Weekend Window: Acadia National Park

Sept. 9, 2007 — -- Nearly 50,000 acres along the central coast of Maine are protected by the Acadia National Park.

From the coastline to the mountains, Acadia covers a lot of rugged ground.

"As you travel along it, it'll start to give way to where that rocky coastline gives way to cobblestone beaches," said Marc Neidig, a park ranger for Acadia National Park. "And if you look past that, we've got rugged mountains, sheer granite faces and really diverse forests as well."

The park is home to Cadillac Mountain, the tallest mountain on the Eastern Seaboard.

"It's really the first place to receive the rays of sunrise," Neidig said.

But the sun doesn't only shine on the mountains of Acadia. The islands are known for sparkling in the sunrise, too.

One way to see the park is by traveling the carriage roads that wind through the park. They were a gift from John D. Rockefeller, who contributed greatly to the park.

"The carriage roads were one of his first, and probably one of his greatest achievements and life-long loves," said Rebecca Cole-Will, cultural resources manager for the park.

She explained that the roads were built to lay lightly on the land -- traveling through some of the most beautiful, peaceful and tranquil parts of the park.

Visitors can enjoy the roads or the mountains, or just sitting on the beach.

"Acadia National Park is one of those places that has a little bit of everything for everyone," Neidig said.