Acadia National Park

The National Park Service announced today that parks will remain as accessible as possible during the government shutdown, but some services may be unavailable, but it's not yet clear what that means for visitors.

More than 35 former national park superintendents, including one from Acadia, are calling on the National Park Service to fully close national parks in the event of a government shutdown this week.

Informational signs containing information on climate change, ecology and Native American history have been removed from Maine's Acadia National Park, one of the country's most popular national parks. Many national parks are seeing similar actions.

The park saw 842,827 visits last month, a 6% year-over-year bump, according to preliminary data from the National Park Service.

797,030 people came to explore Acadia last month — about 6,000 more than in July 2024, according to NPS data.

Bar Harbor is billed as "the gateway" to Acadia National Park, and its summer season draws tourists from around the country and the globe. But the region is facing new pressures this year, including cuts within the National Park Service, a drop in cruise ship visits, and a decline in visitors from Canada.

Eight full-time staff were let go Friday, according to the nonprofit Friends of Acadia. Those staff included fee collectors and trail maintenance staff.

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is calling on the federal government to lift a hiring freeze which is preventing the National Park Service from hiring seasonal staff.

In the latest effort to address workforce housing shortages, Acadia National Park officials announced the construction of 28 beds at Harden Farms in Bar Harbor.

The program is the first of its kind on the East Coast, and will include courses on wilderness rescue, mountain skills and emergency medicine.