Acadia in winter.

The two stretches you can drive.

From December 1 to April 14, the Park Loop Road, including the road up Cadillac Mountain, is closed to vehicles. State and county roads on Mount Desert Island are plowed all winter, and two short sections of the loop stay open. For the coast, take Schooner Head Road from Route 3 in Bar Harbor and follow it 2.5 miles. A right turn and then a left 0.1 mile later bring you onto Park Loop Road at the park fee station. The next two miles run one-way along the shore past Sand Beach, and all vehicles must exit at Otter Cliff Road. Just after the exit, the Fabbri Picnic Area has a restroom kept open all year.

For Jordan Pond, follow Route 3 to Seal Harbor and take a sharp right onto Jordan Pond Road. In about a mile it joins a short section of Park Loop Road that stays plowed to the south end of Jordan Pond, and you leave by driving back the way you came. The NPS Park Loop Road page says only the Sand Beach stretch usually stays open, so check the alerts before you count on Jordan Pond. NPS also suggests Sargent Drive along Somes Sound: follow Route 198 toward Northeast Harbor, drive 1.2 miles past the Route 233 junction, and turn right at the sign. Our Acadia road closures page has every road's dates.

Park roads are plowed and sanded only during daylight hours, so expect heavy snow and ice early and late. Seven restrooms stay open through winter: Brown Mountain, Eagle Lake boat launch, Eagle Lake carriage road, Fabbri Picnic Area, Jordan Pond, Parkman Mountain Trailhead, and Sand Beach. The Jordan Pond House store and restaurant are seasonal and close by early November.

Everyone 16 and older needs a park entrance pass all year. The fee station at Schooner Head Road sells every type of pass year-round, and automated machines at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center parking lot and the Schoodic Institute gatehouse sell weekly passes by credit card 24 hours a day. Our Acadia fees page has the prices. Before you drive, check the NPS Current Conditions page for alerts about severe weather and emergency road closures.

Snowmobiles on the closed loop.

The closed loop doesn't sit empty. Snowmobiles can use the 27-mile Park Loop Road system, including the road up Cadillac Mountain, and most fire roads. Maine snowmobile laws apply and Maine registration is required. The limit is 35 mph on Park Loop Road and 25 mph on unpaved roads. Drivers must be at least 14, and anyone under 18 must wear approved protective headgear. Snowmobiles stay off hiking trails and off the carriage roads, except the east side of Eagle Lake, which connects to Park Loop Road at Bubble Road. Yield to skiers, snowshoers, and hikers.

Bring your own sled: snowmobile rental is not available on Mount Desert Island. NPS encourages snowmobilers to park at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center lot to reach the routes, and the NPS winter page links east-side and west-side maps of the routes and parking.

Skiing, snowshoeing, and winter hiking.

The 45 miles of carriage roads are Acadia's winter ski and snowshoe routes, and they stay open for walking, running, and biking too. Volunteers set and groom ski tracks once the snow is more than six inches deep and the roadbed is frozen, so skiing depends on the snow, not the calendar. Friends of Acadia posts grooming reports on its Ski Acadia page. Avoid walking on groomed tracks, and keep dogs on a leash no longer than 6 feet. You can also ski unplowed park roads, but NPS warns those are snowmobile routes. Skiing on hiking trails can be difficult or impossible, since the snow is usually too shallow to cover roots and rocks. Ski equipment and rentals are in local communities. In the spring thaw NPS can close the carriage roads to all uses to protect them, as it did in its April 14, 2026 update.

Trails routinely turn icy and snow packed. NPS calls microspikes, crampons, cleats, or ice grippers essential, but warns they can be dangerous on slick granite, and it highly encourages trekking poles. Routes that are hard in summer are highly ill-advised in winter. NPS points to Ship Harbor, Ocean Path, and the carriage roads instead. Expect early darkness, carry a detailed trail map instead of relying on your phone, and be ready to turn back.

Ice fishing is allowed when conditions permit, with a Maine freshwater fishing license from town offices, local businesses, or maine.gov/ifw. Skating is possible on park lakes and ponds, but they rarely freeze smoothly, are seldom free of snow, and larger ones can have open water, so check the ice thickness first. Dog sleds, dog carts, and skijoring with dogs are prohibited because of the 6-foot leash rule.

