Acadia is a beautiful gem of a national park located in the northeast United States on the former volcanic isle known as Mount Desert Island situated along the down east portion of coastal Maine. Currently the only official national park in the northeast and one of the most frequented of the national parks in the country it is easy to understand why once you get to gaze upon the beautiful landscape thats on display. A diverse environment that features it all from the range of seasons with arctic cold, foggy springs, warm sunny summers and colorful falls that stimulate the senses with showcases of foliage it is hard not to be attracted to the area just for that.

Then when your there in Acadia National Park and caught up into the atmosphere of the park itself with all the mixture of landscape and seascape composing the environment with its jagged rocky shores a soft sand beach a marshland ecosystem along with rocky forested mountains it is easy to be pulled into the novelty and romance of the surroundings that make up Acadia National Park.

Acadia National Park is a place I spent some time during a few trips as a child and would later grow to be a place of inspiration, peace and serenity as an artist, photographer and as a human in general. The park loop road never seems to grow old with its twists and turns that continually reveal beauty around every corner with something else to stimulate your visual senses for nature. The views overlooking the sea that run along the cliffs and along the main area of the park lined with evergreens and various deciduous trees that put on their best display for about a month in the fall that will canopy the road and trails with a colorful show.

Another fun feature of the park loop road is the drive up to the top of Cadillac Mountain the very popular sunrise location where you can catch some of the first glimpses of light on the east coast with it being the earliest visible sunrise location in the United States. It can get busy here so finding a good spot and getting an early start is recommended and I believe as of 2020 you now have to have a reservation due to the volume of people who were coming to the top of Cadillac Mountain to greet the day.

The park loop road has so many stops along the way for you to stay constantly entertained by the environment there are popular but still worth it hikes along Jordan Pond and the spectacular shapes that come along with the terrain, like the Bubbles, complementing the serene feeling to everything that surrounds you in the environment here. All and all there are a wide range of various hikes to explore for all levels that lead to countless views and tranquil spots overlooking the magnificent sea or just find a place for you to find cover in a canopy of leaves and trees.

The more you spend time at a place like Acadia National Park the more likely you are to catch unique moments at places often visited and learn to look for things you might not have noticed before. Something that is very likely to happen in Acadia with its wide ranging climate that brings an array of weather that consistently changes how the landscape may appear. Additionally with time you also begin to explore more off the beaten path places looking for things or experiences often not scene by the quick passerby or often times even ourselves while caught up in amazement of something else thats grabbing your attention or even just lost in thought.

While the central and most popular part of the park is filled with vast treasures but than so is the quiet side, located on the southwest corner of Mt. Desert Island the features that compose the landscape of the park in this area are full of their own attractions. Some of the most frequented areas on the southwest side are the Bass Harbor Lighthouse, Seawall picnic area and the Wonderland Trail. Seawall and Wonderland are often great places to catch a sunrise or for a quiet moment staring at the sea exploring the tidal pools. Upon exploring further their are hidden treasures along the quiet southwest part of Acadia National Park with the best part is that there is still hidden moments of nature and serenity for you to get out and explore during your own adventures on the southwest side of the park.

Schoodic Penninsula is another area of Acadia National park that is separated form the main attractions and central part of the park. As you have to leave Mount Desert Island and then head further east. This is also another quiet area of the park due to its remoteness and is often overlooked for the main attractions of the central area of Acadia. Schoodic Point is still fairly new to me but I’m beginning to poke around here more and look forward for further discoveries here on future adventures.

Perhaps that is something about all the national parks that once you are outside of the main attractions you can spend what seems like an endless amount of time exploring such beautiful areas and never get bored. For now on my small list of national park visits I would say Acadia definitely ranks up on my list of favorites. It is hard not to be constantly drawn to the diversity of the region with all it is unique biodiversity, elements and landscape it is a place hard not to be captivated by.