Acadia National Park

From Freepedia

Acadia
Image:LocMap Acadia.png
Designation	National Park
Location	Maine, United States
Nearest City	Bar Harbor, Maine
Coordinates	44°21′ N 68°13′ W
Area	47,400 acres (192 km²) 19,182 ha
Date of Establishment	January 19, 1916 (U.S. National Monument) February 26, 1919 (U.S. National Park)
Visitation	2,207,996 (2004)
Governing Body	National Park Service
IUCN category	II National Park

Acadia National Park is a United States National Park, located primarily on Mount Desert Island off the Atlantic coast of Maine. The park is administered by the National Park Service. The area includes mountains, an ocean shoreline, woodlands, and lakes. In addition to Mount Desert Island, the park comprises much of the Isle au Haut, a small island to the southwest of Mount Desert Island. A portion of Schoodic Peninsula on the mainland is also part of the park. In total, Acadia National Park consists of 30,300 acres on Mount Desert Island, 2,728 acres (11 km²) on Isle au Haut and 2,266 acres (9.2 km²) on the Schoodic Peninsula.

Image:Bass harbor head light 20041002 123635 1.1504x1000.jpg

History

The park was created as Sieur de Monts National Monument on January 19, 1916. On February 26, 1919, it became a national park, with the name Lafayette National Park in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, an influential French supporter of the American Revolution. The park's name was changed to Acadia National Park in 1929.

The town of Bar Harbor is located on the northeast corner of the island. Cadillac Mountain on the eastern side of the island is a famous tourist destination because it is one of the first places in the United States to see the sunrise. Miles of scenic carriage roads were originally built by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. with great sensitivity to the trees and contours of the land.

Bibliography

"Discover Acadia National Park: A Guide to Hiking, Biking, and Paddling" by Jerry Monkman et al., Appalachian Mountain Club; ISBN 1878239929; May 2000
"Acadia Revealed" by Jay Kaiser et al., Papyrus Travel Guides; ISBN 0967890497; July 2000