TEXT:
Getting Here by Car.
Take Maine Route 3 to Mount Desert Island. Reach Schoodic Peninsula by Maine Route 186.
By Air.
Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport is 10 miles from the park. Bangor International Airport is 50 miles away.
By Ferry.
Bar Harbor connects with Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
Island Explorer Bus Shuttles.
Late June through mid-October, fare-free buses link the park with surrounding communities. Visit www.exploreacadia.com.
Park Entrance Passes.
Buy your pass online and print a copy to display on your dashboard before you arrive. Passes are also sold year-round at the fee station along the Park Loop Road, Hulls Cove Visitor Center, and other locations listed on the park website.
Visitor Center.
Open seasonally, Hulls Cove Visitor Center offers information, activity schedules, and a park store.
Ferries.
There are three seasonal passenger ferries.
One between Bar Harbor, on Mount Desert Island, and Winter Harbor, on Schoodic Peninsula.
A second ferry serves Northeast Harbor, on Mount Desert Island, and Islesford, on Little Cranberry Island.
The third ferry connects Stonington, on Deer Isle, and Isle au Haut.
Scenic Drives.
The Park Loop Road, which is 27 miles long connects Acadia’s lakes, mountains, and seashore.
Hiking.
From lowland paths to mountain routes, Acadia’s many historic trails provide a variety of experiences. Trips and falls are the number one safety hazard in the park. Granite surfaces are extremely slick when wet. Plan ahead and bring a map. Know the trail difficulty level and your physical abilities. Dress for variable weather. Wear sturdy hiking shoes. Carry water. Trails are for day hiking only. There is no backcountry camping.
Carriage Roads.
Forty-five miles of historic gravel roads offer opportunities for recreation like walking, biking, and equestrian use in designated locations. The speed limit for all is 20 mph. Bicyclists must stop for horses and yield to all other users. Motorized vehicles and Class 2 and 3 e-bikes are prohibited.
Bicycling.
In addition to park roads and carriage roads on Mount Desert Island, eight miles of gravel paths are available to bicyclists on the Schoodic Peninsula. Bicycles are prohibited off- road and on hiking trails. Stay to the right and watch your speed.
Swimming.
Echo Lake Beach, which is fresh water, and Sand Beach, which is salt water, are popular swimming areas. Most lakes and ponds on Mount Desert Island supply public drinking water and are closed to swimming and wading.
Winter Visits.
Most park facilities and services are closed in winter, including all but about two miles of Park Loop Road. Visitors enjoy hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing as conditions allow. Snowmobiles are allowed on designated routes only.
Campgrounds.
Advance online reservations are required at www.recreation.gov. Blackwoods, Duck Harbor, Seawall, and Schoodic Woods campgrounds are open seasonally. Store and dispose of food appropriately at all campgrounds. Do not bring firewood into the park from outside the area. Private campgrounds and lodging are available in nearby towns. Backcountry camping in the park is prohibited.
Accessibility.
We strive to make facilities, services, and programs accessible to all. See the park website for a list of accessible services and facilities.
Weather.
Be prepared for changeable weather and chilly summer nights. Typical seasonal temperatures are 80 degrees in summer, 60 degrees in spring and fall, and 0 degrees to 40 degrees in winter. Annual snowfall averages 60 inches.
Safety.
Use caution near cliff edges; dangerous footing can cause serious trips and falls. Wet trails and the shoreline are slippery. Waves can knock you down and sweep you out to sea.
Tick-borne diseases are a public health concern. Prevention and timely detection of a tick bite is essential for humans and pets. To limit exposure, walk in the middle of trails away from vegetation, wear light-colored clothing so ticks are easier to spot, tuck pants into socks, spray shoes and clothing with repellent, and check yourself after walks.
Protect the Park.
Federal law requires that all pets must be kept on a leash no longer than 6 feet, or 2 meters, at all times. Collect and dispose of animal waste in trash receptacles. • Parking, camping, and fires are permitted only in designated areas. • Federal law prohibits removing or disturbing plants, animals, rocks, and other natural or historic features. • Do not build or remove rock cairns. • Observe wildlife at a distance. Do not feed wildlife, including birds and squirrels. • Stay on designated hiking trails. Walk and rest on durable surfaces, like rock, when possible. • Using remotely piloted aircraft like drones is prohibited.
