Thuya Garden, Northeast Harbor Maine

The Thuya Garden is one of the varied and picturesque gardens that attract many visitors and locals at the Mount Desert Land and Garden Preserve in the state of Maine.  It is situated above Northeast Harbor on the overlooking granite hills.  It offers a combination of local indigenous type forests with semi-formal style, English bedding borders.

Mount Desert Land and Garden Preserve’s Thuya Garden is one of the many attractions that draws in tourists from across the globe to the Northeast Harbor area.  Set atop granite hills, the garden is just a short drive from the nearby Asticou Terraces Landing, making it not just accessible to those visiting the local town, but also boaters.

The Thuya Garden is part of the Mount Desert Land and Garden Preserve, which covers some one hundred and forty acres.  It includes the garden, a lodge, the Asticou Landing for boats and the Asticou Terraces. 

In 1956, Charles Savage developed the Thuya Garden, incorporating the former Curtis orchard and the Thuya Lodge, constructed in the early 20^th century.  The garden’s Terrace Trail was carefully designed with varied scenic type lookouts that traverse the hill that rises from the eastern shoreline of the town of Northeast Harbor to the lodge.  In fact, the lodge was originally named due to the abundance of white cedars, the Thuya occidentalis trees.  The whole design incorporates an English style country garden atmosphere with the local wilds of scenic Maine.

Guests are greeted with a fine entrance way with hand-carved style cedar gates.  The nearby pavilion shows off a cistern and varied vessels, originally part of the Farrand, Reef Point collection, once seen at Bar Harbor.  Inside, the colourful, herbaceous gardens and expansive lawns lead to the higher pavilion to the north.  To the south, a shallow pool reflects the blue and clear skies that are common in the area during the warmer months.

For those arriving by boat, the lodge and garden are just a quarter mile walk along the Asticou Terrace Trail.  Varied lookouts offer scenic views across the area enroute, but for those arriving by road, the scenic drive is well worth it.  Two major parking lots are on hand, one atop Thuya Drive and the other just by the landing.

Getting to the Thuya Garden by road from Northeast Harbor can be done taking the left at the walled type gate house just before reaching the town.  At the base of the hill, drivers can take a left on Peabody Drive and the first parking lot is just off to the right, only a third of a mile from the intersection.  To get to the upper part of the hill by road, drivers can continue for another third of a mile until reaching Thuya Drive.  However, parking atop the hill is limited.  The Island Explorer also makes bus runs to the landing parking lot, giving easy access to the Asticou Terrace Trail.

The Thuya Garden is open every day, from 7am to 7pm, from the end of June until September.  The Thuya Lodge is open every day from 10am to 4:30pm, from the end of June to Labor Day.  Admission is free.