Acadia National Park, Carriage Roads & Jordan Pond

Permit Information

NPS Special Use Permit required for weddings and ceremonies at Acadia National Park, including Jordan Pond, the carriage roads, Sand Beach, Schoodic Point, and similar scenic spots. The non refundable application fee is $125. Submit NPS Form 10 930 to acad_special_park_uses@nps.gov or mail to the Special Park Uses Office. Applications are typically accepted up to one year in advance but must be received at least 14 days before the event. Small group ceremonies of 10 or fewer people at publicly …

Planning Your Day at Acadia National Park, Carriage Roads & Jordan Pond

One-Spot Day

Acadia one spot days work best at Jordan Pond for the Bubbles reflection or on a carriage road bridge like Hadlock Brook for the stone and stream feel. Both are short walks from parking, both give you a contained scene for ceremony and portraits in the same window. Pick based on whether you want the open lake view or the enclosed forest cathedral.

Ceremony + Portraits Split

Mount Desert Island is compact, most ceremony locations on the Park Loop Road sit within 20 to 30 minutes of each other. A Jordan Pond ceremony in the morning and a Sand Beach or Thunder Hole portrait session in the afternoon is very doable. Cadillac summit sunrise plus a carriage road midday is also realistic. The Schoodic Peninsula across the bay is an hour drive and a separate day.

A Note on Light

Jordan Pond is east facing at the south shore, so the best light and calmest water are before 7am. The Bubbles catch first light and the pond reflects. Carriage road bridges live in dappled forest shade, they reward overcast days and midday filtered light rather than direct sun. Cadillac sunrise is famous and crowded, book the timed vehicle reservation 90 days in advance. Fall foliage peaks early to mid October.

Ceremony Spots at Acadia National Park, Carriage Roads & Jordan Pond

• Jordan Pond, South Shore — Crystal clear glacial pond with the twin Bubbles mountains rising symmetrically in the background
• Hadlock Brook Carriage Road Bridge — Historic hand cut granite bridge over a cascading brook in a quiet, car free forest setting