Maine has one national park: Acadia. The National Park Service (NPS) lists seven sites in the state in all: the park, two national monuments, a national scenic trail, an international historic site, an international park that is actually across the border in Canada, and an Acadian heritage program. Here is what each one is, where it is, and what to know before you go. We checked the details against NPS and other sources on November 7, 2026.
The Seven NPS Sites in Maine
- Acadia National Park, the state’s only national park, on Mount Desert Island and the Schoodic Peninsula
- Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, 87,500 acres of North Woods in Penobscot County
- Frances Perkins National Monument, in Newcastle, honoring the first woman to serve in a U.S. presidential cabinet
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail, 281 miles of it in Maine, ending at Mt. Katahdin
- Saint Croix Island International Historic Site, near Calais, where a French expedition wintered in 1604–1605
- Roosevelt Campobello International Park, on Campobello Island, New Brunswick, reached by bridge from Lubec
- Maine Acadian Culture, a program supporting Acadian culture in the St. John Valley through the Maine Acadian Heritage Council
By the Numbers: Acadia vs Katahdin Woods and Waters
The park and the monument sit at opposite ends of the visitor scale:
- Size: Katahdin Woods and Waters, 87,500 acres; Acadia, nearly 50,000 acres
- Visitors: Acadia counted 4,079,318 visits in 2025, a record; Katahdin Woods and Waters had 35,200 visitors in 2024
- Visitor spending: NPS puts 2024 visitor spending in communities near Katahdin Woods and Waters at $2.7 million
Different years, but the gap is hard to miss: Acadia gets more than 100 times as many visitors on a smaller piece of land.
Acadia National Park
Acadia was created as Sieur de Monts National Monument on July 8, 1916. Congress redesignated it Lafayette National Park on February 26, 1919, making it the first national park east of the Mississippi River, and it was renamed Acadia on January 19, 1929. It covers nearly 50,000 acres. The 2025 total of 4,079,318 visits broke the record by more than 10,000; the only year before that when Acadia topped 4 million was 2021. For planning, see our complete Acadia visitor guide.
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
President Barack Obama established the monument on August 24, 2016. It covers 87,500 acres in Penobscot County, made up of 13 parcels donated by Elliotsville Plantation Inc., the organization founded by Roxanne Quimby. A presidentially created national monument protects objects of historic or scientific interest on federal land, and NPS manages it much like a national park. It is a very different trip from Acadia: far quieter, with rivers, forest and dark night skies. Our Katahdin Woods and Waters guide covers getting there.
Frances Perkins National Monument
President Joe Biden designated this monument on December 16, 2024. It is the Frances Perkins Homestead at 478 River Road in Newcastle, honoring the first woman to hold a U.S. presidential cabinet post and her labor-rights work. On the NPS visitor page we checked (last updated May 30, 2025), the Barn and Welcome Center were open, the Brick House was not open to the public, and the trails were largely unstaffed. Grounds and trails are open during daylight hours year-round, and hours change seasonally, so check the Frances Perkins Center website before you go.
Appalachian Trail in Maine
The Appalachian Trail runs through 14 states, and 281 miles of it are in Maine. The 100-Mile Wilderness runs from Monson to Mt. Katahdin, between Abol Bridge and Monson, and the trail’s northern end is the summit of Katahdin in Baxter State Park. NPS counts the trail as one of its units, but Baxter itself is not an NPS site (more on that below).
Saint Croix Island International Historic Site
In 1604 a French expedition led by Pierre Dugua landed on Saint Croix Island, in the river that forms the border with New Brunswick. NPS says 35 of the 79 men died that winter, apparently of scurvy. The survivors left in the spring of 1605 and founded Port Royal in Nova Scotia. NPS asks visitors not to go onto the island itself, because it is fragile; its 1998 management plan caps visits at 1,000 people a year. Instead, the exhibits and trails are on the mainland at 84 Saint Croix Drive in Calais. See our Calais guide for what else is nearby.
Roosevelt Campobello International Park
This park memorializes Franklin D. Roosevelt’s time on Campobello Island, and it is in Canada: the island is in New Brunswick. You reach it over the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge from Lubec, Maine, and you need a passport. Admission is free, including Roosevelt Cottage, and New Brunswick runs on Atlantic Time, one hour ahead of Maine. The park’s website says it is closed for the 2026 season; during the season the historic buildings and programs run 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Atlantic time. Our Campobello Island day trip guide covers the trip.
Maine Acadian Culture
This is the one NPS listing in Maine without a park to visit. It supports Acadian culture in the St. John Valley, in northern Maine, through the Maine Acadian Heritage Council. See our northern Maine guide for the region.
What Is Not a National Park
Baxter State Park and Katahdin are not part of the national park system. Baxter is a state park, run by the state with its own rules and reservation system; see our Baxter State Park guide. The rest of Maine’s parks, from Popham Beach to Aroostook, are also state-run; our state parks guide has them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many national parks are in Maine?
One: Acadia National Park. NPS lists seven sites in all, including two national monuments, a national scenic trail and two international sites.
Is Baxter State Park a national park?
No. It is a state park. The Appalachian Trail ends on Katahdin, which is inside Baxter, but Baxter itself is managed by the state.
Is Katahdin Woods and Waters a national park?
No, it is a national monument, created by presidential proclamation in 2016 and managed by NPS much like a park.
Which Maine NPS site is biggest?
Katahdin Woods and Waters, at 87,500 acres, is larger than Acadia at nearly 50,000.
Which one gets the most visitors?
Acadia, by a wide margin: 4,079,318 visits in 2025.
Our details come from the National Park Service pages for Maine, Katahdin Woods and Waters, Frances Perkins, Saint Croix Island and Roosevelt Campobello, the Roosevelt Campobello International Park website, the Maine Office of Tourism, National Parks Traveler (Acadia’s history), and Bar Harbor Story (Acadia’s 2025 visits), all checked November 7, 2026. Hours, access and visitor numbers change, so confirm with each site before you go.
Featured photo: the Porcupine Islands from Cadillac Mountain, by Tturn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.