Carriage Paths, Bridges and Gatehouses

The Carriage Paths form a network of 47 miles of gravel routes throughout Acadia National Park, connecting sixteen granite bridges and two gatehouses built in Tudor Revival style. These paths allow hikers and cyclists to move through different areas of the park on shaded, quiet routes.

Funded and supervised by John D. Rockefeller Jr. between 1919 and 1931, the paths were built as an alternative to automobile traffic in the park. This project represented an important shift in how people thought about leisure travel in natural areas.

The paths show how early 20th-century summer residents shaped their leisure time by choosing routes away from motor traffic. Walking or cycling here today, you experience the same preference for quiet travel that motivated their design.

The paths are open year-round, but summer is best for hiking and cycling on dry gravel surfaces. In winter, they become suitable for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing when snow covers the ground.

The bridges were built from locally quarried granite and designed by Grosvenor Atterbury to blend seamlessly with the landscape. Many visitors overlook how each structure works quietly with its surroundings rather than standing apart from them.