Isle au Haut is a town in Knox County, incorporated on February 28, 1874 from a portion of Deer Isle from which it is separated by five miles of water.
Samuel de Champlain apparently named it in 1604 from the French for high island, concurring with a later observation by Captain John Smith who called it the highest island in Penobscot Bay.
About half the island is incorporated into Acadia National Park, beginning with a gift from the Bowditch family of Isle au Haut Mountain.
Six miles long and two miles wide, its cliffs rise 550 feet above sea level. A narrow mile-long lake (variously know as Long Pond, Turner Lake, and Champlain Lake) hugs the southeastern corner of the island.
Isle au Haut is both a lobstering community and a retreat for seasonal cottage owners.
