Acadia Carriage Road Network -- Jordan Pond to Eagle Lake

The carriage road circuit linking Jordan Pond to Eagle Lake represents the finest multi-mile bike ride in Acadia National Park, combining two of the island's most photogenic lakes with the signature aesthetic of John D. Rockefeller Jr.'s crushed-stone road network. The route departs the Jordan Pond House -- the park's most famous restaurant, serving popovers and tea since the 19th century -- and climbs through the carriage road system past multiple granite arch bridges before descending to Eagle Lake and circling it on a flat waterside path.

The eleven arch bridges on this circuit are engineering and aesthetic highlights: each bridge was designed differently using local granite, and they integrate so seamlessly into the landscape that first-time visitors often mistake them for ancient structures rather than 1920s construction. The Eagle Lake section offers views of Cadillac Mountain reflected in the deep lake surface, with loons calling from the water in early morning. The return to Jordan Pond passes through open meadow sections where the Bubbles -- two distinctive rounded mountains -- frame the north end of the pond in a classic Acadia view. Bike rentals are available at Acadia Bike in Bar Harbor and at several locations near the Jordan Pond House.