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93-892: Acadia National Park is a national park of the United States located along the mid-section of the Maine coast, southwest of Bar Harbor . The park includes about half of Mount Desert Island , part of the Isle au Haut , the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula , and portions of sixteen smaller outlying islands. The park contains the tallest mountain on the Atlantic Coast of the United States ( Cadillac Mountain ), exposed granite domes , glacial erratics , U-shaped valleys , and cobble beaches. Its mountains, lakes, streams, wetlands, forests, meadows, and coastlines contribute to

186-408: A gabbro composed of dark, iron-rich minerals. Mount Desert Island granite was created about 420 Mya, with one of the oldest granite bodies being Cadillac Mountain, the largest on the island. The granite body rose slowly through bedrock, fracturing it into large pieces, some of which melted under intense heat. As the granite cooled, the bedrock fragments were left surrounded by crystallized granite in

279-565: A metamorphic rock formation called the Ellsworth Schist . White and gray quartz , feldspar , and green chlorite comprise the schist, which is the oldest rock in the Mount Desert Island region. Erosion and shifting of tectonic plates eventually brought the schist to the surface. About 450 Mya, an ancient continental fragment , or micro- terrane , called Avalonia collided with North America. The collision buried

372-483: A "qualifying" conservation easement to a "qualified" land protection organization under the regulations set forth in 170(h) of the Internal Revenue Code may be eligible for a federal income tax deduction equal to the value of their donation. The value of the easement donation, as determined by a qualified appraiser , equals the difference between the fair market value of the property before and after

465-530: A block. Bright pink scars with granitic rubble below are evidence of such weathering; one example can be seen above the Tarn , a pond just south of Bar Harbor. At least twelve sea caves are located in several coastal areas of the park. Sea caves are formed when waves cause erosion of coastal rock formations. If a sea cave is enlarged enough, it may break through a headland to form a sea arch . Frequent thawing in winter prevents large accumulations of snow, and keeps

558-475: A destination, and hunting and extractive activities are prohibited. National monuments , on the other hand, are also frequently protected for their historical or archaeological significance. Eight national parks (including six in Alaska ) are paired with a national preserve , areas with different levels of protection that are administered together but considered separate units and whose areas are not included in

651-474: A diversity of plants and animals. Woven into this landscape is a historic carriage road system financed by John D. Rockefeller Jr. In total, it encompasses 49,075 acres (19,860 ha; 76.680 sq mi; 198.60 km) as of 2017. Acadia has a rich human history, dating back more than 10,000 years ago with the Wabanaki people. The 17th century brought fur traders and other European explorers, while

744-667: A few rare large mammals, such as walruses , whales , and a mammoth . Walrus remains have been reported on Andrews Island, 19 mi (31 km) west of Isle au Haut; Addison Point , 23 mi (37 km) northeast of the Schoodic Peninsula; and Gardiner , 57 mi (92 km) west-northwest of Isle au Haut. The mammoth bones were found at Scarborough , 87 mi (140 km) southwest of Isle au Haut. The ecological zones at Acadia National Park, from highest to lowest elevation, include: nearly barren mountain summits ; northern boreal and eastern deciduous forests on

837-535: A fire that also destroyed an additional 7,000 acres (2,800 ha; 11 sq mi; 28 km) of Mount Desert Island outside the park. The fire began along Crooked Road west of Hulls Cove (northwest of Bar Harbor). The forest fire was one of a series of fires that consumed much of Maine's forest in a dry year. The fire burned until November 14, and was fought by the Coast Guard, Army Air Corps, Navy, local residents, and National Park Service employees from around

930-505: A major fur trading post where French, English, and Dutch traders all fought for control. Sealskins , moose hides , and furs were traded by the Wabanakis for European commodities. By the early 1620s, warfare and introduced diseases, including smallpox , cholera and influenza , had decimated the tribes from Mount Desert Island southward to Cape Cod , leaving about 10 percent of the original population. The border established between

1023-525: A network of carriage roads throughout the park. He sponsored the landscape architect Beatrix Farrand , whose family owned a summer home in Bar Harbor named Reef Point Estate , to design the planting plans for the carriage roads (c. 1930). The network originally encompassed about 57 miles (92 km) of crushed stone carriage roads with 17 stone-faced, steel-reinforced concrete bridges (16 financed by Rockefeller), and two gate lodges—one at Jordan Pond and

