Bike the Parks

Parks / Maine

Acadia National Park

Rockefeller's car-free carriage roads: stone bridges, quiet ponds, no traffic.

5/5
Destination ride

About 45 miles of car-free crushed-stone carriage roads, stone bridges and lake loops make Acadia one of the few national parks people plan a whole bike trip around.

Riding here

Most cyclists come for the carriage roads, a network of broken-stone lanes with no cars that loop around Eagle Lake, Jordan Pond and Witch Hole Pond and cross a string of hand-built stone bridges. Riders share them with walkers and horses, and there are real climbs between the lakes, but the grades are steady and families manage the easier loops. The paved Park Loop Road is open to bikes but is narrow, busy and shoulderless, so it suits confident road riders at quiet hours. Across the bay, the Schoodic Peninsula adds a smaller network of gravel bike paths.

Where you can ride

Bikes may use the park's carriage roads on park land, the Park Loop Road (riding with traffic on its one-way sections), and the unpaved Western Mountain roads on the quieter west side of Mount Desert Island (Seal Cove Road, Western Mountain Road and Lurvey Spring Road). On the Schoodic Peninsula, an 8.3-mile network of wide gravel bike paths runs near Schoodic Woods Campground. Everyone riding in the park, including on carriage roads, needs a valid entrance pass.

Where you can't

Bicycles are not allowed on any hiking trail. They are also barred from the privately owned carriage roads that continue beyond the park boundary, so watch for signs where the network leaves park land. Skidding and tire dragging on the carriage roads are prohibited because they cause erosion, and riders must dismount on the steep connector from the Hulls Cove Visitor Center lot to the Witch Hole Pond loop.

Rides

  • Eagle Lake Loop

    • Gravel
    • 5.9 mi loop
    • Crushed stone
    • Moderate

    Circles the whole of Eagle Lake, with flat running on the east and north shores and a real climb and descent on the west and south sides. NPS estimates 30 to 40 minutes on a non-electric bike, and the high point at signpost 8 links to longer loops.

    Start: Eagle Lake carriage road parking on Route 233 (north side) or the boat ramp opposite

  • Witch Hole Pond Loop

    • Gravel
    • 4.7 mi loop
    • Crushed stone
    • Easy

    The gentlest carriage road loop and the usual pick for beginners and kids, passing several small ponds and Duck Brook Bridge. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes at an easy pace.

    Start: Hulls Cove Visitor Center (walk bikes down the steep connector to signpost 1)

  • Jordan Pond Loop

    • Gravel
    • 8.6 mi loop
    • Crushed stone
    • Moderate

    Runs along the west side of Jordan Pond, swings past Day Mountain, and returns by Bubble Pond and the south end of Eagle Lake, crossing four carriage road bridges. Bubble Pond is nearly flat but the rest rolls, so allow roughly an hour or more.

    Start: Joins the network at signpost 16; Jordan Pond House is near signpost 15

  • Park Loop Road

    • Road
    • 27 mi full loop
    • Paved
    • Hard

    The park's scenic paved drive past Sand Beach, Otter Cliff and Jordan Pond. It is open to bikes but has no shoulder, tight bends and heavy car traffic, so NPS advises avoiding roughly 10 am to 4 pm; the steep spur up Cadillac Mountain is a serious undertaking.

    Start: Any access point; much of the road is one-way

  • Schoodic Bike Paths

    • Gravel
    • 8.3 mi total length of the path network
    • Fine gravel
    • Moderate

    A quieter network of wide gravel paths on the Schoodic Peninsula, the park's mainland section east of Mount Desert Island. Most of it is approachable, though a few stretches are tough for anyone but experienced riders.

    Start: Schoodic Woods Campground ranger station lot, off Farview Drive

Car-free riding

The carriage roads are closed to motor vehicles year-round and shared only with walkers and horse riders. Horses are barred from signposts 1 through 8 (the Witch Hole Pond loop and part of the Eagle Lake loop).

Shuttles and bikes

The fare-free Island Explorer buses have exterior racks for up to six bikes; tandems, trailers and tag-alongs are not carried, and neither are e-bikes or fat-tire bikes. In season a Bicycle Express van with a bike trailer runs between downtown Bar Harbor and the Eagle Lake carriage road entrance on Route 233; it accepts tag-alongs but not tandems, fat bikes or e-bikes. In 2026 spring service began May 20, full summer service June 23, and seven-day service ran through October 13. You still need an entrance pass to ride the bus into the park.