For a complete list of regulations, including firearms information, visit the park website.
MAP: Acadia National Park
DESCRIBING:
A small, color, regional map that includes wayfinding, cognitive, and natural history information.
SYNOPSIS:
This small, color regional map of Downeast Maine titled “Acadia National Park” highlights the three main areas of Acadia National Park: Mount Desert Island, Isle au Haut, and Schoodic Peninsula. These areas are shown in more detail in three separate maps on the back side of this brochure.This map is oriented with north toward the top of the map and a scale of approximately one inch equals 10 miles and one and one eighth inch equals 20 kilometers. Mainland Maine extends beyond the western and northern sides of the map. Acadia National Park is along the southern and eastern sides of the map. The rugged coastline weaves southwest to northeast, and dozens of coastal islands are shown in this regional map. The bold blue label, “Acadia National Park,” is shown in the southeastern corner of the map.Parkland is shown in green, non-parkland is shown in off-white, and surrounding bays, harbors, and the Atlantic Ocean are shown in light blue. Gray lines depict primary U S and state roads, thick red lines depict the Park Loop Road, dashed-gray lines depict unpaved roads, and dashed-blue lines depict passenger and vehicle ferry routes. Surrounding towns are shown with yellow dots, their names are labeled in bold black text, and distances between them are labeled in black text.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
Using the orientation of an analog clock face, this in-depth description starts at 8 o’clock and continues clockwise, generally in a west to east configuration.
Mainland Downeast Maine is shown and extends beyond the edges of the map from 8 o’clock to 1 o’clock. The following coastal towns are shown with yellow dots and labeled with bold black text.
Rockland and Camden at 8 o’clock.
Belfast at 10 o’clock.
Bucksport at 11 o’clock.
Ellsworth at 12 o’clock and West Gouldsboro and Gouldsboro at 1 o’clock.
U S 1 connects these towns from southwest to northeast and is shown as a gray line labeled with a white shield containing a number 1. Text southwest of Rockland reads, “To Wiscasset and Portland.”
Distances between some towns are labeled with black text.
27 miles, 43 kilometers between Camden and Belfast.
18 miles, 29 kilometers between Belfast and Bucksport.
20 miles, 32 kilometers between Bucksport and Ellsworth.
19 miles, 31 kilometers between Ellsworth and West Goldsboro.
State route 3, shown as a gray line labeled with a white horizontal oval containing a number 3, joins U S 1 from the west in Belfast. Text southwest of Belfast along state route 3 reads, “To Interstate 95, Augusta, and Portland.” U S 1 A, shown as a gray line labeled with a white shield containing the number one and the letter A, connects to Ellsworth from the north. Text north of Ellsworth along U S 1 A reads, “Ellsworth to Bangor and Interstate 95.”
A peninsula extends southeast of Bucksport along state route 15 and southwest of Ellsworth along state route 172 to the town of Blue Hill. State route 15 continues south to Deer Isle and the town of Stonington at the island’s southern tip. Distances of 36 miles and 58 kilometers and shown along state route 15 between Blue Hill and Stonington. At 6 o’clock, a passenger ferry route is shown with a dashed blue line and labeled in light blue text between Stonington and Isle au Haut. The Isle au Haut park area is highlighted with a translucent blue square, shaded slightly darker than the surrounding water.
General information is shown on the vertical football-shaped Isle au Haut.
Green parkland in the island’s center and southwestern tip.
A paved road shown as a gray line along the northern and eastern sides of the island.
An unpaved road shown as a dashed-gray line along the western and southern sides of the island through the park.
And a passenger ferry route shown as a dashed-blue line along the island’s western edge.
The square area is labeled with bold blue text, “Isle au Haut Detail,” which corresponds to the Isle au Haut map described separately in this audio described brochure.