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1116-683: A sandbar around low tide, and the Porcupine Islands are in Frenchman Bay by Bar Harbor. About 57 mi (92 km) of carriage roads were designed and financed by John D. Rockefeller Jr. on Mount Desert Island, 45 miles (72 km) of which continue to be maintained inside the park. Acadia National Park encompasses a total of 49,075 acres (19,860 ha; 76.680 sq mi; 198.60 km) as of December 31, 2017. At least 30,200 acres (12,200 ha; 47.2 sq mi; 122 km) on Mount Desert Island are included in

1209-490: A shatter zone that is visible on the eastern side of the mountain. A fine-grained, black igneous rock called diabase intruded into the granite during later volcanic activity. Diabase bodies, or dikes, are visible along the Cadillac Mountain road and on the Schoodic Peninsula. During the next several hundred million years, the rock layers that still covered the large granite bodies, along with softer rock surrounding

1302-420: A tax credit is of little value and may be insufficient incentive to grant a conservation easement. For this reason, some states, including Colorado and Virginia, the state tax credit is transferable—that is, the donor/landowner can sell her/his credit to someone else; the buyer can use the purchased tax credit, normally purchased at a discount from face value, against their own Colorado income tax. However, caps on

1395-540: Is Gateway Arch National Park , Missouri , at 192.83 acres (0.7804 km ). The total area protected by national parks is approximately 52.4 million acres (212,000 km ), for an average of 833 thousand acres (3,370 km ) but a median of only 220 thousand acres (890 km ). The national parks set a visitation record in 2021, with more than 92 million visitors. Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee has been

1488-430: Is 40% of the appraised value of the easement donation, so this equates to $ 275 million of property value donated per year for protection of wildlife habitat, farmland and woodland, and scenic open space—in perpetuity. The other state tax credit programs are smaller in dollar measurement, but are very significant in the area and the conservation values that they cause to be protected. The concept of state tax credit action (in

1581-425: Is 55.54" (1411 mm). November is the wettest month with 5.89" (150 mm) of precipitation on average, while July is the driest month with 3.27" (83 mm). Precipitation days are spread evenly throughout the year with December averaging the most days with about 14, while August averages the least with about 9. The annual average days with precipitation is 139. Snow has been recorded from October to May, although

1674-525: Is on the Schoodic Peninsula, and five lean-to sites are on Isle au Haut. The main visitor center is at Hulls Cove, northwest of Bar Harbor. Park visitation has been steadily increasing in Acadia over the past decade, with 2021 seeing a record count of 4.07 million visitors. In 2023 the park saw 3,879,890 recreational visitors. The park includes mountains , an ocean coastline , woodlands , lakes , and ponds . In addition to nearly half of Mount Desert Island,

1767-403: Is on the eastern side of the island. Cadillac is the tallest mountain along the eastern coastline of the United States. The summit of Cadillac is the first place in the United States where one may watch the sunrise from October 7 through March 6, due to its eastern location and height. The 27-mile (43 km) Park Loop Road leads to many scenic viewpoints along the coast, through forests and to

1860-508: Is the largest among the States in dollar value of property conserved. By the end of 2010, $ 2,512,000,000 of property value had been donated as easements in Virginia for which tax credit was claimed. The qualifying easements cover over 516,000 acres (2,090 km ) of Virginia landscape. The Virginia program now (2011) grants about $ 110 million of new tax credit each year. The credit allowance

1953-428: Is the warmest month with an average of 69.7 °F (20.9 °C), while January is the coldest month with an average of 23.8 °F (−4.6 °C). The record high and low temperatures are 96 °F (36 °C) and -21 °F (−29 °C), respectively. The plant hardiness zone is 5b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of −11.4 °F (−24.1 °C). Average annual precipitation in Bar Harbor

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2046-472: Is very high and cleft in places, giving it the appearance from the sea of seven or eight mountains one alongside the other. The tops of them are bare of trees, because there is nothing there but rocks. The woods consist only of pines, firs, and birches. The first French missionary colony in America was established on Mount Desert Island in 1613. The colony was destroyed a short time later by an armed vessel from

2139-656: The Colony of Virginia as the first act of overt warfare in the long struggle leading to the French and Indian Wars . The island was granted to Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac by Louis XIV of France in 1688, but ceded to England in 1713. Massachusetts governor Sir Francis Bernard, 1st Baronet assumed control of the island in 1760. In 1790, Massachusetts granted the eastern half of the island to Cadillac's granddaughter, Mme. de Gregoire, while Bernard's son John retained ownership of

