11 Uniquely Maine Alternatives to Acadia
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So, you want to visit Acadia National Park on your upcoming trip to Maine. The challenge is that 3.8 million or so other people have the same plan. If you simply can’t handle the crowds or the traffic, especially during summer and fall, you aren’t out of luck.
In fact, some of the paths less traveled can give you Acadia vibes without peak-season problems. We’ve explored many Maine-stays that aren’t found in the average tour guide.
Let’s look at the hidden gems that are uniquely Maine alternatives to Acadia National Park.
1. See the Quiet Side of Acadia
We might be cheating a little here, but not everyone realizes that Acadia National Park is more than the Mount Desert Island section.
The Schoodic Peninsula is just across Frenchman Bay from Bar Harbor, accessible by car or ferry. With the anchor town of Winter Harbor, you’ll get easy access to Schoodic Loop Road, which stays open all year, weather permitting. Plus, this section of the park sees about 90% fewer visitors than the main island.
See the signature rocky boundaries of land at Schoodic Point, climb Schoodic Head to get 360° views with Mount Cadillac in the distance, or stop by Schoodic Institute to learn about park research.
SECRET BEACH: Skip the Sand Beach crowds and head to Sand Cove Beach in Prospect Harbor, about 10 minutes outside the Loop Road exit.
2. Explore The Peninsula Next Door
On the other side of Mount Desert Island, there’s another peninsula chocked full of outdoor adventures and charming seaside towns.
Heading south from Orland or Ellsworth, you can ditch the traffic leading to MDI and visit a collection of charming and enchanting places with few crowds and fantastic waterfront and wooded escapes.
Blue Hill has this peaceful charm that pulls you in—think a quaint village with art galleries, cozy cafés, and friendly locals. Hike up Blue Hill Mountain for stunning coastal views or paddle along the calm bay. With hidden trails and nature preserves, all part of the Blue Hill Heritage Trust.
Step into a Maine postcard view in Castine, with its historic homes, quiet harbor, and a sense of timeless calm. Stroll along the waterfront or explore sites like Fort George and the Maine Maritime Academy. Kayak through Penobscot Bay’s sparkling waters or climb to the scenic view atop Witherlie Woods.
Known as the Boatbuilding Capital of the World, Brooklin’s signature scent mixes sea salt with pine. Explore the shore with views of Mount Desert Island at Harriman Point or wander through the Hundred Acre Wood.
Weave your way through the roads that lead over the water and through the woods to Deer Isle and head south until you hit Stonington. John Steinbeck won a Pulitzer for trying to explain this enigmatic island and its anchor town in Travels with Charley in Search of America. Stonington has its own Sand Beach, as well as several preserves similar to Acadia.
3. Go to Isle au Haut
Another Acadia National Park hidden gem awaits off the coast of Stonington. Take the ferry to Isle au Haut (“isle-uh-hoe”), named by Samuel Champlain during his 1600s exploration. It means High Island, but even in high season, you’ll feel like this is your personal island. Stay for the day or camp at Duck Harbor.
Here, Thunder Gulch makes a mighty fine replacement for Thunder Hole at Acadia. Walk the Western Head instead of standing in a crowd at Otter Cliffs. Duck Harbor Mountain Trail offers the challenge of scrambling without the vertigo-inducing climb up the Precipe or Beehive.
Plus, fewer than 10,000 people visited Isle au Haut in 2024. That’s about as crowd-free of a guarantee you’ll get at Acadia.
4. Make a Bold (Coast) Choice
If steep cliffs and crashing waves are what you’re after, head deeper Downeast to Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land. While you won’t get the pink granite of Acadia, you’ll be rewarded with resilient metamorphic rock with the hallmark steep drops created by millennia of wave action. That’s how it got the name “The Bold Coast.”
The Cutler Coast is part of the Maine Public Lands, which means it’s unapologetically raw and wild. Trails lead through woods, wild blueberry patches, along rocky shorelines, and to unbeatable clifftop views over the Gulf of Maine and into the Bay of Fundy.
Campsites are first-come, first-served, and you can expect the best hikes to be 10 miles or more round-trip. Places like Black Head and Fairy Head can also lead to whale sightings, especially in the summer.
If that sounds like a little much for your Downeast Maine adventure, smaller and easier versions with similar landscapes await through the Maine Coast Heritage Trust. We recommend Western Head Preserve Trail and Boot Head, each less than three miles roundtrip.
5. Take a Soak at Roque Bluffs State Park
Just eight miles south of Machias, Roque (rhymes with broke) Bluffs State Park gives Acadia vibes with a long stretch of sandy beach and a freshwater pond. The only difference here is that the pond and ocean are just across the street from each other.
Both Acadia and Roque Bluffs have stops on the Maine Ice Age Trail, with glacier footprints still visible beyond the glacier till that created the half-mile beach on Englishman Bay. Plus, like its national park neighbor, the cove here off of Englishman’s Bay is safe for swimming.
Simpson Pond, just a few hundred feet away, is a prime trout fishing spot and a wonderful place to paddle placid waters.
Hikers won’t find any trail harder than moderate, and even the full Larry’s Loop won’t go longer than four miles. Roque Bluffs is only for daylight visits, but it’s a great stop to get some water time without waiting in traffic or worrying about finding a perfect spot on the beach.
