Frenchman Bay Overlook

A seven-mile-long natural harbor protected from the Atlantic Ocean, Frenchman Bay was named for the original Acadian settlers of the Maine seacoast. French warships once used the islands and coves of this bay to conceal warships and launch sneak attacks on the English, as the two European powers struggled to dominate North America. Later, the bay was a shipbuilding center, and many more sails dotted its waters than do today. Look west from the overlook and you'll see Mount Desert Island. To the east is the Schoodic Peninsula. The bay's many islands and nearby mountains are identified on an interpretive sign at the overlook site.