Maine Coast and Mountains: Seasons

Your Accommodations

Seasons

Ring in the Spring

Watching the earth wake from its winter slumber is especially refreshing at MDI. The salt air, calling gulls, chirping crickets and budding trees remind us of how much we’ve missed the summer after all, despite our winter fun. Rates are still lower at Acadia Sunset to accommodate those among us who want to get a jump on that feeling of being alive, get an advance on great summer fare, and enjoy the trails before the rest of the tourists arrive mid-summer. Many local businesses begin to open for longer hours come April, churches have special breakfast feasts, the Chorale performs in Bar Harbor and, most importantly, the loons come ‘round the cove as the buffleheads fly out for the season. Keep an eye out for the herons, too. And you’ll know right quick when the eagle’s overhead, because all of the ducks and visiting songbirds clear out for a moment of deep respect for this magnificent creature. Be sure to stop over at Seal Cove for a visit with our more curious mammal friends, as well.

Summer Season

All that you think of when you think of Acadia is available to you in the summer. Every Park resource, every aspect of wildlife, every shopkeeper, restaurateur, museum curator, play director, garden and community organizer is doing their thing. Sample all or none. Your only challenge will to be to select among the many choices in what becomes, all too soon, too short a time.

Fall Foliage

Blue skies, white clouds, emerald water and bright orange trees make fall foliage in Mt. Desert Island like walking onto a painter’s canvas. Smell the bracing salt air. Watch the bufflehead ducks move into the cove as nature prepares to settle down for the winter. Treat yourself to a lobster boil in your well-appointed kitchen, and invite friends over for a game of ping-pong or a quiet puzzle as the sun slowly sets across Duck Cove.

Winter Wonderland

Winter brings some of the most peaceful times of the year. When you cross-country ski or snowshoe on Mr. Rockefeller’s Carriage Roads you can almost hear the snow fall. Or liven up the weekend, bring a sled, and coast down slopes in Southwest, Northeast or Bar Harbors. Or pull the kids on a toboggan as you trek the trail yourselves. A skating pond is also maintained in the area, and regional plays and special events in Bar Harbor and Ellsworth give you plenty of choices for a stress-free getaway.