Waves crash on the rocks at Schoodic Point on the Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park

Schoodic Point is located at the very tip of Big Moose Island. A causeway connects it to the Schoodic Peninsula, so you can visit the island by vehicle. This is also the location of the Schoodic Education and Research Center and the Rockefeller Welcome Center where you can pick up an Acadia National Park brochure, trail maps, and other information.

Schoodic Point is a popular destination. When I visited on a Sunday in late August, the parking lot was nearly full. I had just come from hiking, and there was barely a soul on the trails, which just goes to show that most people who visit a park only stop at the vehicle-convenient attractions.

Seagull at Schoodic Point on the Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park

The scenery is well worth the stop, but keep in mind that the Schoodic Loop Road is one way, so if you bypass the turnoff to Schoodic Point and later decided you want to visit, you must drive an 11-mile loop just to get back. Take my advice and stop at the Point the first time around.

Schoodic Point is one of those places where I could sit all day long and just watch the waves. The location reminded me of the final scene in Papillon where Steve McQueen was watching the pattern of waves in order to figure out which one would carry him out to sea instead of bashing him on the rocks when he jumps in to escape from his island prison.

Waves on the rocks at Schoodic Point on the Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park

The coast at Schoodic Point is much more accessible than that at Blueberry Hill, a similar area a little farther down the Schoodic Loop Road. There is a large shelf of dry rock that you can walk on that allows you to get out to the edge of the shore where the waves are breaking. You do have to step over large crevices in the rocks, and sometimes jump down a few feet and then climb back up to cross the larger cracks, but at least you won’t slip on wet seaweed. At Blueberry Hill you must walk across ankle breaking cobblestones and slick rocks to reach the shore. It’s like walking through the rubble of a bombed-out building with banana peels thrown in for good measure. Of the two, Schoodic Point is definitely the better place to visit, though if you have time, by all means stop at both.

Visitors explore the coast of Schoodic Point on the Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park

Cobblestones at Blueberry Hill on the Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park

Up until visiting Acadia National Park, I always thought of the ocean as a place to play and enjoy life, but once seeing the waves at places like Schoodic Point, I realized just how powerfully dangerous they can be and how quickly the ocean can kill you. The waves hit with a terrific force, then roll back out to sea, sucking everything with them. If you weren’t bashed to death on the rocks, you’d be drowned. I might have had a more optimistic view on a sunny day, but when the coast is bathed in fog as it was when I visited, the ocean just looks like death.

Waves crash on the rocks at Schoodic Point on the Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park

At low tide you can search for sea creatures in small pools that are left behind by the receding waters. Just be careful on the seaweed-covered rocks, because they can be as slippery as ice. I saw two people who were seriously injured after slipping on the coastal rocks at Acadia National Park, though not at Schoodic Point.

Schoodic Point on the Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park

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