Cold is the main risk. Extreme temperatures and windchill can damage exposed skin, and NPS warns that untreated hypothermia leads to mental and physical collapse. Weather on Cadillac Mountain and the other peaks can be very different from Bar Harbor, so check the National Weather Service forecast before you set out.

No winter camping: where to sleep.

There is no backcountry camping, out-of-bounds camping, overnight parking, or winter camping anywhere in Acadia. That includes Blackwoods Campground. Some older articles still describe free winter camping there, but the current NPS Blackwoods page says off-season and winter camping are not allowed and the front gates stay closed until the campground reopens in spring. Plan on a room in a nearby town; NPS links the local chambers of commerce for lodging. Our Acadia camping page covers the campground seasons.

Don't plan on a visitor center. On the NPS hours page, Hulls Cove Visitor Center runs May 1 to October 31 in 2026, and the Park Loop Road fee station is the only visitor contact point listed as open year-round. The Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, at 2 Cottage Street in downtown Bar Harbor, also has information and sells some passes.

How quiet winter really is.

February is the quietest month at Acadia, averaging about 14,000 recreation visits against 799,000 in August. December and January also run 2% of August's visits, March 4%, and November 9%.

So is Acadia worth visiting in winter? Yes, if you want the coast stretch past Sand Beach with far fewer people than in summer, a day on skis or snowshoes on the carriage roads, and you don't mind cold, short days. It's the wrong season if you want to drive the whole Park Loop Road, drive up Cadillac Mountain, or camp. The best time to visit Acadia page shows how winter compares with spring and fall.

Daylight and cold.

On December 21 the sun rises at 7:06 a.m. and sets at 3:56 p.m. at Hulls Cove, per the U.S. Naval Observatory, which leaves 8 hours 50 minutes of daylight. By March 21 sunset is 6:47 p.m., on daylight time. NPS tells winter hikers to expect early darkness, so plan to be off the trail well before sunset.

NOAA 1991-2020 normals at the Acadia NP station (USC00170100, 470 ft), near park headquarters, put January's average high at 33°F and low at 15°F, and February's at 35°F and 18°F. That station is inland, not on a summit. Dress in layers, cover exposed skin against the wind, and bring traction for your boots.

Common questions.

Is Acadia National Park closed in the winter?

No. Acadia stays open, and the fee station at Schooner Head Road is open year-round. What changes is the road: from December 1 to April 14 the Park Loop Road is closed to cars except the stretch from Schooner Head Road to Otter Cliff Road and Jordan Pond Road from Seal Harbor. Camping is not allowed anywhere in the park in winter.

Is Acadia worth visiting in winter?

It is if you like cold, quiet places. February averages 2% of August's visits, the coast stretch past Sand Beach stays open to cars, and the carriage roads turn into ski and snowshoe routes once the snow is deep enough. You give up the drive up Cadillac Mountain, park campgrounds, and long days: the sun sets at 3:56 p.m. on December 21.

Where these facts come from

The December 1 to April 14 closure, the two open stretches and their directions, Sargent Drive, daylight plowing, the seven winter restrooms, passes and fee machines, snowmobile rules, carriage road grooming, skiing, hiking and traction advice, ice fishing, skating, the dog sled rule, cold warnings, and the no-camping rule come from the NPS Visiting in Winter page (last updated August 27, 2026). Visitor center, fee station, and Jordan Pond House seasons come from the NPS hours page; the note that only the Sand Beach stretch usually stays open from the NPS Park Loop Road page; the Blackwoods winter rule from the NPS Blackwoods Campground page; the fee machine locations from the NPS fees page; the 2026 carriage road mud season closure from the NPS news release of April 14, 2026. Sunrise and sunset come from the U.S. Naval Observatory for 2026 in local clock time. Temperatures are NOAA 1991-2020 normals at the Acadia NP station (USC00170100). Road lines are OpenStreetMap geometry routed by OSRM (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Crowd numbers are five-year monthly means (2021 to 2025) of recreation visits from the NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package on NPS IRMA Stats. Independent site, not affiliated with the National Park Service.