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Acadia National Park is a photographers' paradise.
But get off the road. Acadia is a prime example of a national
park where the loop road does not show you the best stuff. Plenty
of hiking trails wind throughout the park, but the hiking can
be difficult and mostly through woods.
Get onto the carriage roads — a 45-mile series of gravel
paths constructed by John D. Rockefeller in the former half
of the 20th century. You can ride a horse (probably not a good
idea for a photographer, but it's been done), hike (probably
the best option) or bike (depending on how much gear you need
to haul — you can rent very good bikes in Bar Harbor).
In winter you can also ski or snowmobile the carriage roads
(though snowmobiles cannot be rented on Mount Desert Island,
as far as I can tell). There are some great views of mountains,
valleys, lakes, streams and stone bridges along the carriage
roads. And even the roads themselves are very picturesque.
Sunrise, sunset
Shoot the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain,
Schoodic Point (see below) or along Schooner Head Road.
Sunset from Cadillac Mountain, Schoodic Point, Bass Harbor
(see below) or Pretty Marsh (west coast of the island, off Route
102).
Note: The road to Cadillac Mountain is closed in winter.
Bass Harbor Head Light
The best angles for photographing Bass
Harbor Head Light (a photographic staple of Maine) are shooting
toward the east, but you'll have to walk about 100 yards over
rocky shoreline to do it. Light hits it all day, but is obviously
best in morning and at end of day (grounds are open 9 a.m. to
sunset). Use the path to the left to get down to the water.
Schoodic Point
A little-visited section of the park is
across Winter Harbor on the Schoodic Penninsula. There are interesting
rock formations and flora at Schoodic Point, but don't bother
making the drive unless you've got really good light to work
with or if you just want to make a nice drive (it is
a very relaxing place to just wander around or sit for awhile).
The road that loops around Schoodic Penninsula has some great
scenic views, too.
If you do head over to Schoodic Penninsula, also check out
Birch Harbor (there's a good deli there, one of the few places
around to eat), Prospect
Harbor Point Light and Corea (a nice little fishing village).
Fall Foliage
One of the best places on earth for photographing
fall foliage. Anywhere in the park. If you travel here to shoot
in autumn, bring your polarizing filter and your social skills
— you'll run into about a dozen other serious photographers
over the course of a few days.
Peak foliage is usually in mid-October. You can get a foliage
update at Maine's
Official Fall Foliage Website.
Wildlife
For all that Acadia is good for, it's
not where I'd go in Maine to photograph wildlife. Not much is
there, and what's there is scarce.
Unless you're talking about birds. You can find bald eagles,
seaducks, falcons, hawks and spring warblers, among others.
Puffins can be photographed off-shore; you'll need a boat and
probably a guide. Ask around Bar Harbor and I'm sure you'll
find someone who can help. (I'll try to get more concrete information
about this the next time I'm at Acadia — probably in fall
of 2003).
As for animals that don't fly, bears and moose can migrate
from the Maineland (ha!) into the park, but it's pretty rare.
You're more likely to come across raccoons, squirrels and fox,
but that's about it. Harbor seals and whales can be photographed
off-shore by boat. They'll be around mostly in summer; ask a
ranger where to find them.
Other Spots
Check out Jordan Pond at the boat launch
in the morning. It's at the south end of the pond off Park Loop
Road.
The marina at Bar Harbor is an excellent Maine harbor, though
not as quaint as others, such as in Corea to the west.
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