The geographic area proposed for designation as a National Heritage Area includes the entirety of Washington and Hancock Counties , from the St . Croix River to the Penobscot River , and from the Bold Coast to the Grand Lakes . The Downeast Maine National Heritage Area refers to this twocounty region .
The proposed National Heritage Area spans 5,603 square miles of land and ocean between the Penobscot River and St . Croix River , from the Bold Coast to the Grand Lakes . It includes 2 counties , 78 towns , 3 cities , 49 Unorganized Territories , 19 Unincorporated Villages , and 2 Passamaquoddy Tribal Reservations .
The coastline is characterized by bold granite formations , maritime forests that harbor rare and unusual plant communities , an archipelago of islands , and ecologically rich bays and estuaries . Just inland , the forested landscape is pocked with clear kettle lakes and expanses of wild blueberry barrens . A range of bald mountains and a spider web of streams and rivers stretch across sandy glacial plains to connect the inland region and the sea . Many hundreds of miles of land and water trails on tens of thousands of conserved acres provide public access to this relatively unspoiled landscape .
Porcupine Islands , Bar Harbor – The Porcupine Islands archipelago as seen from the top of Cadillac Mountain is one of the most photographed views in Acadia National Park . The islands reveal how the incredible weight of the Laurentide Ice Sheet sheared off the tops of land formations during its north to south migration and pushed the materials to the downside . During the French and Indian War , French gunboats hid among the Porcupines waiting to ambush British ships ; in Prohibition times , rum runners frequented Rum Key on their illegal liquor forays to and from Canada . Today , the Porcupines are known among paddlers as one of the best sea kayaking spots in the United States . Photo by Traci Hosmer .
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