Acadia is one of the few well-visited parks on the US East coast, and perhaps the one with the most diversity. It is also unique in that there are a lot of private properties within the park, many of which are rented out to vacationers, and there are no in-park accommodations officially run by the National Park Service. This is partly because the area of Mount Desert Island — the largest section of Acadia — was settled long before the park came into existence. Lot of the land was owned by the famed philanthropist John D Rockefeller and donated for preservation. He even spent money on constructing a network of “carriage roads” throughout the park where automobiles are not allowed, which to this day remains a unique aspect of the park.Looking at a map of Acadia, clearly the carriage road network dwarfs the auto roads and gives access to a lot more of the park. A quiet walk along one of them on a misty autumn day is an experience you should not miss! As a bonus, you will find beautiful stone bridges and maybe even a waterfall or two if you are lucky.
Photo Tip: On this day, it was foggy at sunrise, spoiling our visit to Cadillac mountain, and then remained cloudy and misty throughout the morning. During autumn, that might actually be the perfect condition for a hike along the carriage roads, photographing fall colors along the way. The even lighting with a foggy backdrop is great for waterfall photography too as it imparts drama to the composition.
