Where in the World Wednesdays - Destinations to Explore Before Leaving This Life

Acadia National Park – Bar Harbor, ME

In the midst Maine’s picturesque, rolling seaside island of Mount Desert Island, surrounded by Western Bay, Frenchman Bay, Blue Hill Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, lies the 47,453 acres that make up Acadia National Park.  The oldest national park located east of the Mississippi River, the park was established in 1919 as Lafayette National Park (changed to Acadia in 1929) – in honor of Marquis de Lafayette, who was a very influential French supporter of the American Revolution. 

People have been drawn to the rugged coast of Maine throughout history. Awed by its beauty and diversity, early 20th-century visionaries donated the land that became Acadia National Park. The park is home to many plants and animals, and the tallest mountain on the U.S. Atlantic coast. Today visitors come to Acadia to hike granite peaks, bike historic carriage roads, or relax and enjoy the scenery.

The park includes woodlands, lakes, mountains (including the highest peak on the entire Atlantic coast between Canada and Brazil – Cadillac Mountain - at a height of 1,528 feet), and of course ocean shoreline.  The park is noted for Cadillac Mountain, not just because it is the highest peak along the Atlantic, but also because it is the first place on U.S. soil touched by the sun’s rays at daybreak.  Campers and tourists alike regularly ascend the mountain to experience that phenomenon.

Acadia National Park is also home to about 40 different species of mammalian wildlife, along with many marine species in the surrounding waters.  Among the land based critters are found chipmunks, red and gray squirrels, moose, beavers, porcupines, white-tailed deer, muskrats, foxes, coyotes, black bears and bobcats.

It is a destination for more than two million visitors each year, with the average visitor spending three or four days in the area. With many different facilities and attractions in the park, there is something to interest everyone – from scenic driving or carriage tours, horseback riding, hiking, fishing, swimming, boating, birdwatching, bicycling – and so much more.  In addition to activities in the park, local communities offer boat trips, whale watching, canoe rentals, ocean kayaking trips, and bus tours. 

Accommodations inside Acadia National Park are made up of campgrounds;  non-camping accommodations can be found in nearby communities such as Bar Harbor, Bernard or Northeast Harbor.  The two primary park campgrounds on Mount Desert Island are Blackwoods Campground and Seawall Campground. All sites are wooded and within a 10-minute walk of the ocean; no sites are located on the water. The majority of sites are for tents, small and large, but other sites accommodate pop-ups, vehicle campers, and RVs up to 35 feet. A maximum of one vehicle and six people is allowed at each site. There are no hook-ups. Campground facilities include comfort stations, cold running water, dump station, picnic tables, fire rings, and water faucets (facilities at Blackwoods differ in the winter). Seasonal showers and camping supply stores are located within ½ mile of the campground.  There is no backcountry camping at Acadia National Park.

Acadia National Park is easily accessible.  It is roughly one hour from Bangor to the west, where most visitors to the area might fly in from other cities.  It is about a 3 ½ hour drive from Portland to the south, and about six hours north of Boston.  The park itself is open year-round, however the Visitor Center is open from April 15 through October.  Most facilities, including the museum, picnic areas, Seawall Campground and many roads close during the winter months

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For more information about a visit to Acadia National Park or other parts of Maine, call 855.776.1733 or via my websites:  www.neverlandadventurestravel.com or www.neverlandadventurescruises.com.  Be sure to follow me on Twitter, like my page on Facebook, circle me on Google+, and pin me on Pinterest.