2232-700: The National Park Service , an agency of the Department of the Interior . National parks are designated for their natural beauty, unique geological features, diverse ecosystems, and recreational opportunities, typically "because of some outstanding scenic feature or natural phenomena." While legislatively all units of the National Park System are considered equal with the same mission, national parks are generally larger and more of

2325-499: The Richter scale . The Presumpscot Formation has yielded a diverse collection of mostly marine fossils . The formation is composed of silt and clay deposited between 15 and 11,000 years ago when isostatic loading raised sea level as land was submerged to about 330–395 ft (101–120 m) above the current level. Post-glacial rebound lowered sea level, exposing the seabed to a depth of about 195 ft (59 m) below

2418-534: The U-shaped valleys of Sargent Mountain Pond, Jordan Pond, Seal Cove Pond, Long Pond, Echo Lake, and Eagle Lake. Somes Sound is a fjard and terminal moraines form the southern end of Long Pond, Echo Lake, and Jordan Pond. Bubble Rock is an example of a glacial erratic . More than 500 Mya, layers of mud, sand and volcanic ash were buried beneath the ocean where high pressure, heat and tectonic activity created

2511-602: The territories of American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands . The state with the most national parks is California with nine, followed by Alaska with eight, Utah with five, and Colorado with four. The largest national park is Wrangell–St. Elias in Alaska: at over 8 million acres (32,375 km ), it is larger than each of the nine smallest states . The next three largest parks are also in Alaska. The smallest park

2604-696: The wind-driven waves of the Atlantic Ocean are solely composed of large boulders as all other material has been washed out to sea. Areas partially protected by rocky headlands contain the remains of more eroded rocks, consisting of pebbles, cobbles and smaller boulders. Sheltered coves, such as at Sand Beach, contain fine-grained particles that are primarily the remains of shells and other hard parts of marine life, including mussels and sea urchins . Granitic ridges are subjected to frost weathering . Joints, or fractures, are slowly enlarged as trapped water repeatedly freezes and melts, eventually splitting off

2697-656: The 19th century saw an influx of summer visitors, then wealthy families. Many conservation-minded citizens, among them George B. Dorr (the "Father of Acadia National Park"), worked to establish this first U.S. national park east of the Mississippi River and the only one in the Northeastern United States . Acadia was initially designated Sieur de Monts National Monument by proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson in 1916, then renamed and redesignated Lafayette National Park in 1919. The park

2790-1065: The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) by consolidating the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program, the Grassland Reserve Program, and the Wetlands Reserve Program. Under ACEP, the Natural Resources Conservation Service helps tribes, state and local governments, and land trusts protect agriculture from development and other non-agricultural uses. ACEP includes Agricultural Land Easements and Wetland Reserve Easements. Agricultural land easements preserve land for food production and aids in soil and water conservation . Wetland reserve easements aim to restore wetland areas that have been converted into agricultural land. To maximize

2883-487: The Bubbles, Bubble Rock, Bubble Pond, Eagle Lake, and the side road to the summit of Cadillac Mountain. Some of the island's west side features include Echo Lake and beach (a designated freshwater swimming area), Acadia Mountain, Beech Mountain, Long Pond, and Seal Cove Pond. Bass Harbor Head Light is situated atop a cliff on the southernmost tip of the west side of the island. Baker Island Light and Bear Island Light are

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2976-608: The National Park Service "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Many current national parks had been previously protected as national monuments by the president under the Antiquities Act or as other designations created by Congress before being redesignated by Congress;

3069-545: The National Park Service, which plans to acquire the land at some point. The mountains of Acadia National Park overlook the Atlantic ocean, island lakes, and pine forests. Twenty-six significant mountains rise in the park, ranging from 284 ft (87 m) at Flying Mountain's summit to 1,530 ft (470 m) at Cadillac Mountain 's summit. Cadillac Mountain, named after the French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac ,

3162-633: The United States and Canada after the American Revolution split the Wabanaki homelands. The confederacy was dissolved around 1870 due to pressure from the American and Canadian governments, though the tribal nations continued to interact in their traditional ways. In the nineteenth century, Wabanakis sold handmade ash and birch bark baskets to travelers. The Wabanaki performed dances for summer tourists and residents at Sieur de Monts and

3255-415: The absence of a federal tax credit) that Philip Tabas and The Nature Conservancy promoted in the 1990s has borne remarkable fruit, and continues to expand today. For landowners who will leave sizable estates upon their death, the most important financial impact of a conservation easement may be a significant reduction in estate taxes . Estate taxes often make it difficult for heirs to keep land intact and in

