THUNDER HOLE, ACADIA NATIONAL PARK- TOP PHOTOGRAPHY SPOT

Editorial Update: January 2026
Photography Location Guides & Essential

Are you looking for a place near you to do photography in Maine? Pamela Goodyer, an internationally acclaimed and renowned photographer, has curated the best photography locations and brings you all of the first-hand details.

We delve into outdoor photography here at Thunder Hole, exploring this exceptional location to create dynamic Milky Way pictures.

Article is not AI generated. We traveled here showing Pamela Goodyer and her camera.

Pamela Goodyer has been guiding photographers to the best photography spots in the world for over fifteen years. Her photography tour company travels there every year.

THUNDER HOLE MILKY WAY PHOTOGRAPHY

Zenith sky brightness info (2015)

Bortle class 2, Elevation 40 meters. Bortle one is the darkest sky in the world to shoot the Milky Way in. Thunder Hole is bortle 2.

Acadia National Park Thunder Hole

This park stands out as one of the most remarkable locations in the USA. If you’re looking for a place to immerse yourself in nature from dawn till dusk, add this to your must-visit list. It’s a premier destination for viewing the Milky Way on the East Coast, known for its exceptionally dark skies. Stargazing here is effortless, with the Milky Way prominently displayed no matter where you look.

ACADIA, THUNDER HOLE MILKY WAY

At Acadia National Park, you can photograph the Milky Way and some of the most dramatic scenery on the Atlantic coast. This spot, Thunder Hole, is easy to photograph. You can park right on the street and only have to walk a few feet from your car. The only problem you might have is that there’ll be other photographers who are doing the same.

The South Bubble Overlook offers excellent photo opportunities for unobstructed views of the Milky Way. Go to Jordan Pond for stargazing and Milky Way photography with Acadia’s crystal blue lakes. At night, park in Jordan Pond House and hike to the shores of Jordan Pond to photograph stars and their reflections.

ACADIA MILKY WAY PHOTOGRAPHY

The entire park is an award-winning photo waiting to happen. Thunder Hole is an inlet that is naturally carved out of the rocks. The water rolls into the inlet and is forced into a cavern, and when it rushes out, it gives a massive bang like a clap of thunder. The water can come out and go as much as 40 feet into the air. When you come around the corner to Thunder Hole, you should roll your window down so you can listen to nature talking to you as you approach. And the night skies are incredible.

Yeah. Thunder Hole is an inlet that is naturally carved out of the rocks. The water rolls into the inlet and is forced into a cavern, and when it rushes out, it gives a massive bang like a clap of thunder. The water can come out and go as much as 40 feet into the air. When you come around the corner to Thunder Hole, you should roll your window down so you can listen to nature talking to you as you approach.

The night skies in Acadia National Park are incredible. Along Maine’s rugged coast, far away from major metropolitan cities to the east, Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park boast a crisp, brilliant night sky. In this view, the Milky Way shines over Acadia National Park, Maine.

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ACADIA NATIONAL PARK INFO 2026

Entrance Fees: All park visitors must pay an entrance fee upon entry from May to October. Passes are non-transferable. Credit cards are accepted at all fee collection areas.

Private Vehicle: $35, valid for 7 days

Admits private, non-commercial vehicles (15 passenger capacity or less) and all occupants. Buy your pass online!

If the vehicle pass is purchased, no other pass is necessary.

Motorcycle: $30, valid for 7 days
Admits one or two passengers on a private, non-commercial motorcycle. Buy your pass online!

Per Person: $20 valid for 7 days
It admits one individual without a car (bicyclist, hiker, pedestrian). Youths 15 and under are admitted free of charge. Buy your pass online!

Non-US residents must pay a $100 per person fee in addition to the standard entrance pass fee.

Vistitors Ceters

Located off the Maine coast, Acadia National Park covers 47,000 acres on Mount Desert Island. However, portions of the Park are located on the Schoodic Peninsula and Isle au Haut.

Six visitor information centers are located within the park, including the main visitor center in Hulls Cove (northwest of Bar Harbor), a nature center at Sieur des Monts (south of Bar Harbor), a visitor center on Thompson Island (along the road leading into Mount Desert Island), another visitor information center in Village Green in Bar Harbor, the historic Museum at Islesford on Little Cranberry Island, and the Rockefeller Welcome Center on Schoodic Peninsula.