Mount Desert Island is just east of the center of the map, southeast of and connected to Ellsworth by state route 3. The island is shaped like an upside-down lobster claw, with a long narrow inlet, labeled Somes Sound, dividing it into western and eastern areas. Green parkland covers about half of the island. The Mount Desert Island area is highlighted with a translucent blue square, shaded slightly darker than the surrounding water. The square area is labeled with bold blue text, “Mount Desert Island Detail,” which corresponds to the Mount Desert Island map described separately in this audio described brochure. General information is shown on Mount Desert Island. On the western segment, the town of Bass Harbor is shown along its southern tip. A vehicle ferry route is shown with a dashed-blue line connecting Bass Harbor to Swans Island to the south. The town of Southwest Harbor is shown along Somes Sound. State route 102 circles the western segment. On the eastern segment, the town of Northeast Harbor is shown along Somes Sound, and Bar Harbor is shown along the island’s northeastern edge. State route 3 circles the eastern segment, and the Park Loop Road, shown as a thick red line, circles the eastern edge of the eastern segment south of Bar Harbor. On state route 3, the distance between the northern terminus of the island and Bar Harbor is shown as 20 miles and 32 kilometers. A passenger ferry route shown as a dashed-blue line connects Bar Harbor to the town of Winter Harbor on Schoodic Peninsula to the east.
At 1 o’clock, the Schoodic Peninsula extends south from West Gouldsboro and Gouldsboro. U S 1 connects West Gouldsboro and Gouldsboro from west to east. State route 186 connects West Gouldsboro and Gouldsboro with a loop extending along the peninsula’s western edge to Winter Harbor, turning east, then turning north along the peninsula’s eastern edge. State route 195 bisects the peninsula from U S 1 between West Gouldsboro and Gouldsboro, from northwest to southeast. The cone-shaped Schoodic Peninsula area of the park is at the peninsula’s southern tip, highlighted with a translucent blue square, shaded slightly darker than the surrounding water. The square area is labeled with bold blue text, “Schoodic Peninsula Detail,” which corresponds to the Schoodic Peninsula map described separately in this audio described brochure. Green parkland and a Park Loop Road shown as a thick red line along the edge of the southern tip of the peninsula are shown.
MAP: Isle au Haut
DESCRIBING:
A small, color, regional map that includes wayfinding, cognitive, and natural history information.
SYNOPSIS:
This small, color regional map titled “Isle au Haut” is a detailed map of the Isle au Haut area highlighted in the "Acadia National Park" regional map described in the Acadia National Park section of this audio described brochure. This map centers on the Isle au Haut island and is oriented with north toward the top of the map at a scale of approximately one and a quarter inch equals two miles and approximately three-quarters of an inch equals two kilometers. Open water extends around the main vertical football-shaped island and beyond the boundaries of the map. Thirteen smaller islands surround Isle au Haut and are labeled in black text. The black, all capitalized, italicized label, “Isle au Haut,” is shown on the center of the island, in the center of the map.
Parkland is shown in green mainly in the island’s center and southwestern tip, non parkland is shown in off white, and surrounding coves, harbors, and the Atlantic Ocean are shown in light blue and labeled in dark blue text. Black lines depict primary paved roads, dashed-black lines depict unpaved roads, white dashed lines depict hiking trails, and dashed-blue lines depict passenger ferry routes. Ferry stops are shown with black dots, labeled in bold black text. Towns are shown with yellow dots, labeled in bold black text. Mountain peaks are shown with small black dots, and their names and elevations are labeled with bold black text. Icons for restrooms, ranger stations, campsites, lighthouses, and ferry parking areas are shown.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
Using the orientation of an analog clock face, this in-depth description starts at 10 o’clock on Isle au Haut and continues in a clockwise direction describing the features of the main island as well as the adjacent water features and islands surrounding the main Isle au Haut island. Parkland is shown in green shading, mainly in the island’s center and southwestern tip.At 10 o’clock on Isle au Haut, the coastal town of Isle au Haut is shown with a yellow dot and labeled with black text. A ranger station and restrooms are located just south of town at a hiking trailhead. Kimball Island is shown directly west of the town of Isle au Haut. Kimball Head peninsula is labeled at the western terminus of Kimball Island. Islands adjacent to the island of Isle au Haut from 11 o'clock to 3 o'clock are Merchant Island, Nathan Island, Pell Island, Burnt Island, Fog Island, York Island, and two islands labeled as The Cow Pen.
Town Landing ferry terminal is shown on Isle au Haut with a black dot just west of the town of Isle au Haut. A blue dashed line labeled Isle au Haut Thorofare indicates the ferry route from the north, west of Merchant Island and Nathan Island, and is labeled "Passenger ferry Stonington to Town Landing, Isle au Haut (year-round)."
