Haw Creek
Outdoors > PlacesAcadia
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
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February 26, 1919—became Lafayette National Park in
honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, an influential French supporter of the
American Revolution.
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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:
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