• Granite mountains on islands along coast

    Acadia

    National Park Maine

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  • Trail closures

    April 22, 2013: The Precipice, Orange and Black, Valley Cove, and Jordan Cliffs Trails are closed until further notice because of nesting peregrine falcons. All other trails in the park are open, whether accessible from the park or from state roads.

  • Reopening

    June 14, 2013: The Western Mountain road loop is now open.

Animals

 
deer

Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles

 
Frog in a pond
Frog in a pond.
NPS

Furry and warm or slimey and scaley; for a checklist of the mammals, amphibians, and reptiles of the park click here.

 
bird

Birds

 
Peregrine Falcon baby
Peregrine falcon chick.
NPS
Bird List

With a record of 338 bird species encountered, Acadia National Park is considered one of the premier bird-watching areas in the country. Twenty-three species of warblers alone have been recorded as breeding in the park! For a checklist of the birds in the area, click here.



HawkWatch
Every year, strong northerly winds push thousands of raptors from Maine and Canada south along the eastern coastline as they migrate to warmer areas for the winter. With its wide-open views and tallest vantage point on the eastern coast, Acadia's HawkWatch location on Cadillac Mountain often provides visitors with a close look at the soaring raptors. Each year, program participants see large numbers of sharp-shinned hawks and American kestrels.

Discover what's happening this season at the HawkWatch in the weekly update, Riding the Winds, and view the recent daily counts for each species at Cadillac Mountain. To help you identify flying raptors, click here for a silhouette guide.

Peregrine Falcons
For information about peregrine falcons check out this blog. For information on their markings, and conservation efforts, click here.

 
fishing

Fish

 
Brook Trout
Brook trout.
NPS/Bill Gawley

Historic records indicate that 31 fish species have been encountered in the lakes, ponds, and brooks of Acadia National Park, although only 28 species can be found today. For more information on area fish, click here.

 
wading

Marine Invertebrates

 
Sea Star thumbnail
Northern Seastar.
NPS/Sarah Hall
The intertidal zone of Acadia National Park contains numerous invertebrates (animals lacking a backbone). For a field guide to marine invertebrates in Acadia's waters, click here.

 

 
microscope

Insects, Spiders, Centipedes, and Millipedes

 
Luna moth thumbnail
Luna moth.
NPS/Todd Edgar

With diverse habitats from ocean shoreline to the granite tops of mountains, Acadia National Park contains many different types of insects. Just how many, we're not sure.

From 1928 to 1944, William H. Procter studied the invertebrates in the park. Today, park staff protect his collection as part of the curatorial program.

The park continues to learn about its insect species through the BioBlitz series, where biologists and naturalists conduct a rapid assessment of a specific group of invertebrates over a 24-hour period. These BioBlitzes document species occurrence, provide estimates of species richness, and identify rare and unique species.

 

Did You Know?

A girl stands along the stone steps of the Kurt Diederich Path in this historic image taken around 1920.

Acadia National Park contains more than 120 miles of historic hiking trails. Many of these trails were established by local village improvement societies in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Today many of the historic features, such as stonework, are still visible.