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Park Loop Road: Acadia, Mount Desert Island, Maine
Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0

Drives Maine The Maine Coast and Acadia

Park Loop Road: Acadia

Park Loop, Park Loop Road, Paradise Hill Road · Hulls Cove Visitor Center → Bubble Pond

Sweeping19.1 mi55 min1,900 ft climbHigh point ≈ 500 ftOne way
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The drive

The Park Loop Road is the main drive through Acadia National Park, running around the east side of Mount Desert Island and linking lakes, mountains and shoreline. This drive starts at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center, the park's own starting point for the full loop, and climbs past Kebo Mountain before it turns left toward Sand Beach.

From there the road is one-way, so the direction is fixed: Sand Beach, then Otter Cliff, then back inland to Jordan Pond. This drive ends a little farther on at Bubble Pond.

Speed limits on the loop run 25 to 35 mph.

Along the way

  1. Hulls Cove Visitor Center
  2. Kebo Mountain
  3. Sand Beach
  4. Otter Cliff
  5. Jordan Pond
  6. Bubble Pond
Elevation
1,900 ft of climbing · high point ≈ 500 ft
Hulls Cove Visitor CenterBubble Pond
Curves
Mostly moderate, with three twisty stretches
Hulls Cove Visitor CenterBubble Pond
GentleHairpins

Good to know

  • A park entrance pass is required year-round, and it must be displayed clearly through the windshield.
  • Non-US residents 16 and older pay an extra $100 per person unless they have an annual or America the Beautiful pass.
  • In warmer months, watch for cyclists around parked cars.
  • The Park Loop Road and other paved park roads are open April 15 to December 1. In winter, usually only the stretch from the entrance station to Otter Cliff Road stays open to vehicles.

Closed Dec 1 to Apr 14; a short stretch from the Sand Beach entrance to Otter Cliff stays open. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check National Park Service: Acadia road conditions.

Questions about this drive

How long does the Park Loop Road in Acadia take to drive?

Hulls Cove Visitor Center to Bubble Pond is 19.1 miles and takes about 55 minutes without stops. Allow more for Sand Beach and Jordan Pond.

Is the Acadia Park Loop Road one-way?

Part of it is. After you turn toward Sand Beach, the road is one-way, so you drive the loop in a set direction starting from Hulls Cove Visitor Center.

Is the Park Loop Road open in winter?

Mostly not. The paved park roads are open April 15 to December 1, and in winter usually only the section from the entrance station to Otter Cliff Road is open to vehicles.

Do you need a pass to drive the Park Loop Road?

Yes. Acadia requires an entrance pass year-round, displayed in the windshield; a private vehicle pass is valid for seven days.

What you get in the app

Turn by turn, on this roadSpoken directions along the exact route. Carve never reroutes you onto a faster one.
Preview it in 3DFly the whole drive over satellite and terrain before you go.
Drive it with no signalAPEXDownload the map and every turn before you go.
Live Group TrackingAPEXEveryone on the route, on the map, by name.
Road conditionsAPEXWet or dry, ice, fog and wind along the road before you go.
Record your drivesAPEXRecord a drive and turn it into a route to drive again or share.

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More drives near here

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Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.

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Map of Park Loop Road: Acadia, from Hulls Cove Visitor Center to Bubble Pond