Hiking and Photography

Many significant features of Acadia are easily accessible from Bar Harbor, including Hulls Cove visitor center, the beginning of the Park’s Scenic Park Loop Road, and the winding, 27-mile-long loop road, which includes the dramatic ascent to Mount Cadillac. It is also possible to hike up to its 1,530-foot peak from Bar Harbor (via multiple trails) to get views encompassing most of Acadia and the surrounding islands. There is timed parking at this spot, so be prepared. Info is below.

After looping around Cadillac Mountain, the Acadia Scenic Park Loop Road leads down to the Maine coastline at Sand Beach. Loop Road is a classic scenic drive featuring views of the ocean, lakeside beauty, and dramatic rock formations. There are over 130 miles of hiking trails for you to explore on foot and 45 miles of carriage roads for you to ride your bike.

Unique attractions include sandy beaches, rock beaches, thunder holes, and dark skies for Milky Way photography. Magnificent rocks can be found at Otter Cliff, making the park a top-ten photography location in the USA.

Much less traveled than Acadia’s core, the region just west of Somes Sound has trails running down Long Pond’s edge (1 mi) and up Bernard Mountain (3.2 mi). Located south of Bar Harbor, the Sieur de Monts neighborhood features the Wild Garden of Acadia, the Park’s nature center, and the oldest branch of the Smithsonian-affiliated Abbe Museum.

The Park has some of the best places for natural areas to photograph, as well as towns and villages, throughout.

If you cannot find somewhere to stay directly next to Acadia, try looking for cabins beyond Acadia, near Ellsworth, Northeast Harbor, or Winter Harbor. The park is open year-round, though many facilities inside and near the park are closed from October to the end of May.

HOW TO SHOOT MILKY WAY PHOTOGRAPHY

Follow this link for full details on setting up your camera.

PHOTOGRAPHY T-SHIRTS & MORE

Think Tank Camera Bags

The only bag we use!

SURVIVAL FOOD

PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR FOR MILKY WAY

LIGHT POLLUTION MAP:

Light pollution map

CAMERA:

You will need a camera to manually control your ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. HERE ARE OUR FAVORITES.

LENS:

A fast, wide-angle lens of 1.4 – 2.8 is ideal. If you use a 3.5 or higher (slower lens), you must increase the ISO. The higher the ISO, the more grain or digital noise will appear in your photos.

TRIOPD:

A good, sturdy tripod is essential for night photography. If it gets windy, you will need a sturdy one. Remember that when you buy one, it should be sturdy enough to withstand the wind but small enough to fit in your suitcase.

FLASHLIGHT:

Our choice is the Coast brand for flashlights. The ideal flashlight will have high lumens, and you can zoom in and out on the light emitting from the flashlight. Get the HP7, PX45, or the G50. Ideally, go with the HP7. LINK TO THE HP7

If you can afford it – GET THIS ONE

LONG RANGE FOCUSING OPTIC: Slide focus with locking technology to go from Broad View Flood Beam to X-Range Spot Beam.
BRIGHT: 300 Lumens in a small package, perfect for a pocket so you hands can be on your camera.

CAMERA SETTINGS FOR MILKY WAY

ISO:

Start with ISO 1600 – 3200. This is a common starting point, and you will adjust from here.

APERTURE:

Depth of field isn’t critical on these shots, but letting light into the camera is; therefore, you should shoot wide open if. If the depth of field is essential to you, try not to go too high. (Wide open =the lowest aperture your camera will allow.) You must increase the ISO a little, which will give you digital noise.

SHUTTER SPEED:

Now that the ISO and aperture are set in manual mode, roll your shutter speed until your meter reads (0) zero. Take a test shot and adjust from there. The general shutter speed is 20 to 25 seconds. If you leave the shutter open too long, you will get star trails.

WHEN TO VIEW THE MILKY WAY:

The best images are usually of the dense part of the Milky Way. We can see this part of the Milky Way in the southern sky. During March, April, and May, the Milky Way rises above the horizon in the pre-dawn hours. In June, at about 10:00 p.m., you will see the Milky Way. From July until October, you can see the Milky Way as soon as the sun sets, and it becomes dark enough to see about an hour after sunset. In November, the Milky Way no longer comes above the horizon. You will have to wait until March if you want to stay away really late or get up early to see her again.

See our Milky Way Hot Spot Locator and our Night Photography Information.

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