Jan 30 2008
Looking Forward to Acadia in 2008
I’m afraid winter still has its grip on the Northeastern US, certainly Maine. But spring will be coming, and with it another great vacation season at Acadia National Park. I’d sure like to be planning a vacation there myself, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to swing it this year, as I’m living far away in western Idaho.
If you go, though, be prepared for crowds… at least in the easy to get to areas. According to a news report on the WMTW website, visitation was up 6% last year in Acadia over 2006 numbers. There were 2.2 million visitors in 2007, up 120,000. Wow! That’s a pretty big increase in such a small park, one of the smallest US national parks.
That’s actually good news for Acadia itself, as visits had been on the decline for a few years. But, for the past 2 years, visits have been rising. Which means more and more people are discovering the magic of Acadia for themselves.
If you want to use the data to help plan your visit, visits showed the least growth in July. June, August and September enjoyed the most growth. So plan a visit in July and you’ll be less likely to hit huge crowds. But I have an even better tip…
As busy as the Park Loop Road, Cadillac Mountain’s peak, and Visitor Centers might be, I have never had to contend with crowds anywhere on the hiking trails. It’s unusual to meet more than 1o to 20 people at a time on any of the hiking trails, even on the South Bubble Trail, one of the shortest and most popular trails in the park. So, get out into the wilderness of Acadia and do yourself a favor by escaping the crowds. And work your body too!
Till next time,
Kathi
Written by Kathi