A paved road shown as a black line heads east from the town of Isle au Haut and passes Birch Point at 12 o'clock and Richs Point and 1 o'clock along the coast and Mount Champlain rising to the south to an elevation of 543 feet or 166 meters. Mount Champlain is located in non-parkland. The road turns south at approximately 1 o'clock and continues along the coast past Turnip Yard, which is an area of open water, and Boom Beach, a coastal beach. The road parallels Long Pond, a narrow north-south oriented pond to the west. Little Spoon Island and Great Spoon Island are to the east of Boom Beach at approximately 4 o'clock.
The paved road continues toward the southeastern tip of the island, Eastern Head, which is a peninsula that is shaded green to depict a section of Acadia National Park. The small Eastern Ear Island is just east of Eastern Head. Head Harbor is just west of Eastern Head. Here, the road turns west along the southern part of the island and becomes an unpaved road shown as a dashed black line. The unpaved road enters Acadia National Park, shaded green, at about 6 o'clock, and passes Duck Harbor Mountain at elevation 314 feet or 96 meters, Barred Harbor, and Deep Cove at about 7 o'clock to the south. The southwestern tip of the island is labeled Western Head. The small Western Ear Island is just south of Western Head. White dashed lines indicate hiking trails that weave through the Barred Harbor, Deep Cove, Western Head, and Duck Harbor Mountain areas.
The unpaved road loops north along the west coast of Isle au Haut from the Duck Harbor Landing ferry terminal, which includes parking for the ferry and restrooms. The ferry route from the north is labeled "Passenger ferry to Duck Harbor Landing (seasonal)" and connects to Town Landing ferry terminal via the Isle au Haut Thorofare. A campground sits adjacent to the ferry terminal. The unpaved road weaves its way north back toward the town of Isle au Haut, crisscrossing hiking trails and passing Moores Harbor along the west coast at 9 o'clock. The unpaved road passes three peaks to the east: a 198-foot or 60 meter unnamed peak at 8 o'clock, and two peaks in the center of the island, Bowditch Mountain at elevation 405 feet or 123 meters and Jerusalem Mountain at elevation 472 feet or 144 meters. Hiking trails weave toward and around these peaks. Northeast of Moores Harbor, a non-parkland peninsula juts west at 10 o'clock. Trial Point is labeled at the peninsula's terminus, Bald Mountain is labeled along the peninsula's east coast with an elevation of 167 feet or 51 meters, and Robinson Point lighthouse sits on the peninsula's northern coast, along the Isle au Haut Thorofare.
North of Robinson Point, the unpaved road returns to a paved road as it approaches the town of Isle au Haut along the west coast of the island at 10 o'clock.
MAP: Schoodic Peninsula
DESCRIBING:
A medium sized color map that includes wayfinding, cognitive, and natural history information
SYNOPSIS:
This map, entitled “Schoodic Peninsula,” is an orientation and wayfinding map for the Schoodic District of Acadia National Park on the mainland of the Downeast Maine region, along the North Atlantic coastline.
The map fully encompasses the Schoodic Peninsula and is oriented with north toward the top of the map at a scale of approximately one and one eighth inch equals one mile, and approximately three-quarters of an inch equals one kilometer.
Open water extends around the peninsula and beyond the boundaries of the map. As many as 13 smaller islands surround the peninsula. Eight have names labeled in black text. A large black, all capitalized and italicized label, “Schoodic Peninsula,” appears in the center of the map.
Parkland, shown in light green, covers most of the peninsula. Non- Park areas are shown in off white on several neighboring coves, harbors and islands. The Atlantic Ocean is shown in light blue and several harbors are labeled in dark blue text.
Black lines depict primary paved roads. A dark red line indicates the Schoodic Loop Road. White dashed lines depict hiking trails. A dashed-blue line depicts a passenger ferry route. A ferry stop is shown with a black dot, and is labeled in bold black text. Two nearby towns are shown with yellow dots and labeled in bold black text.
Several high summits are shown with small black dots, and their names are labeled with bold black text. Icons for a ferry stop, bus stops, picnic areas, restrooms, a ranger station and a campground are shown.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
Using the orientation of an analog clock face, this in-depth description starts at 11 o’clock on the peninsula and continues in a counterclockwise direction.
