Acadia National Park - Accessibility

Acadia National Park is constantly striving to make your visit more enjoyable by making facilities as accessible as possible. This guide provides descriptions of the facilities, services, and opportunities for persons with sight, hearing, and mobility disabilities. We hope it helps you have an enjoyable visit to the park. If you have accessibility questions not answered by this guide, please call the park"s information center at 207-288-3338, Monday-Frirday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. eastern time or send an e-mail to acadia_information@nps.gov.

Ranger-Led Programs

Ranger-led activities are offered mid-May to mid-October. Check with park staff regarding the details of specific programs. Accessible programs are listed in the park newspaper, The Beaver Log , available at information centers, or online .

Park Orientation Video
Enjoy a 15-minute captioned narrative of the park at Hulls Cove Visitor Center. Audio description and French and German translations are available. Check out audio receivers at the information desk.

Auto Tour
Cassettes and CDs of the 56-mile audio tour of the Park Loop Road, Cadillac Summit, and Somes Sound may purchased at the visitor center.

Sign Language Interpreter
A certified sign language interpreter may be available for a ranger-led program with a two-week advanced notice. Service is dependent on availability of funds and interpreters. Phone 207-288-8800 (TTY) or 207-288-3338 (voice) for more information.

Sieur de Monts Spring area

The Wild Gardens of Acadia is adjacent to the parking lot. Garden paths have a packed gravel surface. Assistance may be helpful. The Hemlock Trail begins to the right of the parking lot entrance. The trail meanders through woodlands at the base of Dorr Mountain and is on a hard gravel surface. (1.5 miles round trip)

Wonderland Trail
The Wonderland Trail parking area is located west of Seawall Campground on Route 102A. Following an abandoned road, the trail has both level and hilly sections. Toward the end, the trail leaves the woods and opens onto the shoreline at the tip of the Wonderland Peninsula. Assistance may be necessary in several places, but the view is worth the effort. (1.4 miles round trip)

Intertidal Zone
The best access to an intertidal zone is on the gravel bar between Bar Island and Bar Harbor at low tide. Automobiles may be driven onto the gravel bar. Access is via a rocky and uneven ramp on Bridge Street in Bar Harbor.

Jordan Pond Trails
Parking can be found in the north lower lot of the Jordan Pond area. Some sections are accessible and offer beautiful views of the pond and connections to the carriage roads can be found here.

Carriage roads offer the best access to many interior areas. The two easiest roads are listed below. Others tend to be steeper and slightly uneven with sections of loose sand, gravel, or rocky areas. Extended use of the carriage roads depends on your ability and endurance. When following the carriage roads, be aware of washouts, steep grades, bicycle traffic, and horses on some sections. Assistance may be helpful.

Eagle Lake

The Eagle Lake parking area on Route 233 has accessible restrooms and parking. To the north, the carriage roads lead towards Breakneck Pond, Half Moon Pond, and Witch Hole Pond (5.3 miles round trip). To the south, under the stone bridge, the carriage roads lead in two directions around Eagle Lake (6 miles round trip). Bubble Pond
The parking area, located off the Park Loop Road, has accessible restrooms and parking. follow the level trail to the north end of Bubble Pond. From here you have access to the carriage roads, one of which borders the pond.

Boat Cruises (privately operated)

Cruises are privately owned and focus on the natural and cultural history of Acadia National Park and the islands off the coast of Mount Desert Island. Trips vary in length from two to three hours. Cruise prices vary. Make reservations with individual companies. Boarding is easiest at high tide when the boat ramp slope is less steep. Contact the boat operators ahead of time. Participants can remain in wheelchairs.

Dive-In Theater Boat Cruise

Cruise with a ranger among the islands of Frenchman Bay looking for seals, porpoises, and coastal bird life. Then watch real-time video as the caption searches at the bottom for marine life to bring aboard for discussion. Harborside Inn Pier, 55 West Street, Bar Harbor. Reservations: 207-288-3483.

Frenchman Bay Cruise

Cruise and sail among the islands of Frenchman Bay on a four-masted schooner. Bar Harbor Inn Pier. Reservations: 207-288-4585.

View seals and osprey and visit the Islesford Historical Museum which is part of Acadia National Park. The boat cruise is accessible. Disembarking on Little Cranberry Island would be difficult for wheelchair users. (There are seven steps up to the museum.) Northeast Harbor Town Dock. Reservations: 207-276-5352.

Other Information

Wildwood Stables

There are two wheelchair accessible horse-drawn carriages, each accommodating two passengers using wheelchairs and several additional passengers. Call 207-276-3622 in advance for reservations. Tour prices vary. Open late June to early October.

Thunder Hole

Park in right hand lane of Park Loop Road. Parking is also available in the upper parking lot near restrooms and gift shop. Ramp across from restrooms leads to road and viewing area of Thunder Hole.

Golden Access Passport

The Golden Access Passport is a lifetime entrance pass to national parks, monuments, historic sites, recreational areas, and national wildlife refuges that charge an entrance fee. The passport waives entrance fees for citizens or permanent U.S. residents who have been medically determined to be permanently disabled and, as a result, are eligible to receive benefits under federal law. In Acadia, the passport admits the permit holder and passengers in one private, noncommercial vehicle.

A Golden Access Passport must be obtained in person at a federal area where an entrance fee is charged. You may obtain the passport by showing proof medically determined permanent disability or eligibility for receiving benefits under federal law.

The Golden Access Passport also provides a 50% discount on federal use fees charged for facilities and services such as camping. When making a camping reservation, you must provide the number on the passport.

In Acadia National Park, Golden Access Passports are available year round at park headquarters and seasonally at the park entrance station, visitor center, campgrounds, the Bar Harbor Village Green, and Thompson Island Information Center. For more information, see the Fees and Passes page.

Island Explorer fare-free shuttle buses operate daily from late June through Columbus Day (mid-October), connecting Acadia National Park to neighboring village centers. Buses are wheelchair accessible. Schedules are available at visitor information centers or on the Island Explorer website.

Service Animals

Service animals must be leashed at all times. They are allowed in all park facilities and on all park trails unless closed by order of the superintendent. However, there are some park trails that are very steep and require the use of iron run ladders. These trails should be avoided:

Emergency Phone Numbers

Island-wide: 911 TTY

Mid-April through October 31, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
November to mid-April, daily, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
207-288-3338 (voice) 207-288-8800 (TTY)

Acadia National Park is continually working to improve access for all visitors. If you have any comments or suggestions concerning access during your visit, please write:

Acadia National Park
P.O. Box 177
Bar Harbor, Maine 04609