Park at a Glance

Acadia National Park protects parts of Maine's coast across Mount Desert Island, the mainland's Schoodic Peninsula, Isle au Haut, and smaller islands, bringing mountains and forest together beside the Atlantic.

What This Park Preserves

The park protects rocky shorelines, freshwater lakes, forests, wetlands, and granite mountains. Historic carriage roads, stone bridges, and gate lodges preserve a designed landscape that follows the land's contours.

Becoming a National Park

Local residents and summer visitors, including George B. Dorr and Charles W. Eliot, secured land for protection. President Wilson established Sieur de Monts National Monument on July 8, 1916. Congress redesignated it Lafayette National Park on February 26, 1919, then renamed it Acadia National Park on January 19, 1929. The 1929 law also authorized expansion beyond Mount Desert Island, allowing donated lands at Schoodic to join the park.

Story of the Land

Glaciers rounded mountains and widened valleys into U-shapes, leaving the contours visible around Jordan Pond. Ice also carried and deposited large boulders called erratics; waves continue reshaping the shoreline and smoothing its cobbles.

People & Culture

Acadia lies in Wabanaki homelands. Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Mi’kmaq, and Maliseet communities retain ties to these shores. Wabanaki basketmakers and scientists have studied coastal sweetgrass together, connecting living traditions with salt-marsh ecology.

Wildlife & Nature

Acadia sits where northern evergreen forests meet southern deciduous forests. Spruce and fir mingle with maples and birches, while beavers change freshwater habitats by damming streams and creating wetlands that support other wildlife.

What to Look For

From Jordan Pond's shore paths, trace the rounded Bubbles and neighboring U-shaped valleys for signs of glacial carving. Along carriage roads, notice granite guard stones and stone-faced bridges that fit the routes into hillsides and stream crossings.

A little farther down the path

Explore Acadia on foot.

Three routes from Journey’s trail catalog. Distances and elevation gains are approximate; check each route’s NPS information before you set out.

Moderate · Loop

Flying Mountain Loop

≈ 1.4 miles≈ 340 ft gain45-80 minutes
Moderate · Loop

Hadlock Ponds Loop

≈ 3.9 miles≈ 330 ft gain1.5-3 hours
Easy · Loop

Jesup Path & Hemlock Path Boardwalk

≈ 1.5 miles≈ 50 ft gain35-65 minutes
A different park in every season

When will you go?

Spring

Fog and spring thaw can limit access.

Summer

Broad access, with heavy summer crowds.

Fall

Colorful foliage, with cool and variable weather.

Winter

Icy trails and widespread road closures limit access.

These are general seasonal patterns. Check the official park website for current road access, closures, and visitor requirements.

Look a little closer

Four things to remember.

Broken shells make up about 70–80 percent of the sediment at Acadia's Sand Beach.
Jordan Pond is Acadia's deepest lake, with its bottom 150 feet below the surface.
Thunder Hole can boom when waves force trapped air out of a narrow inlet along Acadia's coast.
The granite guard stones lining Acadia's carriage roads are nicknamed 'Rockefeller's teeth.'

Bring home a memory.

Make room in your passport for Acadia. Find the park’s stamp guide, then keep your stamp photos and visit memories together in Journey.

Acadia passport stamp guide