Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

Acadia National Park – At a Glance

September 30th, 2012 | Posted by Ian in Parks | The Places We've Been | United States

Location: Coastal Maine, USAAcadia South Bubble View

Nearest City: Bar Harbor, a 5,000+ person town sandwiched between the park and Frenchman Bay near the park’s main entrance.

Founded: 1919 (as Lafayette National Park; renamed to Acadia in 1929).

Area: Over 47,000 acres (73 square miles).

Hours and Seasons: The park is accessible around the clock and is technically open year round, though most facilities and roads are closed from December 1 to April 14.

Entrance Fees: In effect May 1 to October 31.

  • High season – $20 per vehicle for 7 days.
  • Low season – $10 per vehicle for 7 days.

Weather:

  • Spring and Fall – Highly variable, with daytime highs between 30 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Be ready for nice sunny days, cold rainy ones, and everything in between.
  • Summer – Warmer (average highs in the upper 70s) and slightly less rainy than the rest of the year, but also the most crowded months of the year.
  • Winter – Cold (though milder than inland Maine), with daytime highs in the teens. The park averages 61 inches of snow each year.

Things to Do:Acadia Cadillac Mountain Sunrise

  • Visit any of the park’s visitors centers to learn about the park or the nature center to learn about the park’s wildlife and ecosystems.
  • Drive the Park Loop Road (or cycle it, as many do), a 20 mile one-way, for amazing views of the ocean, coastline, mountains, forests, and more.
  • Take in sunrise from Cadillac Mountain, the first place in the United States to see the sun’s rays each morning in fall and winter. If you aren’t up for that, the view is breathtaking during the day as well. Cadillac Mountain tops out at 1,528 feet, and is the highest point within 25 miles of the US Atlantic Coast.
  • Explore the park’s 45 miles of old carriage road by foot, bicycle, or horseback.
  • Hike up mountains, through forests, or to hidden forests on the park’s 125 miles of hiking trails.
  • Visit the Schoodic Peninsula and a much less visited section of the park across Frenchman Bay. A ferry runs the four miles from Bar Harbor to Winter Harbor or you can make the drive in about an hour.Acadia Sunrise
  • Climb, kayak, canoe, picnic, camp, swim, fish, birdwatch, leaf-peep, check out tidepools.
  • For kids, take part in the Junior Ranger Program.
  • Visit the town of Bar Harbor for creature comforts and fresh lobster.

 

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