Acadia preserves about 40,000 acres of Atlantic Coast shoreline, mixed hardwood and spruce/fir forest, mountains, lakes, and several offshore islands. Each headland, bay, and inlet reveals the majestic interface between sea and land.Acadia's rocky headlands bear the brunt of enormous energies unleashed in waves that batter cliffs and erupt in lofty spray. Behind these headlands lie Acadia's forests and mountains, made easy to explore by an extensive system of carriage roads.
Wildlife includes 40 mammal species, 11 species of amphibians, over 273 species of birds, and 7 species of reptiles; more than a dozen other terrestrial and marine mammals have been identified on adjacent lands or water bodies.
While most visitors spend their time within the Mount Desert Island portion of the park, the Schoodic Peninsula and Isle au Haut hold wonders of their own.
Deep shell heaps indicate American Indian encampments dating back 6,000 years here, but prehistoric records are scanty. The first written descriptions of Maine Coast Indians, recorded 100 years after European trade contacts began, describe American Indians who lived off the land by hunting, fishing, collecting shellfish, and gathering plants and berries.