Before Acadia National Park officially became Acadia, it was named Sieur de Monts National Monument by President Woodrow Wilson in July 1916. Only a few years later in 1919, the park was changed to Lafayette National Park and then in 1929 it was named Acadia. Acadia represented the Acadia people from France which were the first European settlers to arrive in Bar Harbor.
Acadia National Park is about 47,000 acres which is pretty small when to comes to the National Parks. Acadia National Park opened in 1916 with only 19,000 acres. The entire park was privately owned at one point and is now made up of donated land. The park is known for is mass amount of granite. The weather has a significant impact on the water temperatures and currents. The cold temperatures and current of the water are due to the icebergs that melt from Labrador up north. Hurricanes that come up from Florida send in about 20 – 30 foot breaker waves. When the wind is blowing the water will smash against the rocks creating a thunder sound which is how Thunder hole got its name.
There are about 6 million tourists that visit Bar Harbor a year and 5 million of them make their way into Park. The most crowded time to be in the park is from 4th of July weekend to the 3rd week of August. You must reserve your hotels months in advance.
The park is known for its variety of small wildlife. The park is home to over 200 species of birds lead by bald eagle and peregrine falcons. If you get a chance to visit Bear Brook Pond, you will see the two biggest beaver lodges in the park. The beavers are allowed to control the water levels in that pond. There is also a good chance to spot deer, coyote and beavers while hiking through the woods.