Schoodic Peninsula

September 2024 -- Schoodic Peninsula is the only part of Acadia National Park that is found on the mainland. It only comprises about 5 percent of the park: 2266 acres. As the crow flies, Schoodic Point is 4 miles east of Bar Harbor. By car, it is 45 miles away, about an hour's drive from Mount Desert. I drove there from my motel in Ellsworth. We made several stops along the way. Schoodic Point was the highlight.

Welcome to Acadia National Park

Only about 10 percent of visitors to Acadia make the trip to Schoodic Peninsula. That's one of the reasons I decided to go. Less crowds. Regardless, we encountered plenty of people, including a lot of cyclists. Finding space at the pull-outs wasn't always easy. The scenery along the peninsula was picturesque.

Winter Harbor Lighthouse (on Mark's Island) can be seen distantly from the roadside on the Schoodic Peninsula. The lighthouse was originally built in 1856 and deactivated in 1933. It is privately owned and closed to the public. Who doesn't love lighthouses? I had seen on the internet that this one was for sale. Wouldn't it be cool to live in a lighthouse?

Winter Harbor (Mark Island) Lighthouse

Frenchman's Bay

Schoodic flowers

Along the other side of the peninsula

Located on the east side of the Schoodic Peninsula, Prospect Harbor Point Light (or lighthouse) is on a US Navy base; thus, not open to the public. It was established in 1950 and was rebuilt in 1891. The light was automated in 1934 and remains an active aid for navigation. The Prospect Harbor Naval Satellite Operations Station is a military communications site.

Prospect Harbor Point Light

Prospect Harbor Naval Satellite Operations Station