Acadia National Park

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Acadia National Park at Schoodic

The Schoodic Peninsula contains the only portion of Acadia National Park on the mainland. This magnificent part of Acadia National Park boasts granite headlands, rocky beaches, and spruce-fir forests. And, although similar in scenery to Mount Desert Island, the coast of the Schoodic Peninsula is more intimate and secluded.

History

Much of the Schoodic Peninsula was once owned by John G. Moore, a Maine native and Wall Street financier. In the 1920s, Moore’s heirs donated the land to the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations with the stipulation that the land be used as a public park and for other uses, including the “promotion of biological and other scientific research.”

In 1929, legislation authorized the National Park Service to accept land on the Schoodic Peninsula as an addition to the park and changed the name of the park to Acadia. Soon after the law’s enactment, the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations donated the former Moore property (2,050 acres) to the National Park Service “for the public good and for the extension or improvement of said park, forever.”

In the 1930s and 1940s, some of this land was transferred to the U.S. Navy for use as a radio communication station. The U.S. Navy operated the base until the land was transferred back to the National Park Service in 2002.

The former base has become the Schoodic Education and Research Center, one of 17 National Park Service research learning centers across the country. The center facilitates research projects throughout Acadia National Park and provides opportunities for learners of all ages to discover the park’s natural and cultural resources.

Getting Here/Getting Around

The drive from the Milbridge area to the Schoodic Peninsula takes about 30 minutes; from Ellsworth or Machias, about an hour and from Bar Harbor takes about 1.5 hours. In the summer, a ferry travels between Bar Harbor and Winter Harbor, and the Island Explorer bus provides transportation from the ferry terminal to the Schoodic section of the park and the villages of Prospect Harbor and Winter Harbor.

Lodging

Overnight camping is not permitted in the Schoodic section of the park, but private campgrounds and at McClellan Park in Milbridge.

More Information

For more information about Acadia National Park, visit the park website at www.nps.gov/acad or call 207-288-3338.

Check out what's going on this month at the
SERC Institute
at Acadia National Park
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THINGS TO DO
Enjoying the Scenery

A six-mile, one-way loop road offers views of lighthouses, sea birds, and forest-draped islands. Automobile turnouts provide the opportunity to pull over and enjoy the views. An unpaved road leads to the top of Schoodic Head (440 feet). Please be careful when meeting traffic on this narrow gravel road.

At the southern end of the peninsula, the two-way road to Schoodic Point leads to a windswept coast with dark diabase dikes that intrude between pink granite ledges. Please use caution exploring the rocky shore. The ocean views are spectacular, but the footing is dangerous—people have died here. Wet rocks are slippery, and waves can sweep you into the sea.

Bicycling

Bicycling is popular along the loop road; bicyclists must obey the one-way traffic flow. Combine your ride with Island Explorer buses for an easier trip.

Hiking

Four hiking trails traverse the area. The Schoodic Head Trail, Anvil Trail, and East Trail travel through spruce-fir forests to pine woodlands at the top of Schoodic Head. The level, easy Alder Trail leads you through a shrubland.

Picnicking

Frazer Point picnic area has tables, fire rings, restrooms, drinking water, and a dock. Please do not feed animals, including gulls, anywhere in the park.

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