Things to do nearMount Desert Island

Mount Desert Island has drawn travelers since the mid-nineteenth century, when Hudson River School painters arrived to capture its dramatic interplay of mountains and sea on canvas. Their work brought wealthy summer residents who built the grand "cottage" estates that still line the shores around Bar Harbor. The island's most defining moment came in 1916 when much of its land was set aside as a national monument, eventually becoming Acadia National Park, the first national park established east of the Mississippi River.

Acadia forms the backbone of any visit to Mount Desert Island, covering roughly half the island with a landscape that ranges from the open ocean at Thunder Hole, where waves compress into a narrow chasm with a satisfying boom, to the glassy freshwater surface of Jordan Pond. The Jordan Pond House, a park institution, has long been the place to sit on the lawn with a pot of tea and a plate of popovers while looking out toward the rounded Bubbles mountains.

Beyond the park's most photographed spots, the island rewards slower exploration. The village of Northeast Harbor offers a small but respected garden at Thuya, perched on a hillside above the harbor. Bass Harbor Head Light, tucked into the southwestern corner of the island, is one of the most photographed lighthouses in Maine, its red light set against bold granite ledges dropping into the sea.

The combination of accessible wilderness, rich architectural history, and genuine coastal character makes Mount Desert Island a destination that offers something substantive at every turn, whether you spend your days on summit trails or simply watching the tide move through a quiet harbor.