Sight · Acadia National Park
A stone arch carries Route 233 over a motor-free carriage road.
Overview
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The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Acadia Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Acadia National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Eagle Lake and Its Granite-Clad Arch“You're approaching Eagle Lake's carriage-road entrance, beside the broad stone arch carrying Route Two Thirty-Three.”
Plays as you drive up to Eagle Lake Bridge in the Parkwolf Acadia Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“…As we drove through Acadia it gave us a tour, which was really cool. Lots of great info about the parks and how to avoid the crowds. It’s a great travel companion!”
Guide
Eagle Lake Bridge is a 118-foot historic road bridge where Route 233 crosses the Hulls Cove carriage road. Its broad Gothic arch, faced with rough-cut granite, is the reason to pause. It’s a quick look rather than a full outing, but it makes a memorable doorway into Acadia’s carriage-road network.
The arch is easiest to appreciate from below, where the gravel carriage road passes through its opening. These roads are motor-free and shared by walkers, bicyclists, and horse-drawn carriages. Use the separate Eagle Lake Carriage Road Entrance for parking and vault toilets; those facilities serve the entrance, not the bridge itself. There is no confirmed safe pull-off at the bridge, so don’t stop on Route 233. During spring thaw, carriage roads may close until their gravel surfaces dry.
Built in 1927, Eagle Lake Bridge was the ninth of 17 bridges constructed along 57 miles of Mount Desert Island carriage roads between 1917 and 1940. Its completion opened the way for new roads north of Eagle Lake, where John D. Rockefeller Jr. planned views of Frenchman Bay.
The arch is reinforced concrete clad in quarry-faced granite, laid in irregular courses. Look for the radiating stones around the arch and the small openings in the parapet. The bridge was widened in 1974 to carry road traffic while keeping its historic stone appearance.
Wildlife
130 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around noonSighting map
21 sightingsPeregrine FalconMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
396 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
305 sightingsPorcupineMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
201 sightingsBeaverMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
34 sightingsMinkMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Acadia. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateEagle Lake Carriage Road Loop6 mi · 3 hr · At the trailheadA broad gravel loop with lake views and one long climb.
ModerateAunt Betty Pond Loop6.1 mi · 2.5 hr · At the trailheadFollow gravel carriage roads to a marshy pond with birdlife.
ModerateTri-Lakes Loop10.9 mi · 5 hr · 0.4 mi awayA long circuit links three lakes and five stone bridges.
ModerateKebo Brook Trail to Kebo Mountain2 mi · 1.5 hr · 1 mi awayA wooded approach ends in a short, steep granite summit climb.
EasyKebo Brook Trail1 mi · 36 min · 1 mi awayFlat stones carry this wooded walk across the brook.
ModerateCadillac Mountain North Ridge Trail4.4 mi · 3.3 hr · 1.2 mi awaySteep granite climbing earns broad island views one ledge at a time.
ChallengingGorge Path3.1 mi · 2.7 hr · 1.5 mi awayA steep, stream-cut gorge between Cadillac and Dorr.
ModerateConners Nubble Trail0.3 mi · 30 min · 1.7 mi awayA short granite climb to an open Eagle Lake view.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayEagle Lake Boat RampA practical lake launch with carriage-road access and a North Bubble view.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayDuck Brook BridgeA 207-foot, three-arch landmark on the car-free carriage roads.
Sight · 2 mi awayChasm Brook BridgeA granite arch tucked above a rocky, wooded gorge.
Sight · 2 mi awayBubble Pond BridgeA stone arch that survived two rejected designs.
Visitor center · 2.2 mi awayHulls Cove Visitor CenterA smart first stop for maps, passes, and a route plan.
Sight · 2.2 mi awayCadillac MountainA short summit walk opens onto an island-and-ocean panorama.
Beach · 2.4 mi awayLake Wood Swimming AreaA small wooded beach for a freshwater swim.
Sight · 2.5 mi awayWild Gardens of AcadiaA compact, labeled tour through native plant habitats.Parkwolf’s Acadia ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
