Where do you find the best view of sunrise in the National Park System? Would it be on Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, or, perhaps more logically, at Sunrise in Mount Rainier National Park?

Where do you draw the line on national park boundaries? They long have been political creatures, with no regard to traditional wildlife corridors, viewsheds or, in some cases, common sense.

Spend any time in Acadia National Park during the summer and early fall and you'll understand why the "rusticators" descended on the park in the mid-1800s.

Want in on a secret? Acadia National Park is not merely a three-season park. Indeed, winter can be quite wonderful in this maritime setting, as storms can coat Mount Desert Island with a layer of snow thick enough for cross-country skiing.

A land purchase by the Friends of Acadia has closed and cleared the way for the "Acadia Gateway Center" that will greet visitors to Acadia National Park.

If you live relatively near to Acadia National Park, you just might want to make a notation for Dec. 6 on your calendar. That's the day the park kicks off a 50-percent-off sale for its annual pass.

Most folks view Acadia National Park as a summertime destination, a place to head to to flee the Northeast's high heat and humidity in July and August to go in search of fresh lobster and popovers. It's a destination where you can relax in the pines listening to the crash of the surf. Clearly, that high season in the park has passed. But that doesn't mean Acadia is any less appealing during the winter.

With Fall officially under way, it won't be too long before the season's most spectacular colors are daubed, stroked, and splashed across the national park system. The good news is that you haven't missed the peak yet. The bad news is that if you don't already have a room reservation, you probably won't find a vacancy in any of the well-known fall foliage parks.