WOODS & WATERS
Feeling FULL FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY, ACADIA HAS ATTRACTED VISITORS TO MAINE STORY & PHOTOS BY BOB DUCHESNE
ACADIA WAS THE FIRST NATIONAL PARK in the eastern United States, established over a century ago. It’s still the only national park in the northeast, within a day’s drive of 50 million people. In a way, it’s surprising that it took so long for Acadia National Park to feel congested. America’s national parks are in perennial danger of being loved to death, and Maine’s own park is no exception. Acadia sets new visitation records almost every year, topping 4 million people in 2021. Inevitably, management procedures have changed over the years to accommodate increased use. Long-time Mainers reminisce about a bygone era, when a visit to Sand Beach and Thunder Hole was free. But entrance fees have now been around for three decades. Last summer, the park’s exploding popularity on Mount Desert Island finally forced the adoption of a reservation system to visit the top of Cadillac Mountain, and this year marks the first time entry fees are also required in winter. Most of the fee revenue stays with the park, and there’s no question the funding is necessary to maintain the miles of roads and trails in a safe, accessible condition for so many users. Change has come more slowly to the Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia’s mainland section of the park in Winter Harbor, but long-time Mainers might notice that subtle differences are starting to appear. Historically, the Schoodic Peninsula received only about 10 percent of the visitation that floods into Acadia each summer. But that is also changing. The National Park Service manages the Schoodic Peninsula for lighter use than it does the more heavily-visited Mount Desert Island portion, but the biggest challenge is the same: traffic management. For the first time last summer, signs popped up along the loop road, reminding motorists that parking in the right lane and outside of designated areas is not allowed. Metal stakes were added in
AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS ARE IN PERENNIAL DANGER OF BEING LOVED TO DEATH, AND MAINE’S OWN PARK IS NO EXCEPTION.
