All 3 in 3 days here: ~20%
Acadia National Park
🇺🇸 United States
North Atlantic Coast, United States 577 spp. recorded
Acadia National Park is a rugged coastal reserve on the rocky Atlantic shore of Maine, where dense temperate forests of pine and spruce blanket granite ridges and shelter the coastline. Trails wind beneath evergreen canopies and along the edge of the sea, crossing forested hillsides and freshwater ponds.
44.302° N 68.374° W
🦜 Nature
337 Species sighted
346,565 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jul Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
+ 273 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
All 4 in 3 days here: ~30%
All 4 in 3 days here: <5%
Recent sightings in Acadia National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
26Jan
24Feb
27Mar
37Apr
51May
63Jun
69Jul
64Aug
53Sep
43Oct
31Nov
28Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Mount Desert Island High School
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Sieur de Monts Spring and Wild Gardens
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Thunder Hole
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
American Red Squirrel~90%+20%
White-tailed Deer~60%≈
Eastern Red-backed Salamander~60%+20%
American Herring Gull~60%-10%
American Bullfrog~60%-10%
Eastern Milksnake~50%+20%
Common Garter Snake~50%+10%
Green Frog~50%+10%
Spotted Salamander~50%+10%
American Crow~40%-40%
Double-crested Cormorant~40%≈
Harbor Seal~40%≈
-
Schoodic Point
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Bar Harbor
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- American Bullfrog~80%+10%
- White-tailed Deer~80%+20%
- Green Frog~60%+20%
- Eastern Red-backed Salamander~60%+20%
Eastern Chipmunk~60%+30%- Spotted Salamander~50%+10%
- American Red Squirrel~50%-10%
- American Crow~50%-30%
American Beaver~50%+10%- Common Garter Snake~40%≈
Eastern Gray Squirrel~40%+30%
Black-capped Chickadee~40%-30%
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
High
Typical stay
1–2
daysTrails
Moderate
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
3.9
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 440
🐒 Mammals 92
🦎 Reptiles 17
🐸 Amphibians 28
577 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
34 Threatened 3 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
3.0
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
61% 📊
Coverage (135 species at ≥5% of 577 in the inventory)
23% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (8 bird, 2 mammal, 1 amphibian, 1 reptile)
69% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
92 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
6 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
21 🏕️
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
2.9
Climate Harsh Low
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism High Low
Trails Moderate Medium
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
We saw many cormorants and guillemots during our voyage, with fantastic weather and high spirits all around.
The tide was out when I arrived around 7 a.m., and all I was able to spot were some herring gulls, double-crested cormorants, a great black-backed gull and a great blue heron.
We didn't see any seals in either Seal Cove or Seal Harbor; we saw this seal in a section of The Narrows on the far west side of Mt.
Despite the weather’s mischievousness, we managed to catch a glimpse of the real stars of the sea: seals!
Before you go
What animals can you see in Acadia National Park?
577 species
Acadia National Park has 577 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are American Crow (about 80%), American Herring Gull (about 80%), Black-capped Chickadee (about 70%), American Bullfrog (about 70%) and American Red Squirrel (about 60%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Common Garter Snake (about 50%).
When is the best time to visit Acadia National Park for wildlife?
May to October
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 60% on a given day, against about 40% in January and February.
Can you see a Harbor Seal in Acadia National Park?
Yes
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Harbor Seal sighting in Acadia National Park on a given day, based on 278 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is December (about 60%).
Can you see a Common Loon in Acadia National Park?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Common Loon sighting in Acadia National Park on a given day, based on 8,417 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is December to February (about 80%).
Can you see a Bald Eagle in Acadia National Park?
Yes
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Bald Eagle sighting in Acadia National Park on a given day, based on 4,183 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February and August–October (about 40%).
Can you see a White-tailed Deer in Acadia National Park?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a White-tailed Deer sighting in Acadia National Park on a given day, based on 522 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is November (about 80%).
Where in Acadia National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Mount Desert Island High School
The richest sighting zone is around Mount Desert Island High School, followed by Sieur de Monts Spring and Wild Gardens and Thunder Hole, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Acadia National Park good for wildlife watching?
3.3 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Acadia National Park rates 3.3/5: 235th of 316 parks worldwide and 40th in North America. 27 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