At 11 o’clock along the top edge of the map the coastal town of Winter Harbor is shown with a yellow dot and labeled with black text. Slightly south and east, a ferry stop, and a bus stop are indicated. A blue dashed line labeled "Passenger ferry to Bar Harbor (seasonal)" indicates a ferry route south and west through the light blue shaded coastal waters that also bear the name, Winter Harbor.
Grindstone Neck, a smaller peninsula to the south and west of the harbor, is indicated in off white, as are several nearby islands, including Heron Island, Turtle Island, Ned Island, and Mark Island.
Just east of the town of Winter Harbor along Route 186 is the paved entrance to the Schoodic District. This two lane, two way road travels south about a mile into the peninsula to the entrance of the Schoodic Woods Campground and amphitheater. Icons for a ranger station, bus stop, parking area, and restrooms are indicated here.
Less than half a mile farther south, at about 10 o'clock on the analog orientation clock, the road color changes to a heavier dark red to indicate the beginning of the Schoodic Loop Road. A short distance farther along, at the entrance to Frazer Point, a label in bold text reads, "Begin one way traffic. Autos only." A short access road west leads to Frazer Point along the coast facing west into Mosquito Harbor and Winter Harbor. The site is labeled with icons for a bus stop, picnic area, and restrooms.
From there, the one way Schoodic Loop Road travels close to the coastline along the peninsula about three miles to a point that is oriented at about six o'clock on the analog clock. The Loop Road forks here. Drivers may continue to the west to continue driving west and then north around the peninsula. Or they may turn right to travel south and west for about half a mile on a two way stretch of road to the entrance of the Schoodic Institute and Welcome Center, which is labeled with an icon for a bus stop and restrooms. A short distance farther along this road spur ends with a turnaround on Schoodic Point at the southernmost tip of the peninsula. This spot is labeled with icons for a bus stop, restrooms and parking areas. Directly to the east are two islands indicated in light green as park lands, Little Moose Island and Schoodic Island.
After returning north along the two-way spur to the fork in the Schoodic Loop Road, traffic resumes one way only direction to the east. Within about half a mile is a destination labeled Blueberry Hill with an icon for a parking area. This location is oriented at about five o'clock on the analog clock face.
Traveling north along the coastline, in about a mile, Rolling Island is labeled as green parkland in light blue waters labeled as Schoodic Harbor.
Another mile farther north along the coastline, at about three o'clock on the analog clock, there is a parking area icon where the light green parkland ends, and there are labels in bold green for "Park Exit," and in dark red for "End one way traffic." From here and farther north, the dark red line indication for the Schoodic Loop Road changes back to a thinner black paved road. In about two miles, at the intersection with Route 186, this road ends as it meets the town of Birch Harbor shown with a yellow dot and labeled with black text. This location corresponds to about one o'clock on the analog clock.
From here, Route 186 travels east and north off the map, or west and slightly north back toward the entrance road into the Schoodic District or the town of Winter Harbor slightly beyond.
MAP: Mount Desert Island
DESCRIBING:
A large color map that includes wayfinding, cognitive, and natural history information.
SYNOPSIS:
This map, entitled “Mount Desert Island,” is an orientation and wayfinding map for the primary district of Acadia National Park located off the mainland of the Downeast Maine region along the North Atlantic coastline.
The map fully encompasses the island and is oriented with north toward the top of the map at a scale of just under one-inch equals one mile, and just over one-half inch equals one kilometer. Open water extends around the peninsula and beyond the boundaries of the map. As many as 32 smaller islands. A large black, all capitalized and italicized label, “Mount Desert Island,” appears near the center of the map.
Mount Desert Island is split into two halves separated by Somes Sound. An irregular, checkerboard of boundary areas show that Acadia is roughly half the area of Mount Desert Island. A large portion of the eastern half of Mount Desert Island and the interior of the western half are within park boundaries. Parkland is shown in light green. Non-Park areas are shown in off-white on several neighboring coves, harbors and islands. The Atlantic Ocean is shown in light blue and several harbors and bays are labeled in dark blue text. Black lines depict primary paved roads. A dark red line indicates the Park Loop Road. Thin, gray, dashed lines depict hiking trails. Dashed-blue lines depict passenger ferry routes. Ferry stops are shown with a black dot and are labeled with a ferry icon. The boundaries of towns are indicated with light brown shading and labeled spelled out with thin capital letters. Summits are indicated with small black dots and spelled out in small, bold, italicized characters with elevations indicated in feet and meters.
