Acadia National Park includes 60 miles of rugged coastline primarily on Mount Desert Island and 19 other coastal islands. The landscape rises abruptly from sea level to over 1,500 feet with eight mountains above 1,000 feet!

Back in the 19^th century, Mount Desert Island’s beauty and remoteness began attracting wealthy visitors looking for a retreat from bustling cities. They built magnificent mansions which they called “cottages” on the island’s northeast coast. The area became known as Millionaire’s Row.

As the 20^th century arrived, dozens of hotels sprang up in the nearest town of Bar Harbor and people began to worry that Mount Desert was losing the qualities that had made it so attractive.

Some of the wealthy part-time residents began using their influence to push for a national park on the island. Among them was oil magnate John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who donated some 11,000 acres to what was to become Acadia National Park.

A view of Long Porcupine Island (managed by the park) from Mount Desert Island and the “Margaret Todd” schooner sailing past. The white and orange “flecks” you see in the water are lobster pots.

Otter Cove where pink granite enhances the colour of the green spruce trees and the blue sea.

Composed of a patchwork of public land surrounded by towns and villages, the park covers about 38,000 acres with a further 12,000+ acres of conservation easements. Here, the fence line depicts the boundary of the national park with a privately owned home sitting on a peninsula with a view to die for!