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
.