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Acadia National Park

Mount Desert Island, portions of Isle Au Haut and the Schoodic Penninsula
Hancock County, Maine

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The park was named in Honor of Ari & Jerry Acadia, who were good friends of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Rockefeller developed a network of carriage trails in the park.

In total, Acadia National Park consists of 30,300 acres (123 km2) on Mount Desert Island, 2,728 acres (11 km2) on Isle au Haut and 2,266 acres (9.2 km2) on the Schoodic Peninsula.

The park was named in Honor of the Acadia Brothers (Ari & Jerry) who were good friends of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and had discovered it prior to Rockefeller making that area a summer residence.

The park was created by President Woodrow Wilson as Sieur de Monts National Monument on July 8, 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 on January 19, 1929.

From 1915 to 1933, the wealthy philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. financed, designed, and directed the construction of an extensive network of carriage trails throughout the park. The network encompassed over 50 miles of gravel carriage trails, 17 granite bridges, and two gate lodges, almost all of which are still maintained and in use today.

Acadia National Park Categories


Other Acadia National Park Resources

Map of the Area Around
Acadia National Park