3348-419: The amount of credit an easement can generate, and other restrictions, limit the scope of some state tax credit programs. In the states where credit for conservation land donations is transferable, free markets have arisen. Brokers assist landowners with excess credit to contact buyers, and the brokers often handle payments and paperwork to protect the principals, and to ensure that transfers are fully reported to

3441-594: The amount of the deduction has been used up, whichever comes first. With the passage of the Farm Bill in the summer of 2008 these expanded federal income tax incentives were extended such that they also apply to all conservation easements donated in 2008 and 2009. The provision was renewed annually each year between 2010 and 2014 and was finally incorporated to the tax code without an expiration date in 2015. Land conservation advocates have long tried to enact additional tax incentives for landowners to donate easements, above

3534-890: The annual festival. The Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano sailed along the coast of Mount Desert Island during an expedition for the French Crown in 1524. He was followed by Estêvão Gomes , a Portuguese explorer for the Spanish Crown in 1525. French explorer Jean Alfonse arrived in 1542. Alfonse entered Penobscot Bay and recorded details about the fur trade. Portuguese navigator Simon Ferdinando guided an English expedition in 1580. A few hundred people were living on Mount Desert Island when Samuel de Champlain arrived in 1604. Two Wabanakis led Champlain to Mount Desert Island, which he named Isle des Monts Deserts (Island of Barren Mountains) due to its barren peaks; he named Isle au Haut (High Island) due to its height. While he

3627-500: The base of the ice. As the climate warmed, the glaciers melted and receded, leaving boulders that had been carried 20 mi (32 km) or further south from their original locations. These boulders, or glacial erratics, lie in valleys and on mountaintops, including Bubble Rock on the South Bubble. The coastal areas of Maine sank slightly under the extreme weight of the ice sheets, allowing seawater to cover lowlands thus forming

3720-433: The benefits, the program targets land that has both a high chance of restoration success and a history of low crop yields or crop failure. The Farm Bill also funds the purchase of conservation easements for forestland. The Forest Legacy Program is a voluntary Federal program in partnership with States which protects privately owned forest lands. Landowners are required to prepare a multiple resource management plan as part of

3813-602: The center of the Wabanaki traditional ancestral homeland and territory of traditional stewardship responsibility to the present day. The etymology of the park's name begins with the Mi'kmaq term akadie ("piece of land") which was rendered as l'Acadie by French explorers, and translated into English as Acadia. The Wabanaki traveled to the island in birch bark canoes to hunt, fish, gather berries, harvest clams and basket-making resources like sweetgrass , and to trade with other Wabanakis. They camped near places like Somes Sound . In

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3906-484: The character of the particular property, the goals of the land trust or government unit, and the needs of the landowners. For example, an easement's purposes (often called "conservation objectives") might include any one or more of the following: The conservation easement's administrative terms for advancing the conservation objectives also vary but typically forbid or substantially constrain subdivision and other real estate development . The most distinguishing feature of

3999-411: The conservation easement acquisition. The majority of states have direct funding sources for conservation. Commonly used funding sources include real estate transfer tax, legislative bonds, and lottery proceeds. For instance, in 2014, New Jersey added conservation funding from corporate business taxes through constitutional amendment, approved by 65% of voters. Many states and counties have programs for

4092-405: The conservation easement as a conservation tool is that it enables users to achieve specific conservation objectives on the land while keeping the land in the ownership and control of landowners for uses consistent with the conservation objectives. Unlike land use regulation, a conservation easement is placed on property voluntarily by the owner whose rights are being restricted. The restrictions of

4185-427: The conservation easement. In granting the conservation easement, the easement holder has a responsibility to monitor future uses of the land to ensure compliance with the terms of the easement and to enforce the terms if a violation occurs. Although a conservation easement prohibits certain uses by the landowner, such an easement does not make the land public. On the contrary, many conservation easements confer no use of

4278-467: The country. Sixty-seven of the historic summer cottages along Millionaires’ Row, along with 170 other homes, and five hotels were destroyed. Restoration of the park was substantially supported by the Rockefeller family. Regrowth has occurred naturally with new deciduous forests consisting of birch and aspen enhancing the colors of autumn foliage, adding diversity to tree populations, and providing for

