Looking for a quieter side of Acadia National Park? The Schoodic Peninsula offers dramatic coastal scenery, excellent sunset photography, and a fraction of the crowds found along Park Loop Road. After several busy days exploring Mount Desert Island, we spent our final evening here—and it ended up being one of the most relaxing stops of the trip. Exploring the Schoodic Peninsula was a highlight for us.
After experiencing the heavy crowds at Bass Harbor Lighthouse on Mount Desert Island (MDI), we decided to make the approximately one-hour drive to the Schoodic Peninsula for one last Acadia sunset. Although it doesn’t receive the same attention as Mount Desert Island, Schoodic offers rugged coastline, scenic overlooks, and peaceful photography opportunities that showcase the same natural beauty Acadia National Park is known for. The map below shows where the Schoodic Peninsula sits relative to Mount Desert Island.
Schoodic Point and Ravens Nest
We had two destinations in mind, Schoodic Point and an area known as Ravens Nest, a popular location for landscape photography and evening sunset views. Anyone interested in discovering the beauty of the Schoodic Peninsula should include these stops on their list.
MWN Tip 🌿
Driving into this side of Acadia National Park, once you reach the peninsula, is one way. We desired to see the point before our final destination at Ravens Nest. Due to this, we had to pass Ravens Nest, go to the point, then circle all the way back around for the Ravens Nest. Ensure you leave ample time, we made it, but we were a bit pressed to get there in time for the sunset hour. If you want to make the most of your visit to the Schoodic Peninsula, plan your time carefully.
Schoodic Point offered comparable scenery and rocky coastline views as the main sections of Acadia, but in our experience, not as dramatic. I’m not certain if this varies based on tides, etc. but for us, the waves landing on the rocky coastline was a bit more subdued. That being said, we did find many photographers at Schoodic Point, but not for the rocky coastline scenic views, but for something else; Reflective tide pools. The rocky coastline offers several areas of tide pools found all along the rocky coastline. Its a great place to visit if you enjoy that sort of thing, some describe seeing starfish, crab and billions of barnacles. Many photographers were also using the tide pools for reflective photography of the skyline, a create approach to nature photography. Visiting these tide pools is just one of the unique things about exploring Schoodic Peninsula, Maine.
Ravens Nest sits on the west side of the island as you drive into the park, headed south to Schoodic Point. We found a small pull off to park off the side of the road, and were the first to arrive to setup for the sunset. You can check out exact coordinates in our maps on our free resources page. Sunset at the Schoodic Peninsula’s Ravens Nest was a memorable experience.
Raven’s Nest was the highlight of our trip to the Peninsula, I’d highly recommend the trip for this sunset view. This side of the peninsula coast also offers dramatic cliffs, may be a bit scary for some to be honest. The cliffs on the Schoodic Peninsula offer an entirely different perspective on Acadia’s coastline.
Is Schoodic Peninsula Worth Visiting?
If you’re looking for dramatic cliffs, quieter trails, and one final Acadia sunset away from the crowds, the Schoodic Peninsula is absolutely worth the drive. While it lacks some of the iconic viewpoints of Mount Desert Island, we found its peaceful atmosphere to be one of the most memorable parts of our trip.
Headed back home we grabbed dinner at the Pickled Wrinkle. This is a great stop to feel at one with local “Mainers” and the Maine culture. A local band played live music, in line with what you would expect in a small Maine town. Food was decent and the staff friendly. It’s a great stop on the way back from a Schoodic Peninsula sunset view.
