I love the state of Maine. It is one of the most beautiful of all the United States. I’ve been blessed to visit there several times, and this fall I spent four days in Acadia National Park camping with friends.

September in Acadia is a little too early for the bright fall colors, but it has the advantage of not being too crowded either. That said, Acadia is popular year-around. We saw some rain due to Hurricane Fiona which was passing off-shore but never made landfall in Maine. Temperatures were chilly on our first day but warmed up as our time went on.

Camping with a group of friends at Smuggler’s Den was a great location, close to hiking and sightseeing. If you don’t want to tent camp, we also recommend Eden Village just outside the park boundaries.

A Brief History

Acadia has a rich human history, dating back more than 10,000 years ago with the Wabanaki people. The 17th century brought fur traders and other European explorers, while the 19th century saw an influx of summer visitors, then wealthy families. Many conservation-minded citizens, among them George B. Dorr (the “Father of Acadia National Park”), worked to establish this first U.S. national park east of the Mississippi River and the only one in the Northeastern United States. Acadia was initially designated Sieur de Monts National Monument by proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson in 1916, then renamed and redesignated Lafayette National Park in 1919. The park was renamed Acadia National Park in 1929.

From 1915 to 1940, the wealthy philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. financed, designed, and directed the construction of a network of carriage roads throughout the park.^[9] He sponsored the landscape architect Beatrix Farrand, whose family owned a summer home in Bar Harbor named Reef Point Estate, to design the planting plans for the carriage roads (c. 1930).^[36] The network originally encompassed about 57 miles (92 km)^[8] of crushed stone carriage roads with 17 stone-faced, steel-reinforced concrete bridges (16 financed by Rockefeller), and two gate lodges—one at Jordan Pond and the other near Northeast Harbor.^[3 (Source Wikipedia)

Hiking

We did two days of hiking and enjoyed the beauty of Acadia. There are numerous opportunities for hikes or leisurely walks in the park, and in the surrounding area. If you aren’t one for hiking you can also drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain but you need a reservation to do so.

Park Loop Road

The park loop road is an absolute must when visiting Acadia National Park. The views in every season are wonderful and definitely part of the experience. The road can be crowded so bring your patience. Or choose to get up at sunrise and drive it early, as our friends did. They highly recommend doing that. You can also take a tour bus or park shuttle.

Tiny Somesville

We spent one hour just walking around and enjoying the tiny hamlet of Somesville. Worth a brief stop.

Lobster

And be sure to have a lobster roll while in Maine!!

Acadia National Park in the Fall

Fall is a great time to visit this beautiful park and the state of Maine….but it’s also wonderful any time of year. Of course it’s much more crowded in the summer months and you really need to plan ahead. I hope you enjoyed my little photo safari of beautiful Acadia National Park in the Fall.

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