History
Though the affluent of the turn of the century came here to frolic, they
had much to do with preserving the landscape that we know today. It was
from this social strata that George B. Dorr came. He devoted 43 years of
his life, energy, and family fortune to preserving the Acadian
landscape. In 1916, Sieur de Monts National Monument was created with
6,000 acres of land donated by individual landowners. In 1919, it became
Lafayette National Park, the first national park east of the Mississippi
River. In 1929, the name was changed to Acadia National Park. Today,
Acadia preserves about 40,000 acres of Atlantic coast shoreline, mixed
hardwood and spruce/fir forest, mountains, and lakes, as well as several
offshore islands.
Campgrounds
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 (10.7 m). 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 1/2 mile of the
campground.
A third campground, Wildwood Stables Campground, is open only to
visitors with stock animals.
There is no backcountry camping in Acadia. Primitive camping is
available at Duck Harbor Campground, located on Isle au Haut.
Bicycling
There is an extensive network of carriage roads throughout Acadia
National Park, which are closed to automobiles and are excellent places
to ride your bicycle. The carriage roads are mostly paved with crushed
stone and, therefore, are best navigated on a mountain or hybrid
bicycle. Another option for cyclists is the ~20 mile long Park Loop
Road, which encircles much of the eastern portion of the park. The road
is open to automobiles, but is a one-way, two-lane road for much of it's
length. Cyclists will be happy to note that the Park Loop Road appears
to have been recently re-paved, making for a very smooth, pleasant ride.
Bikes can be rented in Bar Harbor.
Contacting Acadia
National Park
Acadia
National Park - Website
Mailing Address
Acadia National Park
P.O. Box 177
Bar Harbor, ME 04609-0177
Shipping Address
Acadia National Park
Route 233 Mc Farland Hill
Bar Harbor, ME 04609
Phone/E-mail
207-288-3338 Phone