Acadia National Park

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.

A new report from the U.S. Interior Department shows that visitation to Acadia National Park and Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument generated $752 million to the Maine economy last year.

The citizen science project records migratory raptor sightings, contributing to an international database.

Accessing remote parts of the mountains to replenish thousands of pounds of lost soil is a major challenge.