Acadia National Park

Located on the rugged coast of Maine, Acadia National Park encompasses over 47,000 acres of granite-domed mountains, woodlands, lakes and ponds, and ocean shoreline. Such diverse habitats create striking scenery and make the park a haven for wildlife and plants.

The park is located primarily on Mount Desert Island off the Atlantic coast of Maine. The area includes mountains, an ocean shoreline, woodlands, and lakes. In addition to Mount Desert Island, the park comprises much of the Isle au Haut, a small island to the southwest of Mount Desert Island. A portion of Schoodic Peninsula on the mainland is also part of the park.

While surrounded by the ocean, the entire fabric of Acadia is interwoven with a wide variety of freshwater, estuarine, forest, and intertidal resources, many of which contain plant and animal species of international, national and state significance. Somes Sound, the inlet bisecting Mount Desert Island, is the only fjord on the east coast of the United States.

The park is 264 miles from Boston and about 45 miles southeast of Bangor, Maine. Mount Desert Island and Schoodic Peninsula are accessible from US Route 1, which follows the coast, as well as from other highways. Isle au Haut is only accessible by boat.

Bar Harbor is on the northeast corner of the island. Cadillac Mountain is one of the first places in the United States to see the sunrise. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. created miles of scenic carriage roads with great sensitivity to the trees and contours of the land.

History:

• January 19, 1916—created as Sieur de Monts National Monument

• February 26, 1919—became Lafayette National Park in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, an influential French supporter of the American Revolution.

• 1929—name changed to Acadia National Park.

Archeology:

Archeological resources document over 6,000 years of human occupation. Archeological investigations on Mount Desert Island found native settlements along the seashore, as well as shell middens containing ceramics and tools. The Abbe Museum's archeological collections consist of a variety of more than 50,000 objects spanning 10,000 years of history up to the present. The park collections also contain prehistoric and historic archeological materials pertaining to Ancestral Wabanaki sites in the park, the Carroll Farm Homestead, Islesford (Little Cranberry Island), and the settlement of Saint Croix Island.

Camping:

There are two campgrounds in the park: Blackwoods and Seawall Campgrounds. Both campgrounds offer individual and group campsites. All park campsites are situated in woods within a 10-minute walk of the ocean. Recreational vehicles may not exceed 35’ in length and 11’ 8” in height. Extension pull-outs must fit within the site pads provided. Neither campground has utility hookups.

Camping is permitted on Isle au Haut from May 15 to October 15 and requires obtaining a special use permit in advance.

National Park Service Reservation Center

Trails: over 150 miles of trails Activities: Auto Touring, Biking, Bird Watching, Boating, Camping, Climbing, Cross Country Skiing, Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Interpretive Programs, Nature Walks, Snow Skiing, Snowshoeing, Stargazing, Swimming, Wildlife Viewing

Motor Camping in Acadia Park The National Parks Portfolio (pub. 1931)

Links:

• National Park Service
• The National Parks Portfolio (pub. 1931)
• Recreation.gov
• NPS maps
• Archeology Program
• Geology
• Historic Maps
• Wikipedia
• Post-Card Tour