You leave Ellsworth, continuing south toward the ocean, and cross to Mount Desert Island. Here, glaciers have carved lakes and valleys out of the underlying granite. Evergreens are scattered across the island, set on small sections of land surrounded by rocky outcroppings, with small lakes dotting the landscape. This is a summer and winter destination, excellent for summer camping and exploring the coastline, and also for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling in wintertime. There are a dozen communities on the island.
Southwest Harbor offers a collection of cozy B and B inns and homes.
Bar Harbor is the main recreation-oriented town, located on Maine Highway 3. You'll find modern shopping places here, along with cultural activities and a range of motels and bed and breakfast homes. Ten miles north of Bar Harbor is the campus of the University of Maine, in Orono. Acadia National Park Thundering surf, granite ridges meeting the sea, the highest east-coast mountain, woods, little lakes ringed with wildflowers, and the wonder of seeing the magical sun as it approaches the shores of America. This is Acadia, a national park made up of more than a dozen sites, all in a region with small, picturesque seaside villages and offshore islands.