Table and fire ring at the Bear Brook Picnic Area in Acadia National Park

The Bear Brook Picnic Area is located at the first exit after Sieur de Monts Spring on the Park Loop Road of Acadia National Park’s Mount Desert Island. After exiting and driving a short distance through the forest, the road dead ends at a T-intersection. Picnic tables and grills are located both to the right and to the left, and the road ends in a small loop in either direction. A modern restroom and water fountain are on the left side. The picnic area is typically open from Memorial Day weekend through mid-October.

When turning right you’ll immediately come to a parking area that holds roughly two dozen vehicles. Five picnic tables and two grills are located on one side of the road, and five more tables and a fire ring are on the other side. (A grill is mounted on a post, while a fire ring is on the ground but still has a cooking grate.) There is also a table near the loop at the end of the road. With one exception, all tables are in the forest, have plenty of shade, and are located right next to the parking area.

Picnic tables and a grill at the Bear Brook Picnic Area in Acadia National Park

Picnic tables and a fire ring at the Bear Brook Picnic Area in Acadia National Park

The left side picnic area is much larger, with around two dozen tables and a half dozen grills and fire rings. It is also located in the forest, so there is plenty of shade. However, the parking situation is completely different from the right side. Instead of a large, common parking lot there are multiple parking areas for one to five cars. There is even a space large enough to hold an RV.

At each parking area is a group of tables and a grill, though the numbers rarely correspond to the number of parking spaces. For example, at one three-car parking area there were nine tables and three grills. Overall, there are way more tables than parking spaces, which doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Single-vehicle parking space for two tables at the Bear Brook Picnic Area in Acadia National Park

Two-car parking space at the Bear Brook Picnic Area in Acadia National Park

Located inside the loop at the far end of the road is a group of six tables and a fire ring. This is the only section of the Bear Brook Picnic Area suitable for hosting a small group event. However, there are no parking spaces and the road is not wide enough for roadside parking. You’ll have to use some of the other spaces and walk to this location.

Large group of tables in the Bear Brook Picnic Area at the end of the loop road, Acadia National Park

While most of the tables are near the parking spots, some are farther back into the woods and require a very short walk from the car to reach.

Hillside picnic area at the Bear Brook Picnic Area in Acadia National Park

While I don’t consider the Bear Brook Picnic Area to be a place where you’d want to hold a family reunion or other event—it’s too spread out and woodsy for my taste—it is possible to do so. However, all picnic areas in the park are open to visitors on a first come, first served basis, so you must show up early and hope to get enough tables for your event. Groups of 30 or more people need a permit ($50 at the time of this writing), but this is to authorize a large gathering only, not to reserve tables. For more information and a permit form, visit the National Park Service’s Permits web page for Acadia National Park.

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