Acadia National Park, Maine

Acadia National Park is comprised of more than 40,000 acres with the majority of the park located on Mount Desert Island. Other park lands are located at Schoodic Point on the mainland and on the islands of Isle au Haut and Baker Island. Acadia is the only national park formed by private donations of land.

Acadia received National Park status in 1919 and was the first national park east of the Mississippi. Much of the land donated to the park was received from John D. Rockefeller, Jr. He donated more than 10,000 acres of land and was responsible for the 45 miles of carriage roads that are so popular today.

The park's dramatic scenery can be glimpsed from the 27 mile Park Loop Road that winds along the granite cliffs rising from the Atlantic Ocean and under the Roads thirteen granite arched bridges. There are 17 mountain peaks in Acadia with Cadillac Mountain being the highest at 1,532 ft. - the highest point along the eastern seaboard north of Brazil. Other notable sights in the Mount Desert Island portion of the Park are Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Jordan Pond and the Bubbles, Somes Sound, the only natural fjord on the East Coast, Seawall, and Bass Harbor Lighthouse. Hiking and biking are two of the most popular activities in the Park accommodated by the carriage roads and the 120 miles of hiking trails.

Schoodic Point is most notable for its 440 foot high headland and crashing surf. There are also a variety of hiking trails and biking on the loop road in this section of the Park.

Whether it is hiking, biking, bird watching, or just watching the waves Acadia is a place of beauty, wonder, and mystery that gives something different to each visitor.