More of Acadia's Ocean Path is open to wheelchairs and scooters

A busy stretch of Ocean Path in Acadia National Park is now usable by people with wheelchairs and mobility scooters, the Bangor Daily News reported on October 21, 2026. Over about six weeks, trail crews repaired 500 feet at the southern end of the path, west of Otter Point Overlook, working with the Appalachian Mountain Club. They packed the surface with rock so it would hold up. Friends of Acadia paid for much of the work through its Acadia Trails Forever endowment.

The path is 2.2 miles along the east side of Mount Desert Island, between the shore and Park Loop Road. From Sand Beach to Thunder Hole, about 0.7 miles, it had already been rebuilt with concrete and packed gravel. Beyond Thunder Hole the footing had been rocky gravel. The new section leaves most of the path open, except the granite staircases that continue past Otter Cliffs. Stephanie Clement, Friends of Acadia's vice president of conservation, said the path is busy in every season, and that the work keeps it in shape while opening Otter Point's views to more visitors. The park has also been building an accessible path at Cadillac Mountain's summit and opened the Hemlock Path boardwalk in the Great Meadow. Those projects are separate from this 500 feet.