Acadia Mount Desert Island Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour

This traditional fishing village used to be known as McKinley. How’d it get that name? When the federal government wanted to establish a post office nearby, they asked the villagers what it should be called. Allegedly, the villagers replied, “You can name it after the president for all we care!” So they named it after William McKinley! As it turns out, their descendants weren’t particularly fond of this name, so they petitioned to change it to Bass Harbor in 1966.

This is one of the three light stations managed by Acadia, but it’s the most photographed along the main coast. And who doesn't love a lighthouse? This one dates back to 1858! Unfortunately, neither the tower or keeper's house are open to the public. But hey, there might be a good reason for that. One of the more recent keepers, Robert Burchell, moved in with his family in 2004. He said most of the tourists were pretty cool and respectful, but some were too curious and tried to open the door to his house!

Coming up soon is the Pretty Marsh Picnic Area, featuring towering trees and a stairway that descends right to the shore. If it's near a low tide, this is a perfect place for tide-pooling. Tide pools are those little pockets of sea water left behind on rocky shorelines when the tide recedes. The best time to discover these miniature ocean ecosystems is during low tide.

Note: The tour is over 57 miles long, with more than 48 audio stories, and takes about 2-3 hours to complete.

Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.

The Ship Harbor Trailhead is coming up. This easy 1-mile hike should take about half an hour. It follows the shore of a narrow cove and offers great views, but some say it’s haunted! The story goes that in 1741, 200 people sailed from Ireland to Philadelphia, fleeing persecution from England. A storm wrecked the ship on this coast. Everyone escaped to shore, but they were stranded. No aid arrived and many perished. Some swam to the mainland for help, but were never heard from again! Finally, Native people found the survivors and carried word to the English settlements. Rescue arrived at last. Or did it?

The Wonderland Trailhead is coming up soon. It’s an easy 1.5-mile hike that takes you right to the water’s edge. It should take less than an hour to complete. This is also a super popular spot for birdwatching and exploring tide pools!

Acadia’s natural seawall is coming up soon on our right. Nature did some pretty fine work when creating this seawall! Ocean storms built it over time. When waves break, they carry rocks from the bottom of the beach all the way to the shore. Over and over. As the tides ebb and flow, the heavier stones stack at the top, while the lighter stones settle at the bottom. The result is a natural wall like this one!

The park gets its name from Charlotte Rhoades, a former resident of Southwest Harbor back in the mid 1900s. In 1970, her family generously gave the property to the town with one request: They wanted it to be a peaceful park for children and their families. The town delivered on their promise!

Echo Lake and Beach are coming up soon. The lake is the most popular freshwater swimming hole on the island! Trails that climb both Beech Cliff and Beach Mountain also start from here, offering some pretty marvelous views on a sunny day. The Beech Cliff trail is a fairly strenuous 2-mile hike that will take about two hours to complete. Although this trail doesn’t go all the way to the top of Beech Mountain, it has a series of ladders that will lead you through some really cool cliff formations.

We’re almost at the Little Long Pond Trail. The 2-mile trail is an easy hike that should take less than an hour to complete. The trail loop takes you through the woods on old carriage roads and past a field beside Little Long Pond.

Seal Harbor Beach is just ahead. It’s a large sand and pebble beach that’s typically less crowded than Sand Beach. There’s a diving platform if you’re in the mood for a splash. It’s also a really good spot to search for sea glass washed onto the shore!

The town of Seal Harbor is coming up soon. The area around it has long been a haven for the rich and famous. Some of these little roads veering off to the right lead to an enclave of wealthy summer homes, including Skyland, the Cottage that Henry Ford built in 1925 for his son. Do you know who owns it now? Martha Stewart! Since 1997.

We're approaching Otter Creek, a small village just south of Bar Harbor. In a way, this village is an island unto itself. How? Well, it’s completely surrounded by Acadia National Park! But how did that happen?

The lake coming up on our left is called the Tarn. The name comes from an Old Norse word “tjorn” meaning “small mountain lake.” It formed when the weight of a glacier simply depressed the ground beneath it. After a few too many dry summers in a row, the Tarn has become less of a pond and more of a marsh.

In 1929, the Jackson Laboratory began operating as one of the world’s first centers for the study of cancer genetics. George Dorr donated the 13 acres of land that the campus was built on. Is there anything this guy didn’t do?

Bar Harbor is just ahead. But did you know it wasn’t always Bar Harbor? Back in 1796, it was known as the Town of Eden. The name only changed in 1918! It’s the largest community on the island and has been a hotspot for summer vacationers for over two centuries, and that’s not liable to change anytime soon!