Mount Desert Island | Maine

For more than a century, boaters have always been attracted to Mount Desert Island due to the many beautiful and well protected harbors, rugged coastline, shore-side attractions and well established boat building infrastructure.  The charming villages of Southwest, Northeast and Bar Harbors host several marinas, very good restaurants and a variety of local shops that offer a last chance to stock up before exploring the more remote cruising grounds to the East.  The harbors are also a perfect base to explore the nationally acclaimed Acadia National Park, where one can hike and bike on historic carriage roads, climb granite peaks or just relax and enjoy the scenery. There is enough to keep any nature lover occupied for days with crystal lakes for swimming, kayaking, canoeing, and abundant wildlife to observe both at sea and on land.  Somes Sound, the only fjord on the U.S. East coast, is adjacent to Southwest harbor and provides a memorable anchorage framed beautifully by Mount Desert Peak.  All in all, the island is a breathtaking cruising area that represents for many the true charm of Maine with a natural diversity that is hard to match.