If any one place is emblematic of summer in Maine, it’s Acadia National Park.
Its beauty awes locals and tourists alike, and draws millions of people each summer to its own little corner of Maine (3.53 million in 2018, to be exact). Visitors delight in its plentiful hiking, beaches and even its food.
And it’s been this way for over 100 years.
See Acadia National Park through the eyes of those who went decades before, with these photos we have unearthed from the Bangor Daily News’ archives.
This BDN archive photo from the 1980s shows “The Bubbles” in Acadia National Park. Credits: BDN ArchivesThe view from the top of the South Bubble at Acadia National Park. Credits: BDN ArchivesVisitors get caught in the spray in this undated 1980s photo from Acadia National Park. Credits: BDN Archives
A semi-busy day at Acadia National Park’s Sand Beach, pictured in this BDN archive photo from the 1980s. Credits: BDN Archives
This BDN archive photo from the 1980s shows Acadia National Park’s entrance fees in the 1980s. In 2019 it costs $25 per week to enter the park. Credits: BDN ArchivesThe seating area at the Jordan Pond House. Credits: BDN ArchivesThis BDN archive photo from the 1980s shows Acadia National Park’s Precipice Trail, closed for nesting peregrine falcons. Credits: BDN ArchivesAnemone Cave is located at the base of the Schooner Head Overlook in Acadia National Park, in this undated photo from the 1980s. Credits: BDN ArchivesCyclists take in the view from near the summit of Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park, in this undated photo from the 1980s. Credits: BDN ArchivesTourists enjoy Thunder Hole at Acadia National Park, in this BDN photo by Tom Hindman from 1991. Credits: Tom HindmanMike and Marcie Diegert of Rochester, NY, embrace after exchanging wedding vows as the sun sets on the summit of Cadillac Mountain on Tuesday, August 28, 2007. Both Mike and Marcie had vacationed at Acadia as children, and decided to get married there because it is “breathtaking and beautiful”, according to Mike. The newlyweds plan on continuing their families’ tradition of vacationing at Acadia by taking their own children to the park. Credits: Kate Collins/BDNStars circle around the central North Star in this 22-minute exposure from Sand Beach in Acadia National Park on Wednesday. Maine is one of the few remaining places on the East Coast where light pollution does not ruin the visibility of stars. Several groups on Mount Desert Island, as well as the park, have goals to keep it that way. Credits: Bridget Brown / BDN
Barack (from left), Sasha, Malia and Michelle Obama walk around near the summit of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park on July 16, 2010. Credits: Gabor Degre / BDN
Do you have a favorite Acadia National Park memory? Share it with us in the comments below.
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Emily Burnham is a Maine native and proud Bangorian, covering business, the arts, restaurants and the culture and history of the Bangor region. More by Emily Burnham
Lindsay Putnam is a senior editor covering Greater Bangor news and sports for the Bangor Daily News, where she has worked since 2018. Lindsay previously worked as an editor and reporter at the New York… More by Lindsay Putnam
