At Otter Cliff the Park Loop Road runs along the top of granite cliffs that drop straight into the Atlantic. Its builders set the road's two lanes at different heights to open the ocean view, and gave walkers a third, lower tier for the Ocean Path. Look closely at the rock and you'll find lines scored by the glacier as it dragged stone across the bedrock. Despite the name, there are no sea otters in Acadia, and the place was most likely named for river otters. A short walk along the Ocean Path leads to a plaque honoring John D. Rockefeller Jr. that calls this stretch a magnificent window on the seas. During World War I, a Navy radio station near here was the country's most important site for receiving transatlantic messages, and on October 6, 1918, it took in the first bulletin about the armistice.
Notice anything odd about the road? At Otter Cliff the builders put the two lanes on different levels to give you the ocean, with a third tier below for the people walking the Ocean Path. The granite here is scored with lines, cut by the glacier as it dragged stone across the bedrock. The name isn't what you'd think. There are no sea otters in Acadia. These places were most likely named for river otters. Along the path toward the next lot is a plaque to John D. Rockefeller Junior. It calls this place a magnificent window on the seas, and nobody has argued. Otter Point's parking is just ahead.
Photo: Aaron Zhu, CC BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0