4371-521: The current level. A global rise in sea-level flooded the shelf to the current level. Plant fossils include pollen , spores , logs, and other plant macrofossils . Invertebrate fossils include foraminifera ( protists that form test shells ), sponge spicules , bryozoans , bivalves , gastropods , Spirorbis , beetles , ants , barnacles , decapod crustaceans ( crabs , shrimp , lobsters , etc.), ostracodes (seed shrimp), and ophiuroids ( brittle stars ). Vertebrate fossils include fish and

4464-515: The early 17th century, Asticou was the chieftain of the greater Mount Desert Island area, one district of an intertribal confederacy known as Mawooshen led by the grandchief Bashaba. Castine ( Pentagoet in the native language) was the grandchief's favored rendezvous site for the Wabanaki tribes. The site is located just west of Mount Desert Island at the mouth of the Bagaduce River in eastern Penobscot Bay . From 1615, Castine developed into

4557-532: The easement takes effect. To qualify for this income tax deduction, the easement must be: a) perpetual; b) held by a qualified governmental or non-profit organization; and, c) serve a valid "conservation purpose", meaning the property must have an appreciable natural, scenic, historic, scientific, recreational, or open space value. As a result of legislation signed by President George W. Bush on August 17, 2006 (H.R. 4 The Pensions Protection Act of 2006), in 2006 and 2007, conservation easement donors were able to deduct

4650-496: The easement, once set in place, are however perpetual (and potentially reduce the market value of the remaining ownership interest in the property). Appraisals of the value of the easement, and financial arrangements between the parties (land owner and land trust), generally are kept private. The landowner who grants a conservation easement continues to manage and otherwise privately own the land and may receive significant state and federal tax advantages for having donated and/or sold

4743-473: The east, became a summer retreat for families such as the Rockefellers , Morgans , Fords , Vanderbilts , Carnegies , and Astors . These families, with the help of developers such as Charles T. How , constructed elegant estates, which they called cottages . Luxury, refinement, and large gatherings replaced the buckboard rides, picnics, and day-long hikes of the rusticators. For more than forty years,

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4836-472: The eventual regeneration of spruce and fir forests. The region is characterized by a large seasonal variation in temperature with warm to hot summers that are often humid, and cold to severely cold winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Desert Island has a warm-summer humid continental climate ( Dfb ). The average annual temperature in the park is 47.3 °F (8.5 °C). July

4929-419: The family because of high estate tax rates and high development value of land. It may be necessary to subdivide or sell land for development in order to pay these taxes which may not be the desire of the landowner or their heirs. A conservation easement can often provide significant help with this problem in three important ways: In Pennsylvania, conservation restrictions on land included in the estate can reduce

5022-429: The federal charitable deduction (and state tax deduction in states that conform to federal tax process). There has been discussion of creating a federal income tax credit for easement donors since around 1980. However, no federal tax credit has been enacted. States, however, have moved ahead to grant credits that can be used to pay state income tax to donors of qualified conservation easements. In 1983, North Carolina became

5115-552: The figures below. The 431 units of the National Park System can be broadly referred to as national parks, but most have other formal designations. A bill creating the first national park, Yellowstone , was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, followed by Mackinac National Park in 1875 (decommissioned in 1895), and then Rock Creek Park (later merged into National Capital Parks ), Sequoia and Yosemite in 1890. The Organic Act of 1916 created

5208-591: The first American national park east of the Mississippi River and the only one in the Northeastern United States . The park was named after the Marquis de Lafayette , an influential French participant in the American Revolution. Jordan Pond Road was started in 1922 and completed as a scenic motor highway in 1927. The Cadillac Mountain Summit Road, begun in 1925, was completed in 1931. The name of

5301-437: The first state to establish such a program. Attorney Philip Tabas of The Nature Conservancy promoted the state tax credit idea widely in the 1990s. In 1999, four state legislatures enacted state tax credit programs (Virginia, Delaware, Colorado, and Connecticut, in that order). South Carolina and California followed in 2000. Several other states have followed since. For landowners with little income subject to state taxation,

5394-510: The granite its pinkish color. The Silurian age granite ranges from 424 to 419 million years ago (Mya). Diabase dikes trend north–south through the complex. Almost 300 million years of erosion followed before the deposition of glacial features during the Pleistocene . Glacial polish , glacial striations , and chatter marks are evident in granitic surfaces. Other glacier-shaped features include The Bubbles (two rôche moutonnées ) and

5487-413: The granite, were worn away by erosion. During the last two to three million years, a series of ice sheets flowed and receded across northern North America, eroding mountains and creating U-shaped valleys. The glacier that covered Mount Desert Range, part of which is now called Mount Desert Island, was one mile (1.6 km) thick and moved at the rate of a few yards (meters) per year. The mountain range