6. Cue Your GPS to Quoddy Head State Park
Getting a great sunrise or sunset view at Lubec’s West Quoddy Head Light isn’t nearly as difficult as the pain in the Bass Harbor of Acadia National Park. It’s also perched at the easternmost point in the U.S. (and the easternmost gift shop, for that matter).
Surrounding Quoddy Head, the state park covers more than 540 acres with eight miles of trails meandering through bogs, along the Bold Coast viewpoints, and along the shore. Look for unique elements like Gulliver’s Hole, what’s left of a collapsed sea cave.
Home to the easternmost point in the U.S. and the iconic West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, this park in Lubec offers rugged cliffs and scenic views similar to Acadia’s coastline—without the crowds. The Coastal Trail winds through spruce forests and along dramatic bluffs.
Circle around the trails to Carrying Place Cove, where you’ll find a sandy/rocky beach and more glacier Ice Age insight.
While the West Quoddy Head Light isn’t open for regular tours, you’ll have a better chance of finding a special holiday when it opens to the public than Bass Harbor Lighthouse in Acadia. Wondering where East Quoddy Head Lighthouse is? Take our Lighthouse Road Trip to find out.
CLIMB THE LIGHTHOUSE STAIRS: Go for a virtual tour of the West Quoddy Head Light.
7. Take a Look at Cobscook Shores Options
While we could tell you the secret gems of Acadia National Park to hunt down, why not head to Lubec and explore one of the 20 parks and preserves of Cobscook Shores? Hidden beaches and pocket coves stretch across 15 miles of shoreline.
Leave the parking tags, admission fees, and driving frustrations behind to park and pack for a long hike.
While the tidal pools of Acadia are fun to explore, Race Point Park takes you to a scenic view over the Reversing Falls. Have a beach day at Huckins Beach or paddle around the waters to see more in one day than you can paddle at Acadia in a whole weekend.
Hopscotching around the different Cobscook Shores properties is much easier than driving across MDI in Acadia and looking for an open parking spot.
8. Don’t Take Great Wass Island for Granite
For those who like the pink-hued appeal of Acadia’s granite, head to Beals and the Great Wass Island Preserve for a redder iteration of the igneous rock. A 4.5-mile loop trail walks you through the unique ecosystems of this one-of-a-kind island. Plus, you can drive here without needing a ferry or boat.
While Acadia has numerous ecosystems, it can’t compare with the Great Wass Island’s bragging rights of being where the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine waters blend. See seals sluggishly scrambling on rocks or track down rare plants bursting from boggy or wooded landscapes.
The centerpiece of this precious preserve is Shoreline Trail. You’ll walk over rugged rhyolite granite outcrops, similar to Acadia’s famous pink granite but shaped by ancient volcanic activity. Then, you’ll see something MDI can’t match—rugged cliffs and outcroppings shaped by the Fundian Fault.
9. Head for the High Land of Mount Kineo
If seeing the busy trails of The Bubbles at Acadia bursts your adventure bubble, head to the Highlands home of Mount Kineo. Surrounded by the largest lake in Maine, this four-season destination stands prominently on the skyline, twice as high in elevation compared to The Bubbles.
Start in the Moosehead Lake anchor town of Greenville before driving to Rockwood for a ferry ride to the mountain base. In the winter, you can walk or snowmobile your way across the frozen lake. Even the longest and hardest route to the top is less than two miles.
Unlike Acadia, the peregrine falcons that nest on this unique rhyolite rock won’t lead to trail closures. Plus, you can do something here that Acadia can’t match—see moose!
10. See a Cliffhanger on Monhegan Island
When the craggy cliffs and thunderous waves are what you really want, sail off from Port Clyde to Monhegan Island. Plus, it’s hard to sit in traffic when cars aren’t allowed! Walking is a way of life on this one-square-mile island.
This artsy community gives way to wild and rugged cliffside landscapes, revealing shipwrecks, tidal beaches, and soaring seabirds. Plus, you get the dramatic sights of places like Thunder Hole and Otter Cliffs without the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds at the apex.
Try to visit during the shoulder seasons to avoid peak summer visitation. Even though the island is small, you’ll still get nine miles of trails to explore.
11. Head to the Harpswell Peninsulas
Taking the trek to Mid-coast’s Harpswell first means getting to drive through the storied town of Brunswick, home to Bowdoin College.
A series of peninsulas and interconnected islands leads to hundreds of offshore options in the expansive town of Harpswell. When you want the scenery of Seawall complete with tidepool treasures but don’t want to drive to the other side of an already crowded island, Harpswell delivers.
Walk Giant’s Stairs or trek through the Cliff Trail with views that rival Schoodic Point and Thunder Hole. If names like Precipice don’t intimidate you, try your skills at Devil’s Back. There’s a trail for every interest through the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust.
While camping at Acadia can mean tight reservation windows with crowded campgrounds, Harpswell provides secluded campsites where you can have almost a whole island to yourself.
Acadia and Alternatives
Acadia is a treasure, no doubt about it—but sometimes you want a quieter adventure. That’s why we highlighted other stunning Maine destinations that offer similar beauty and experiences without the busyness.
Whether it’s the panoramic views of Mount Kineo, the peaceful shores of Harpswell, or the hidden charm of Brooklin, these places embody what makes Maine so special. We’ll always love Acadia, but Maine’s magic extends far beyond its most famous park.