The map identifies:
locations of Acadia National Park’s visitor centers.
navigational points, including the Park Loop Road, unpaved and paved roads, locked gates, national park boundaries, park headquarters, and town boundaries.
points of interest, including hiking trails, carriage roads, ponds, lakes, peak heights and location, and lighthouses.
amenities, including picnic areas, campgrounds, swimming areas, boat launches, rest rooms, parking, bus stops food services, and ferries.and warnings, including low clearance bridges, vehicle reservation requirements, and no swimming areas.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
In the upper left corner of the map, across a short span labeled "Mount Desert Narrows," a series of bridges along Route 3 connects the mainland to the northwest tip of Mount Desert Island. Along the way is Thompon Island, which has a small visitor contact station and restrooms along the south side of the road and a large picnic area and restrooms along the north side of the road. Continuing along Route 3 onto Mount Desert Island, there is an immediate fork with a left turn for Route 3 continuing east across the top of the island and a right turn on Route 1 0 2 and 1 9 8 traveling south toward the Somes Sound and the western side of the island.
Mount Desert Island is an irregular, round island with numerous coves, harbors and surrounding smaller islands. There are several high mountain ranges stacked side-by-side across the island from east to west and oriented vertically, north to south. Near the middle of the island, extending north from the Atlantic Ocean, is a long, narrow, and deep body of water labeled "Somes Sound," which effectively divides the island into two halves. State Routes 2 3 3 and 1 9 8, threading across the middle of the island, provide an east to west road corridor between the two halves.
Using the orientation of an analog clock face, the Hulls Cove Visitor is located along Route 3 at about one o’clock near the center in the north, northeast corner of the island. The site is marked with icons for bus stop, ranger station, restrooms, and parking. Bar Island, Sheep Porcupine Island, Burnt Porcupine Island, Long Porcupine Island, Bald Porcupine Island, Ironbound Island, and Jordon Island lie off the northeast coast.
This visitor center location serves the start of the 27-mile Park Loop Road, which is indicated with a heavier line colored dark red. This scenic road travels south, then east to meet and travel south along the North Atlantic coastline. At the far southern extent of the island, the Park Loop Road turns west and then north around mountain ranges before traveling north the full length of the island back to the visitor center.
Popular destinations that are located along the Park Loop Road include.
Sieur de Monts Nature Center and the Wild Gardens of Acadia.
Sand Beach.
Thunder Hole.
Otter Point.
Fabbri Memorial and Picnic Area
Wildwood Stables.
Jordan Pond House, and
Cadillac Moutain.
In the northeast corner of the island, located about two miles farther east from the visitor center on Route 3 along the coastline, is the town of Bar Harbor. It is oriented at about two o'clock on the analog clock face. There is a ferry stop icon located along the coast. Along side streets near the center of town, a black dot notes the location of the "Village Green," with icons for a bus stop and ranger station.
Continuing about a mile south from Bar Harbor on Route 3 is a park entrance with access to Sieur de Monts Spring and Nature Center, and the Wild Gardens of Acadia. Numerous hiking trails intersect in this area, including those with access to Dorr and Cadillac mountains.
Route 3 continues south between mountain ranges and through the town of Otter Creek, indicated with a yellow dot at about four o'clock on the analog clock face.
A short distance along Route 3 to the west and south is the entrance to Blackwoods Campground and amphitheater, which is indicated by icons for a campground, bus stop and ranger station. There are trails leading from the campground northeast toward Otter Cove and northwest to the park interior.
A bit farther west, Route 3 enters the town of Seal Harbor, which is oriented at about 5 o'clock on the analog clock. A short distance beyond, at the Stanley Brook Entrance, is a road that travels north to connect with the Park Loop Road.