5580-564: The gravel surface. Acadia National Park's first naturalist, Arthur Stupka , also had the distinction of being the first NPS naturalist to serve in any of the NPS's eastern United States districts. He joined the park staff in 1932, and in the capacity of park naturalist he wrote, edited and published a four-volume serial entitled Nature Notes from Acadia (1932–1935). Beginning on October 17, 1947, more than 10,000 acres (4,000 ha; 16 sq mi; 40 km) of Acadia National Park burned in

5673-479: The greenish-gray clay destabilized the bank , changing the course of the stream. The eastern end of Otter Cove's beach contains eroded gullies of marine clay. Mass wasting and slope failure may occur wherever marine clay is exposed. Earthquakes with epicenters near the park have caused landslides, damaging roads and trails. Earthquakes in Maine occur at a low but steady rate, with magnitudes usually less than 4.8 on

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5766-442: The ground well saturated. Ice storms are common in winter and early spring, while rain occurs throughout the year. Saturated soils, thawing, and heavy precipitation lead to rockfalls every spring along Mount Desert Island's loop road, as well as slumping along coastal bluffs. Mass wasting (slope movement) of marine clay , deposited when the sea level was much higher, occurs along Hunters Brook on Mount Desert Island. Slumping of

5859-467: The homes of local fishermen and farmers for modest fees. The accommodations soon became insufficient for the increasing amount of summer visitors, and by 1880, thirty hotels were operating on the island. Tourism was becoming the major industry. For a select few Americans, the 1880s and the Gay Nineties meant affluence on a scale without precedent. Mount Desert Island, being remote from the cities of

5952-496: The inheritance tax owed. Many states offer property tax incentives to conservation easement donors. Many conservation easements are purchased with funds from federal, state, and local governments, nonprofit organizations, or private donors. In these cases, landowners are paid directly for the purchase of the conservation easement. The Farm Bill , updated every five or more years, provides an important source of funds for conservation easement purchase. The 2014 Farm Bill created

6045-566: The inlet to Somes Sound. Native Americans have inhabited the area called Acadia for at least 12,000 years, including the coastal areas of Maine, Canada, and adjacent islands. The Wabanaki Confederacy ("People of the Dawnland") consists of five related Algonquian nations—the Maliseet , Mi'kmaq , Passamaquoddy , Abenaki and Penobscot . Some of the nations call Mount Desert Island Pemetic ("range of mountains"), which has remained at

6138-407: The land either to the easement holder or to the public. Furthermore, many conservation easements reserve to the landowner specific uses which if not reserved would be prohibited. Some conservation easements confer specific uses to the easement holder or to the public. These details are spelled out in the legal document that creates the conservation easement. Landowners in the United States who donate

6231-649: The majority falls from December to March. The snowiest month is January with 18.3" (46 cm), and the annual average is 66.1" (167 cm). The Cadillac Mountain Intrusive Complex is part of the Coastal Maine Magmatic Province, consisting of over a hundred mafic and felsic plutons associated with the Acadian Orogeny . Mount Desert Island bedrock consists mainly of Cadillac Mountain granite . Perthite gives

6324-648: The most-visited park since 1944, and had almost 13 million visitors in 2022. In contrast, only about 9,500 people visited the remote Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska in 2022. Download coordinates as: The following table includes the 30 states and two territories that have national parks. Exclusive parks refer to parks entirely within one state or territory. Shared parks refer to parks in multiple states. Territories are set in italics . Conservation easement The conservation easement's purposes will vary depending on

6417-426: The mountainsides; freshwater lakes and ponds, as well as wetlands like marshes and swamps in the valleys between mountains; and the Atlantic shoreline with rocky and sandy beaches, intertidal and subtidal zones . Tiny subalpine plants grow in the granite joints on mountaintops and on the downwind side of rocks. Stunted, gnarled trees also survive near the summits. Spruce - fir boreal forests cover much of

6510-472: The newest national park is New River Gorge , previously a National River, and the most recent entirely new park is National Park of American Samoa . A few former national parks are no longer designated as such , or have been disbanded. Fourteen national parks are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS), and 21 national parks are named UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BR), with eight national parks in both programs. Thirty states have national parks, as do

