Sight · Acadia National Park
A 1933 triple-arch bridge spans a road, brook and trail.
Overview
Stanley Brook Bridge is a 180-foot granite carriage-road bridge near Seal Harbor. Its three arches carry the carriage road across Stanley Brook Road, Stanley Brook, and Seaside Trail. It is a compact stop for the stonework and the meeting of three crossings. Seaside Trail passes through the smaller west arch; the approach from near Jordan Pond House is roughly a mile. Roadside parking is very limited, so plan it into a walk instead of counting on an easy pull-off.
Parkwolf’s verdictA worthwhile stop on footMap
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
Stanley Brook Bridge’s Three Crossings“Stanley Brook Bridge is coming up, with three granite arches spanning the road, brook, and Seaside Trail. Completed in nineteen thirty-three, it was the last carriage-road bridge built under John D.”
Plays as you drive up to Stanley Brook 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
The center arch carries the motor road; the smaller openings carry Seaside Trail and Stanley Brook. Look for the radiating arch stones, peaked parapets, and projecting stone scuppers. A lookout is built into the north wall at the west end. For a photo, frame the arches with the maple and ash trees planted beside the piers; a south-facing view can include Stanley Brook and its wooded bank.
Completed in 1933, Stanley Brook was the 16th of 17 bridges built along Acadia's 57-mile carriage-road network between 1917 and 1940. It was the last carriage-road bridge designed and built by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. New York architect Charles W. Stoughton designed it, and S.F. Ralston directed Rockefeller's construction crews.
Rockefeller's gardener, Mr. Miller, first planted dense evergreens to screen the roads where they converge. Landscape architect Beatrix Farrand set maple and ash sentinel trees beside the piers to frame the arches and added native roadside shrubs. Much of her carriage-road planting was lost in the 1947 Great Fire, which makes the surviving planting part of the bridge's story, not just decoration.
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
ModerateHunters Brook Trail2.7 mi · 2 hr · 0.5 mi awayBrook crossings to iron-pinned steps and a carriage-road finish.
EasySeaside Path1.4 mi · 48 min · 0.7 mi awayA gentle woodland link beneath an old stone bridge.
EasyDay Mountain Loop5.3 mi · 3 hr · 0.7 mi awayA 5.3-mile gravel circuit with a historic stone bridge.
ChallengingPenobscot Mountain Trail3.8 mi · 3.5 hr · 0.8 mi awaySteep granite scrambling opens to pond and island views.
ModerateTriad Trail1 mi · 1 hr · 0.8 mi awayGranite footing, a wooded summit, and a century-old trail marker.
ModerateJordan Pond Carriage Road Loop8.6 mi · 4 hr · 0.8 mi awayFour historic bridges are the payoff on this long, rolling loop.
EasyJordan Stream Path1.2 mi · 1 hr · 0.8 mi awayA shaded brook walk ends at Acadia's only cobblestone bridge.
ModeratePemetic South Ridge Trail4 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.9 mi awayClimb rocky granite to Pemetic's open summit and coastal views.
Sight · 0.2 mi awayJordan Pond Road BridgeA historic granite arch on Acadia's carriage roads.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayWildwood StablesHorse-drawn tours put Acadia’s carriage roads at a slower pace.Sight · 0.6 mi awayCobblestone BridgeA 1917 carriage-road bridge with an unusual cobblestone arch.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayJordan Pond GatehouseA 1930s stone-and-timber gateway to the carriage roads.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayTriad-Day Mountain BridgeA 1940 arch caps the final link in the carriage-road network.
Restaurant · 0.8 mi awayJordan Pond HouseTea and popovers with Jordan Pond and The Bubbles in view
Sight · 0.9 mi awayJordan Pond Dam BridgeA raised 1920 crossing over the dam and toward the pond.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayCliffside BridgeA 1932 stone bridge with castle turrets above Jordan Stream.Parkwolf’s Acadia ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
