“In Acadia, cyclists can enjoy the serenity of nature away from the noise of cars, and get a little history thrown in for good measure,” writes National Geographic writer Jill K. Robinson in a recent story about Acadia’s historic carriage roads.

Acadia’s 45 miles of carriage roads (as well as 12 miles in the Land & Garden Preserve) were constructed from 1913 to 1940 by John D. Rockefeller as an automobile-free place to enjoy the beauty of Mount Desert Island.

Rockefeller designed the 16-foot-wide carriage roads to wind through forests, along ponds, and up mountains, blending them with the natural landscape…Rockefeller also financed 16 of the 17 bridges along the roads that span cliffs, roads, streams, and waterfalls.

He had horses and carriages in mind then, but today, as the story notes, they’re a marvelous place to ride a bike.

In Acadia, cyclists can enjoy the serenity of nature away from the noise of cars, and get a little history thrown in for good measure.

Cyclists enjoy the carriage trail near Acadia’s Witch Hole Pond. (Sam Mallon/Friends of Acadia)

The story goes on to note the importance of maintaining these historic carriage roads – an effort that’s been close to Friends of Acadia’s hear for upward of three decades:

Maintenance of the carriage road system is a daunting task. Maine’s wet weather plays a major part in washing away surface materials and vegetation growth aids in eroding the roads, ditches, and drainage systems. “An extensive rehabilitation of the roads took place 30 years ago, from 1992 to 1995, and combined federal construction funds with matching funds from Friends of Acadia,” says Perrin Doniger, FOA vice president of communications and marketing. “The organization established an endowment to help protect the carriage roads in perpetuity, creating the first endowed trail system in the United States.”

The endowment enables more than $200,000 annually to be used by the park for carriage road maintenance and is combined with a portion of park user fees as well as federal funding for additional upkeep. Among these projects is the management of 182 historic vistas throughout the carriage road network, ensuring that they remain as close as possible to their original scale.

Friends of Acadia volunteers are also integral in helping Acadia National Park keep the carriage roads looking sharp. Locals and visitors alike can volunteer with our drop-in stewardship program throughout the summer season.

Each year, FOA volunteers contribute thousands of hours to carriage road restoration tasks, especially clearing leaves from culverts and ditches to maintain drainage and weeding vegetation that grows between the coping stones. “Because the stones are nicknamed ‘Rockefeller’s teeth,’ we call it flossing instead of weeding,” says Nikki Burtis, FOA stewardship coordinator.

Read the full story from National Geographic: This is the most scenic route through Acadia National Park

Learn more about volunteering with the drop-in stewardship program (no experience or registration required): Help Maintain the Historic Carriage Roads and Trails of Acadia!