Sight · Acadia National Park
A raised 1920 crossing over the dam and toward the pond.
Overview
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Plan your stop
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
Jordan Pond and Popovers“Jordan Pond is coming up, with the rounded peaks called the Bubbles at the far end of the water. Walk down to the south shore for that classic view; you don't need to circle the lake to enjoy it.”
Plays as you drive up to Jordan Pond Dam 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
Jordan Pond Dam Bridge is a small, stone-faced carriage-road bridge over Jordan Stream at Jordan Pond’s southwest outlet. If you’re already by Jordan Pond House or on the carriage roads, take a few minutes to look over the dam and up the pond. The crossing is about a tenth of a mile northwest of Jordan Pond House, reached on foot along the motor-free carriage road. Bikes and horse-drawn carriages use these roads too. The nearby Jordan Pond House restaurant is seasonal and a separate stop; some carriage roads also close during spring thaw while the gravel dries.
One shallow arch carries the road over Jordan Stream. The bridge is 41 feet 6 inches long, with a 19-foot clear span; cut granite faces the structure, while the concrete underside stays visible. Look for the 1920 datestone in the north parapet, alternating single and paired capstones, and small ornamental drains in the walls. The raised roadway gives a view over the small dam and along the pond. For a bridge-centered photo, let the granite parapet fill the foreground; in a wider frame, the water and the Bubbles can take over.
The bridge was built in 1920 during John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s 57-mile carriage-road program on Mount Desert Island, developed from 1917 to 1940. It carried a route planned to connect Jordan Pond House with Brown Mountain Road. The small dam beside it was built by the Seal Harbor Village Improvement Society for the village water system, putting local infrastructure beside the carriage-road crossing.
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
EasyJordan Pond Nature Trail0.2 mi · 20 min · 0.1 mi awayA short history loop reaches Jordan Pond’s stone causeway.
ModerateJordan Pond Path3.3 mi · 2 hr · 0.1 mi awayA 3.3-mile loop from smooth shore to rocky scrambling.
ChallengingPemetic Mountain Loop4 mi · 3 hr · 0.1 mi awayA lakeside approach climbs to a steep scramble and wide island views.
ModeratePemetic South Ridge Trail4 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.1 mi awayClimb rocky granite to Pemetic's open summit and coastal views.
ModerateJordan Pond Carriage Road Loop8.6 mi · 4 hr · 0.1 mi awayFour historic bridges are the payoff on this long, rolling loop.
EasyJordan Stream Path1.2 mi · 1 hr · 0.1 mi awayA shaded brook walk ends at Acadia's only cobblestone bridge.
ModerateAmphitheater Loop4.8 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.1 mi awayA rolling carriage road loop with four historic stone bridges.
ChallengingPenobscot Mountain Trail3.8 mi · 3.5 hr · 0.1 mi awaySteep granite scrambling opens to pond and island views.
Sight · 0.1 mi awayJordan PondClear water, bare granite, and the Bubbles in one frame.
Restaurant · 0.1 mi awayJordan Pond HouseTea and popovers with Jordan Pond and The Bubbles in view
Sight · 0.2 mi awayWest Branch Jordan Stream BridgeA granite carriage-road bridge with a six-foot Roman arch.
Sight · 0.2 mi awayJordan Pond GatehouseA 1930s stone-and-timber gateway to the carriage roads.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayCliffside BridgeA 1932 stone bridge with castle turrets above Jordan Stream.Sight · 0.6 mi awayCobblestone BridgeA 1917 carriage-road bridge with an unusual cobblestone arch.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayAmphitheatre BridgeA granite arch curves around two trees toward a waterfall.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayJordan Pond Road BridgeA historic granite arch on Acadia's carriage roads.Parkwolf’s Acadia ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
