Visitor centers in Acadia

The Acadia Gateway Center is an intermodal transit and welcome center located on Route 3 in Trenton three miles north of Mount Desert Island. Facilities include an Island Explorer bus stop, day-use parking, and an 11,000-square-foot welcome center with tourism information, a store, waiting area, and restrooms. Owned by the State of Maine, it is operated by the Maine Department of Transportation in partnership with the National Park Service, Downeast Transportation Inc., and Maine Office of Tourism.

Located close to Bar Harbor off Route 3, the Hulls Cove Visitor Center is Acadia’s main visitor contact station and transportation hub from May into October. It is a popular, and often crowded, first stop for many visitors. It is adjacent to an entrance for the park's iconic 27-mile Park Loop Road and it serves as a key stop for several routes on the fare-free Island Explorer bus system. From a large parking lot, visitors must climb 52 steps to the main entrance. There is a separate accessible entrance.

The Islesford Historical Museum continues its mission of celebrating Islesford’s cultural history. Historical exhibits showcase life on and around Cranberry Isles from the 1700s to present. Come see artifacts from local families, historical societies, and Acadia's collection while learning about the unique experience of living on an unbridged island.

The Schoodic Institute Welcome Center at Rockefeller Hall is located on Schoodic Peninsula off the one-way loop road. Exhibits about the old Navy base and park information can be found here.

Sieur de Monts Nature Center has visitor services, hiking information, and interactive exhibits. It acts as a trailhead for many hiking trails starting in the Sieur de Monts area. Park rangers are present during the spring, summer, and fall months.

During winter and spring, information and sales of some passes are available at the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, 2 Cottage Street, at the corner of Cottage and Main streets (GPS coordinates = 44.398633, -68.204933). The center is open 7 days a week from 8 am to 4 pm. There will be full-day holiday closures on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day.