Mount Desert Island, Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States.
Mount Desert Island is an island in Hancock County, Maine, divided into two sections by a natural fjord called Somes Sound. The island covers roughly 280 square kilometers (108 square miles) and holds mountains, forests, rocky shores, and sheltered coves.
Samuel de Champlain saw the island in 1604 and named it for its bare mountain peaks. By the 19th century, it became a popular summer retreat for wealthy East Coast families.
The name comes from French explorers who saw its bare mountain peaks from the sea. Small coastal villages along the coves maintain their fishing traditions, with lobster shacks and boats resting in quiet harbors.
A causeway links the island to the mainland via Route 3, and roads lead to different parts of the waterfront and interior. Hiking paths of varying length and difficulty run to summits and coastal viewpoints, some with steep stone steps.
Somes Sound is one of the few true fjords on the East Coast of North America. Its deep waters cut the island in two and create sheltered anchorages on both sides.
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