6603-520: The other near Northeast Harbor . About 45 miles (72 km) of carriage roads are maintained and accessible within park boundaries. Granite coping stones along carriage road edges act as guard rails; they are nicknamed "Rockefeller's Teeth." The carriage roads are open from the end of the spring mud season, generally in late April, through the summer, autumn, and winter months, until the following spring thaw causes another closure in March to prevent damage to

6696-431: The other two lighthouses managed by Acadia. Somes Sound is a five-mile (8 km) long fjard formed during a glacial period that nearly divides the island in half. The sound is 130 ft (40 m) deep at its deepest point, and is bordered by Norumbega Mountain to the east, and Acadia Mountain and Saint Sauveur Mountain to the west. The towns of Southwest Harbor and Northeast Harbor face one another across

6789-549: The park designation also preserves a portion of the Schoodic Peninsula on the mainland , as well as the majority of Isle au Haut and Baker Island , all of Bar Island , three of the four Porcupine Islands (Sheep, Bald and Long), the Thrumcap (an islet ), part of Bear Island , and Thompson Island in Mount Desert Narrows, as well as several other islands and islets. Bar Island, which can be visited on foot over

6882-488: The park was changed to Acadia National Park on January 19, 1929, in honor of the former French colony of Acadia , which once included Maine. In 1929 Schoodic Peninsula was donated to Acadia by John Godfrey Moore's second wife Louise and daughters Ruth and Faith. Keeping up with the taxes on the Schoodic land became a drain on the family finances and they thought this world be a fitting way to honor John Godfrey Moore. There

6975-504: The park, along with 2,900 acres (1,200 ha; 4.5 sq mi; 12 km) on Isle au Haut, about 200 acres (81 ha; 0.31 sq mi; 0.81 km) on smaller islands, and 2,366 acres (957 ha; 3.697 sq mi; 9.57 km) on the Schoodic Peninsula. As of 2015, the permanent park boundary, as established by act of Congress in 1986, included 12,416 acres (5,025 ha; 19.400 sq mi; 50.25 km) of privately owned land under conservation easements managed by

7068-554: The park. Stands of oak , maple , beech , and other hardwoods more typical of New England represent the eastern deciduous forest. Pitch pines and scrub oaks inhabit isolated forests at their northeastern range limit, while jack pines reach the southern limit of their range in Acadia. List of national parks of the United States The United States has 63 national parks , which are congressionally designated protected areas operated by

7161-482: The present-day islands. Evidence of sea caves and past beaches can be found about 300 ft (91 m) above current sea level. As the ice receded and the land stabilized, lakes and ponds formed in valleys dammed by glacial debris . Rivers and streams flowed again through the watershed, continuing the gradual erosion of the drainage paths. Acadia has a coastline composed of rocky headlands , and more heavily eroded stony or sandy beaches. Coastal areas directly facing

7254-700: The purchase of agricultural conservation easements (PACE) to protect productive farmland from non-agricultural development. In 1974, Suffolk County in New York enacted the first PACE (also known as purchase of development rights or PDR) program. King County in Washington and the states of Maryland, Massachusetts, and Connecticut quickly followed suit. As of 2016, the PACE program operates in 32 states through both state and local programs. The National Conservation Easement Database maps conservation easements and provides

7347-591: The schist along with accumulations of sand and silt , creating the Bar Harbor Formation which consists of brown and gray sandstone and siltstone layers. Material from volcanic flows and ash were also deposited on the formation, creating the volcanic rock found on the Cranberry Islands. Further volcanic activity introduced igneous rocks into the Bar Harbor Formation. As the igneous intrusions cooled, crystallized minerals formed including

7440-552: The state and federal levels. Dorr later served as the park's first superintendent. President Woodrow Wilson first established its federal status as Sieur de Monts National Monument on July 8, 1916, administered by the National Park Service. It was the first national park created from private lands gifted to the public. We have entered on an important work; we have succeeded until the Nation itself has taken cognizance of it and joined with us for its advancement...No one who had not made

7533-570: The state tax authorities. The federal and state tax treatment of profits from sale and use of transferable tax credit have been the subject of extensive discussion and the issuance of several guidance documents by the Internal Revenue Service. The New Mexico state income tax credit was originated in 2003. New transferability legislation, effective January 1, 2008, applies retroactively to conservation easements effected from January 1, 2004. The Virginia transferable credit program

7626-432: The study of it which I have can realize how various and truly wonderful the opportunities are which the creation of this Park now opens, alike in wild life ways and splendid scenery. To lose by want of action now what will be so precious to the future, whether for the delight of men or as a means to study, would be no less than tragic. Congress redesignated the national monument as Lafayette National Park on February 26, 1919,

