Acadia National Park provides scenic views and diverse hiking trails throughout Maine. Over 5,000 years ago, Native Americans were the original inhabitants of what is today the area that the Acadia National Parks encompasses. After Native Americans, the French and the English began to arrive, and as the 1800s came about, more and more pioneers came to take advantage of the natural resources that the area had to offer as well as beginning to industrialize the area. At the end of the 1800s, the island became more famous as artists began to travel to the area and paint the parks. Thus, more people were attracted to spend time at Mount Desert Island.
In the 1900s, local citizens became distressed about the future of the park and made efforts to conserve it. George B. Door and several other locals stepped up and created the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations. Slowly but surely, this organization began to acquire more land and gave it up to the protection of the federal government. President Wilson then dubbed the land as the Lafayette National Park in 1919. Ten years later, Lafayette National Park’s name was changed to its name today, Acadia National Park, consisting of over 47,000 acres.
To promote visitation of Acadia National Parks, the Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, created the option of days that visitors may enter the park without paying an entrance fee. In total, there are 16 days in 2016 where nature enthusiasts and hikers flock in to experience the beauty of Acadia National Park free of charge. Though some of these dates may have passed, it\’s important to keep these dates in mind for your future plans. The days that are lacking entrance fees include January 18th, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, April 16th to the 24th for National Park Week, August 25th to 28th for National Park Service Birthday, September 24th for National Public Lands Day, and finally, November 11th for Veterans Day. Be sure to take full advantage of visiting free of charge!
However, there is an open to buy passes both online and in person. To buy a pass online, you can visit: https://www.yourpassnow.com/ParkPass/park/acad . You can also buy passes in person To that guarantees the ability to get a pass for all locations. You can get these passes at any of the following locations: Hull Cove Visitor Center, Sand Beach Entrance Station, Thompson Island Information Center, Bar Harbor Village Green, Park Headquarters, Blackwoods Campground, Schoodic Woods Campground, Seawall Campground. These additional locations also sell park passes: Cadillac Mountain Gift Shop, Jordan Pond Gift Shop, and Mount Desert Town Office, Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce on Cottage Street, Southwest Harbor /Tremont Chamber of Commerce or LL Bean in Freeport, Maine.
Maine is a one-of-a-kind state that\’s full of beautiful landscapes. Don’t miss your chance to see its beauty showcased in Acadia National Park!
