Park Loop Road
The Park Loop Road viewed from a bridge on Champlain Drive
TypeScenic toll road (partial)
Length27 mi (43 km)
Construction
Completion1958 (1958)
Other
WebsitePark Loop Road

Park Loop Road is a scenic road through part of Acadia National Park in Maine, United States. 27 miles (43 km) long,[1] it traverses the eastern side of Mount Desert Island in a (mostly) one-way, clockwise direction, from Bar Harbor to Seal Harbor. The road is two-way for a section between Wildwood Stables, toward the middle of Mount Desert Island, and the Hulls Cove entrance near Bar Harbor. A toll is required for vehicles entering the Loop Road at the entrance station just to the north of Sand Beach.[2]

Completed, under the watchful eye of John D. Rockefeller Jr., in 1958, after a 37-year process, the road passes geographical features such as the Tarn (a pond), Champlain Mountain (location of a popular, exposed cliffside trail named Precipice),[3][4][5] the Beehive (another, smaller mountain), Sand Beach (a saltwater swimming area), Gorham Mountain, Thunder Hole (a crevasse into which waves crash loudly), Otter Cliff, Otter Cove, Seal Harbor, Jordan Pond, Pemetic Mountain, the Bubbles, Bubble Rock, Bubble Pond, Eagle Lake, and the side road to the summit of Cadillac Mountain.

The Loop Road opens annually on April 15. In winter (from December 1), only one 1.8-mile (2.9 km) section of the road remains open to vehicles: Ocean Drive, between the Sand Beach entrance station and Otter Cliff Road.[6] This section of the road is one of the most heavily visited areas of the park.[7]

Several of Acadia's 32 historic bridges span the Park Loop Road.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "36 Hours in Bar Harbor, Me." – The New York Times, July 14, 2011
  2. ↑ "Park Loop Road - Acadia National Park". www.acadia.ws. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  3. ↑ "Visitor rescued from fall on Precipice Trail" (archive). nps.gov. National Park Service. July 25, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Hiker suffers fall on Precipice Trail in Acadia National Park" (archive). nps.gov. National Park Service. December 27, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Man transported by LifeFlight from top of Champlain Mountain after fall in Acadia National Park" (archive). nps.gov. National Park Service. September 12, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  6. ↑ Harbor, Mailing Address: PO Box 177 Bar; Us, ME 04609 Phone: 207 288-3338 Contact. "Park Loop Road - Acadia National Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ "How Crowded Are America’s National Parks? See for Yourself." – The New York Times, July 8, 2021
  8. ↑ Harbor, Mailing Address: PO Box 177 Bar; Us, ME 04609 Phone: 207 288-3338 Contact. "Historic Buildings & Bridges - Acadia National Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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