Asticou Terraces in Northeast Harbor, Maine

Asticou Terraces is one of those very special places on Mount Desert Island that not very many people know of. And so, lies part of its charm. (view photos)

Not far from Asticou Azalea Garden in Northeast Harbor, on the east side of the protected harbor, is a small parking area next to Route 3. On the opposite side of the road is the beginning of a path that leads up meandering terraced steps and slops to Thuya Lodge and Thuya Garden. Thuya got its name from the abundance of white cedar (Thuya Occidentalis) located in the area.

As you climb the stairs and pathway, you quickly are taken in by the majestic nature of the design and how it is one with the location. This was a labor of love by renowned landscape architect Joseph Henry Curtis and it shows. Curtis was a long-time summer resident of the area and chose to give Asticou Terraces, Thuya Lodge, and Thuya Garden to the public for quiet reflection and enjoyment.

Asticou Terraces is free but a $3.00 donation is asked of visitors to Thuya Garden. For those not able to make the walk, there is a single lane road leading to the garden a short distance past the stairs. This road is very narrow and does not allow two vehicles to side by side so be cautious.

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