When to go

The carriage roads usually close to all users during spring mud season, typically March and April, and in 2026 they stayed shut until the thaw ended. Most of the Park Loop Road opened to vehicles on April 15 in 2026. Late spring and September–October are the sweet spots: summer brings the heaviest traffic, and autumn foliage peaks in October. In winter the carriage roads remain open to biking alongside skiers and snowshoers, but yield to groomed ski tracks.

Closures and restrictions

Carriage roads close for mud season most springs (typically March–April); check go.nps.gov/AcadiaAlerts before you go. In spring 2026 the Park Loop Road between Kebo Street and Sieur de Monts was closed to all uses through June 12 for a culvert replacement, and Cadillac Summit Road was closed to all uses through April 30 for trail construction. Storm damage left part of the Schoodic Loop Road's right lane undermined, though NPS lists the road as passable.

Safety

The Park Loop Road has no shoulder, sharp curves and heavy car and bus traffic; ride early or late in the day. The Cadillac Mountain road is very steep and can be dangerous on the descent. On carriage roads, loose gravel makes hard braking risky, the speed limit is 20 mph, and cyclists must yield to everyone, especially horses, which spook easily. Call out before passing on the left and ride single file. Maine law requires helmets for riders under 16, and NPS suggests carrying at least 20 ounces of water. The Western Mountain gravel roads can have deep ruts and fallen wood.

E-bikes

Only Class 1 e-bikes (pedal assist, no throttle, assistance stops at 20 mph) are permitted on the carriage roads and the Schoodic bike paths; Class 2 and Class 3 e-bikes are not allowed there. Friends of Acadia notes that e-bikes of any class may ride wherever motor vehicles are allowed, such as the Park Loop Road. E-bikes cannot be carried on Island Explorer buses or the Bicycle Express.

Fees and reservations

Cyclists, walkers and hikers need an individual pass: $20 per person, valid 7 days; youth 15 and under are free. A pass is required year-round, including on the carriage roads, and cyclists should queue with cars at the Sand Beach fee station rather than ride around it. An Acadia annual pass costs $70, and the America the Beautiful pass is $80 for US residents. New for 2026, non-residents aged 16 and older pay an extra $100 per person on top of the entrance fee unless they hold an annual or America the Beautiful pass (the non-resident America the Beautiful pass is $250). Park sales outlets went cashless from April 15. Source: NPS Acadia Fees & Passes page.

A $6 vehicle reservation is required to drive Cadillac Summit Road from May 20 to October 25, 2026. Cyclists, walkers and taxi passengers do not need one. If you drive in with a bike rack, note that vehicles over 21 feet including racks are turned away from the summit road.

Rentals, tours and shuttles

  • Your bike shop hereSample listing

    This spot is for one rental shop, guide service or shuttle near Acadia: your name, what you offer, and a link straight to your booking page, at the top of this section.

    Feature your shop on this page, free until spring 2027

  • Acadia Bike & Coastal Kayaking Tours

    Rental and tours, Bar Harbor, ME. Website

  • Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop

    Rental, Bar Harbor, ME. Website

Shops listed without a badge are businesses we found near the park; we don't take payment for those. Run a shop near Acadia? Add it here.

Sources

Checked November 2026 against these sources. Rules, closures and fees change; confirm with the park before you ride.

  1. Bicycling — Acadia National Park (NPS)
  2. Acadia's Historic Carriage Roads: An Online User's Guide (NPS)
  3. Fees & Passes — Acadia National Park (NPS)
  4. Cadillac Summit Road Vehicle Reservations (NPS)
  5. Island Explorer (NPS)
  6. Eagle Lake Loop (NPS)
  7. Witch Hole Pond Loop (NPS)
  8. Jordan Pond Loop (NPS)
  9. Spring 2026 visitor news release (NPS)
  10. Current Conditions — Acadia (NPS)
  11. Acadia on Two Wheels (Friends of Acadia)
  12. Acadia National Park - Schoodic Bike Paths (Maine Trail Finder)

Edited by David Bussell. Spot something out of date? Tell us.

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