Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park is a national park of the United States located along the mid-section of the Maine coast, southwest of Bar Harbor.
A national park inside Bar Harbor
Little or no visiting in Jan and Feb
The Park Service records almost no visits in January and February. Check the official site before planning a trip then. When to go ↓
One of the most looked-up attractions in the U.S.
About 199K people a year read its Wikipedia article, more than for 98% of the 7,799 attractions we track.
You can sleep inside the park
3 places to stay are inside the park: Blackwoods Campground and Duck Harbor Campground. The nearest town with more is Bar Harbor. Where to stay ↓
Winters are cold
January nights drop to 14°. When to go ↓
2 towns sit inside the park
Mount Desert and Southwest Harbor sit inside the park’s boundary. Where to stay ↓
Written from National Park Service visitor counts, NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia. Updated when the Park Service posts a new month.
Crowds and weather, month by month
Bars: average monthly visitors, 2022–2025. Line: the typical afternoon high. Green months are mild and quieter than average.
Acadia National Park
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 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 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 km2) as of 2017.
- Type
- National Park
- Established
- 1916
- Area
- 61 square miles
- Run by
- National Park Service
- Wikipedia readers
- 199K a year
- Official site
- nps.gov/acad
Before you go
- Timed Entry Reservation - Location$6
- Private Vehicle$35
- Motorcycle$30
- Per Person$20
Where to stay near Acadia National Park
You can sleep inside the park (3 places). The closest towns with hotels, motels or campgrounds are Bar Harbor (100) and Southwest Harbor (23).
- 1Cadillac Mountain
- 2Fort Knox
- 3Bass Harbor Head Light
- 4Abbe Museum
- 5Camden Snow Bowl
- 6Penobscot Marine Museum
- 7University of Maine Museum of Art
Stay in the park
- Blackwoods Campground campground
- Duck Harbor Campground campground
- Seawall Campground campground
Southwest Harbor
1,873 people · 44% vacation homes
11 mi south of Hulls Cove Visitor Center
Mount Desert
2,214 people · 58% vacation homes
7 mi southwest of Hulls Cove Visitor Center
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From the visitor center | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bar Harbor 24% vacation homes | in town | — | 100 30 hotels · 16 motels · 33 inns & B&Bs · 13 lodges & cabins · 8 campgrounds | 5,352 | $538K | A |
| Southwest Harbor 44% vacation homes | inside the park | 15 min | 23 5 hotels · 2 motels · 11 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 4 campgrounds | 1,873 | $429K | A− |
| Mount Desert 58% vacation homes | inside the park | 10 min | 14 2 hotels · 5 inns & B&Bs · 7 campgrounds | 2,214 | $522K | — |
| Trenton 30% vacation homes | 8 mi northwest | 10 min | 12 3 hotels · 4 motels · 1 inn or B&B · 1 lodge or cabins · 2 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 1,656 | $357K | — |
| Gouldsboro 36% vacation homes | 9 mi east | 15 min | 10 1 hotel · 3 inns & B&Bs · 4 lodges & cabins · 2 campgrounds | 1,769 | $277K | A+ |
| Ellsworth | 17 mi northwest | 25 min | 22 8 hotels · 2 motels · 3 inns & B&Bs · 2 lodges & cabins · 7 campgrounds | 8,862 | $242K | C |
| Hancock 22% vacation homes | 8 mi north | 15 min | 7 2 hotels · 1 motel · 2 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 campground | 2,593 | $277K | — |
| Tremont 37% vacation homes | 15 mi southwest | 20 min | 13 2 hotels · 2 inns & B&Bs · 7 lodges & cabins · 2 campgrounds | 1,552 | $407K | — |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service, from the visitor center
Also near Acadia
Other well-known places within 48 miles. Numbered ones are on the map above.
1in town MountainCadillac Mountain
233 mi LandmarkFort Knox
311 mi LighthouseBass Harbor Head Light
43 mi MuseumAbbe Museum
47 mi MuseumFarnsworth Art Museum547 mi Ski areaCamden Snow Bowl31 runs · 836 ft vertical
636 mi MuseumPenobscot Marine Museum741 mi MuseumUniversity of Maine Museum of ArtPhoto credits
Cadillac Mountain: The original uploader was NightThree at English Wikipedia., CC BY 2.0 · Fort Knox: Unknown, Public domain · Bass Harbor Head Light: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Abbe Museum: AbbeMuseum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Farnsworth Art Museum: Panoramio user MementoMori, CC BY 3.0 · Penobscot Marine Museum: John Smith, Public domain
A record 4,079,318 visitors in 2025
Every full year the Park Service has counted. 2020 (gold) was the pandemic year. Green is the record.
Visiting Acadia
Is Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor?
Yes. It’s inside Bar Harbor, ME. The address is 25 Visitor Center Road, Bar Harbor, ME 04609.
When is the best time to visit Acadia National Park?
May, with a high of 63°. August is the busiest month (about 799,783 visitors).
How many people visit Acadia National Park each year?
4,079,318 in 2025, according to the National Park Service.
What is the closest airport to Acadia National Park?
Hancock County-Bar Harbor (BHB), about 6 miles away. The nearest big hub is Portland International Jetport (PWM), about 115 miles.
Where should I stay near Acadia National Park?
Inside the park: Blackwoods Campground, Duck Harbor Campground and Seawall Campground. Nearby: Bar Harbor (in town, 100 places to stay), Southwest Harbor (11 mi, 23 places to stay) and Mount Desert (7 mi, 14 places to stay).
Tips from people in Bar Harbor
What people nearby have posted about Acadia.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · National Park Service visitor use statistics · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.