7719-671: The top of Cadillac Mountain. The road traverses the eastern side of Mount Desert Island in a one-way, clockwise direction from Bar Harbor to Seal Harbor, passing features such as the Tarn (a pond), Champlain Mountain (location of a popular, exposed cliffside trail named Precipice), the Beehive (another, smaller mountain), Sand Beach (a saltwater swimming area), Gorham Mountain, Thunder Hole (a crevasse into which waves crash loudly), Otter Cliff, Otter Cove, Seal Harbor, Jordan Pond , Pemetic Mountain,

7812-582: The town of Bar Harbor . Wabanaki guides led canoe trips around Frenchman Bay and the Cranberry Islands . For two years, 1970–71, the nations operated a Wabanaki educational center called T.R.I.B.E. (Teaching and Research in Bicultural Education) on the west side of Eagle Lake. American Indian land claims in Maine were legally settled in 1980 and 1991. The annual Bar Harbor Native American Festival began in 1989, jointly sponsored by

7905-625: The tribes and the Abbe Museum . The Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance was formed in 1993, assisting in the coordination of the annual festival with the museum. Currently, each tribe has a reservation and government headquarters located within their territories throughout Maine. Some Wabanakis live on Mount Desert Island, while others visit for board meetings at the Abbe Museum, to advise on and perform in exhibitions, for craft demonstrations, and to gather sweetgrass and sell handmade baskets at

7998-427: The value of their gift at the rate of 50% of their adjusted gross income (AGI) per year. Further, landowners with 50% or more of their income from agriculture were able to deduct the donation at a rate of 100% of their AGI. Any amount of the donation remaining after the first year could be carried forward for fifteen additional years (allowing a maximum of sixteen years within which the deduction may be utilized), or until

8091-515: The wealthy dominated summer activity on Mount Desert Island, but the Great Depression and World War II brought an end to the extravagance. The landscape architect Charles Eliot is credited with the idea for the park. George B. Dorr , called the "Father of Acadia National Park", along with Eliot's father Charles W. Eliot (president of Harvard from 1869 to 1909), supported the idea both through donations of land and through advocacy at

8184-541: The western half. The first record of summer visitors vacationing on the island was in 1855, and steamboat service from Boston was inaugurated in 1868. The Green Mountain Cog Railway was built from the shore of Eagle Lake to the summit of Cadillac Mountain in 1888. In 1901, the Maine Legislature granted Hancock County a charter to acquire and hold land on the island in the public interest. The first land

8277-404: Was an unspoken stipulation in the discussions — the heirs were anglophiles that did not want to have their land as part of Lafayette National Park. Conservationist George Dorr suggested the name Acadia, and the deal went through after the name changed, ensuring the expansion. From 1915 to 1940, the wealthy philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. financed, designed, and directed the construction of

8370-508: Was donated by Mrs. Eliza Homans of Boston in 1908, and 5,000 acres (2,000 ha; 7.8 sq mi; 20 km) had been acquired by 1914. Artists and journalists had revealed and popularized the island in the mid-1800s. Painters came from the Hudson River School , including Thomas Cole and Frederic Church , inspiring patrons and friends to visit. The term rusticator was used to describe these early visitors who stayed in

8463-457: Was heavily eroded by the glacier which rounded off mountaintops, carved saddles , deepened valleys, and created the fjard known as Somes Sound, nearly dividing the current island in half. Evidence of the last glacial period, the Wisconsin glaciation from about 75,000 to 11,000 years ago, is visible as long scratches, or striations, and crescent-shaped gouges created by material carried along at

8556-655: Was renamed Acadia National Park in 1929. Recreational activities from spring through autumn include car and bus touring along the Park Loop Road ; hiking, bicycling, and horseback riding on carriage roads (motor vehicles are prohibited); fishing; rock climbing; kayaking and canoeing on lakes and ponds; swimming at Sand Beach and Echo Lake; sea kayaking and guided boat tours on the ocean; and various ranger-led programs. Winter activities include cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and ice fishing. Two campgrounds are located on Mount Desert Island, another campground

8649-402: Was sailing down the coast on 5 September 1604, Champlain wrote: That same day we also passed near an island about four or five leagues [12–15 mi; 19–24 km] in length, off which we were almost lost on a little rock, level with the surface of the water, which made a hole in our pinnace close to the keel. The distance from this island to the mainland on the north is not a hundred paces. It

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