A Wheelchair Accessible Guide to Acadia National Park
This enormous National Park lies along the coast of Maine and offers incredible beauty. Once you’ve journeyed here, it is sure to leave a lasting impression. This wheelchair accessible guide to Acadia National Park will help you plan your trip to this popular park.
I know I will always remember it as it was the first National Park that I’ve ever visited. I made this trip after experiencing a ton of medical problems and losing a lot of the mobility that I once had.
This park helped to show me that I could still travel and see amazing things despite my change in health. It was a great accessible place to visit and gave me hope when I needed it. Here is my accessible guide to Acadia National Park to help you plan your own wonderful trip.
Getting Around Wheelchair Accessible Acadia National Park
There are two main ways to get around Acadia National Park. The first is to drive your own vehicle. This option is great because you don’t have to stick to someone else’s timetable and you can go at your own pace. The downside to this option is that parking can be very limited and fill up fast in the peak months (typically July and August).
The second option is to take the park bus, the Island Explorer. These buses are wheelchair accessible, however, some of the stops may not be. It’s best to check which locations are accessible in advance by getting more information at the visitor centers.
As an added bonus, these buses often pick up from Bar Harbor Hotels and other popular Bar Harbor sites. The bus usually operates from late June to early October.
Alternatively, you could also choose to take a tour. This would allow you to see many of the highlights of the park without worrying about driving. Many of them include a drive to the summit of Cadillac Mountain as well (which recently has required a permit).
☑️ Check prices and availability of this wheelchair-accessible tour by clicking here.
Wheelchair Accessible Things to Do in Acadia National Park
Cadillac Mountain
The whole park has rugged cliffs and is somewhat mountainous, but Cadillac Mountain stands out among it all. The most accessible way to see this mountain is to drive to the summit. There are accessible parking spaces at the summit and a ramp to the overlook. On a clear day, you can see the town of Bar Harbor. I even saw a cruise ship docked in the harbor… it looked so tiny!
Please know that due to the popularity of this drive, reservations are needed to drive to the summit. This helps prevent overcrowding.
Thunder Hole
At high tide and when the conditions are right, the waves splash against a hole in the rocks and make a thunder sound. It’s a pretty neat experience. Just know that EVEYONE knows about this and it gets very crowded so make sure to get there early for a spot.
There is a smallish parking lot across the street with accessible parking. Once you cross the street to the overlook, there is a ramp that goes part of the way down to the hole. I pulled off to the side of the ramp at its bottom so I’d be out of the way but still get to experience the “thunder”.
Jordan’s Pond
A lovely pond at the base of the Bubble Mountains, it was a popular spot for the rich to entertain. There is a building by the pond that houses a restaurant and gift shop and has an overlook for a great view of the pond. There is accessible parking and restrooms available.
An elevator will take you to the upper level of the building for the scenic overlook. There is also a partially accessible trail that goes by the pond named the Jordan’s Pond Path. There are also a number of carriage roads in this area.
Accessible Trails
Before Acadia was a National Park, it was privately owned by the Rockefellers. The park was so large that the family put in carriage roads so that they could easily tour their property. These roads are still there and make great accessible trails. Get a map at a visitor center and it will highlight where the carriage roads are as well as other key features of the park.
The carriage roads are mostly flat and offer some lovely views. Make sure to be on the lookout for some of the stone bridges that are throughout the park. They look handmade and each one is unique and lovely.
The most accessible of these carriage roads are the ones at Eagle Lake and Bubble Pond. At Eagle Lake, if you head north, the carriage road leads toward Breakneck Pond, Half Moon Pond, and Witch Hole Pond, which is 5.3 miles round trip. If instead you head south, under the stone bridge, the carriage roads lead in two directions around Eagle Lake, 6 6-mile round trip. There is a steep hill at the southwest end of the lake.
At Bubble Pond, if you head north, it will lead you to the carriage roads, one of which borders the pond. There are some sections of this carriage road that are steep, however, so use caution.
In addition to the carriage roads, there are also other accessible trails throughout the park, and I’ve noted them in the areas where they are located.
Sieur De Mont Springs and Wild Gardens of Acadia
There is accessible parking in the parking lot as well as several things to see here. There is a natural spring that you can see via an accessible pathway and of course the gardens which highlight the natural plant life in the area. The garden is made up of an accessible path made of small gravel. There are some areas where the path narrows but it should still be wide enough for a mobility device.
In addition to the sites listed above, there is also a nature center and several accessible trails. The nature center is accessible and contains interactive exhibits about the natural and cultural history of the park.
There are three different accessible trails in this area, that at times overlap each other. Since they are interconnected, it’s suggested that you do them as a loop which will allow you access to all three trails. The names of the trails are Jessup Loop, Hemlock Loop, and Great Meadows.
It is recommended that you start with the Jessup Loop trail, which is a boardwalk through a boggy/marshy area among a white birch forest with pull-offs and signage to describe local birds, plants, and other wildlife.
At the end of the Jessup trail, it crosses the Hemlock Loop, but keep going and follow the Great Meadow trail (which will end at Park Loop Road). From here, cross Park Loop Rd and turn right onto the Meadow Loop. At the next trail junction, turn right and cross Park Loop Rd again onto Hemlock Path.
Follow Hemlock Path back into the Great Meadow, past the boardwalk, and through a forest of hemlocks. The trail will end at the parking lot for Sieur De Mont Springs.
Carroll Homestead
This early 19th-century homestead has been the home to the Carroll family for three generations. The grounds are gently sloped lawns. In the summer, rangers offer programs here and the homestead can be accessed via a temporary ramp (just ask rangers to help you).
Rockefeller Hall
This historic building houses exhibits of naval history and is fully accessible. Typically, open only during the summer.
Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse
One accessible parking space is available in a small lot. You can view the exterior of the light station via a sloped, paved walkway. By the parking area is an accessible restroom and a short boardwalk trail to a shoreline viewpoint.
Travel Tip: If you are visiting the lighthouse, a short drive away is Thurston’s Lobster Pound. It’s a great place to stop for lunch. It offers outdoor seating overlooking a bay and has delicious food. They are fully wheelchair accessible with accessible bathrooms.
To fully explore Acadia National Park, it would take at the very least a few days. There are many scenic drives and areas to appreciate. If you want to take advantage of some of the accessible hikes, allow for more time in the park.
When to Visit Acadia National Park
The most popular times to visit are in the months of July and August when the weather is pleasant. I visited in mid-June and it was still quite chilly on some days. If the chill doesn’t bother you, then it’s a lovely time to visit. Flowers are in bloom and the crowds aren’t quite as bad (just know that there will be crowds at most times of the year).
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➡️ Make sure to remember this incredible trip for years to come by getting the Acadia National Park gift basket. It’s just one of the many items on my post about the best gifts for national park lovers.
Wheelchair Accessible Guide to Acadia National Park Recap
Acadia will always be special to me because it showed me that I can still travel and see/do amazing things even when my health and mobility have deteriorated. It was also the first national park that I ever visited and made me fall in love with the park system. I have no doubt that if you visit, you will fall in love with this place too. I hope that my wheelchair-accessible guide to Acadia National Park has inspired you to go and check out this New England gem.
