World Item
★ Worth Making Time For
Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park is on the Atlantic coast of Maine, mostly on Mount Desert Island. It packs rugged ocean cliffs, granite peaks, quiet lakes, and 45 miles of historic carriage roads into one compact park. Best season for fall color is roughly the first three weeks of October, when red and gold hardwoods light up against dark evergreens and the blue sea.
Discovery Pick · HannahOutThere
Why this one matters
Acadia is not the most spectacular scenery among US national parks. If you come only for grand vistas, it may underwhelm. What makes it fun is the hands-on adventure: the Beehive Trail, where iron rungs and ladders are bolted into the cliff face and you climb with your hands, all in one compact park with ocean, granite peaks, and fall color.