Continuing west on the southern coast on Mount Desert Island, Route 3 meets a junction. Continuing north from here along Route 3 is a gatehouse, bus stop, restrooms, and parking areas for hiking trails and carriage roads. Traveling south from this junction leads to the town Northeast Harbor, where there is a bus stop and a passenger ferry to Great Cranberry Island. Smaller islands off the coast include Greening Island, Bear Island, Sutton Island, and Baker Island. From the northwest corner of Northeast Harbor, Sergeant Drive traces the coastline along Somes Sound to connect back with Route 3 roughly three miles farther north.
Continuing north, Route 3 transitions to Route 1 9 8. Along the way, there is an intersection with Route 2 3 3 that travels east and north past Eagle Lake toward Bar Harbor, roughly 4.5 miles away. Traveling west from that intersection along 1 9 8 leads to the western portion of Mount Desert Island.
At about 10 o'clock on the analog clock face, Route 1 9 8 intersects with Route 1 0 2. Traveling north, 1 0 2 eventually passes through the town of Town Hill and swings northwest to connect with Route 3 and cross Thompson Island to return to the mainland.
Traveling south from that intersection, 102 follows the western coast of Somes Sound through the town of Somesville.
Roughly two miles south is a boat launch on Echo Lake at Ikes Point.
About a half mile farther south along 1 0 2 is Echo Lake Beach, where swimming is allowed. There is a bus stop, restrooms, parking, and hiking trails.
From the parking lot at Echo Lake Beach, Lurvey Spring Road travels southwest to meet the southern edge of Long Pond, where there is a boat launch and hiking trails.
Continuing south along Route 1 0 2 about a half mile is the entrance to Caroll Homestead, which hosts living history activities and Junior Ranger events.
A short distance farther south on 1 0 2 is the town of Southwest Harbor, where there is a bus stop and seasonal ferry to Cranberry Island.
South of Southwest Harbor the road splits with 1 0 2 traveling southwest, and 1 0 2 A traveling southeast. Route 1 0 2 to the southwest connects with the towns of Bass Harbor and Bernard.
Route 1 0 2 A to the southeast winds around the coast about two and a half miles to Seawall and Seawall Campground. Seawall is located directly on the coastline and has a picnic area and restrooms. Seawall Campground is located on the inland side of the road and has a campground, amphitheater, bus stop, and ranger stations. One mile farther west along Route 1 0 2 A is the Wonderland hiking trail. A half mile beyond is Ship Harbor cove with a parking lot, restrooms, and hiking loop. Roughly another mile beyond, 1 0 2 A intersects with a two-lane road south to Bass Harbor Head Light Station, which has a very limited number of parking spaces, restrooms, and a short hiking trail down to the water's edge.
Traveling north on Route 1 0 2 A about one mile leads to the town of Bass Harbor, where there is a vehicle ferry to Swans Island.
Just north of Bass Harbor is the intersection with Route 102. Turning east leads back at Southwest Harbor and turning west leads to Tremont Road and the town of Bernard.
Tremont Road continues northwest along the west coast of Mount Desert Island. The town of West Tremont is about two miles north, and the town of Seal Cove is another two miles farther north.
Continuing north another four miles leads to Pretty Marsh, which has a parking lot, picnic tables, and restrooms.
A short distance beyond is an intersection with Indian Point Road, which travels along the northwest coast of Mount Desert Island to intersect with Routes 1 0 2 and 1 9 8 near the town of Town Hill.
At the town of Pretty Marsh, Tremont Road turns into Pretty Marsh Road, which travels northeast back toward 1 0 2 and the north end of Somes Sound. Along the way, there is a boat launch at the north edge of Long Pond. Just beyond, an intersection with Ripples Road to the south transitions to Beech Hill Road and travels south several miles to Beech Mountain parking area and hiking trails. As Pretty Marsh Road runs continues east, it connects with Route 1 0 2, where it turns north toward Somesville and eventually connects with Route 3 to cross Thompson Island to return to the mainland.
OVERVIEW: More Information
Mailing Address
Acadia National Park.
PO Box 1 7 7.
Bar Harbor. Maine. 0 4 6 0 9 . 0 1 7 7
Phone number
2 0 7 . 2 8 8. 3 3 3 8.
Website
www.nps.gov/acad.
Email Address
acadia_information@nps.gov
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Acadia is one of over 400 parks in the National Park System. To learn more, visit www.nps.gov
