The government shutdown didn’t hamper turnout at Acadia National Park over the weekend, as eager crowds took in the fall foliage.
Susan Harmon traveled from Connecticut with her daughter.
“Because my daughter works for the federal government, she kind of knew that there would be parts of it closed, but overall it’s been fine for us,” she said.
The parking lot at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center was full Sunday morning, with staffers from the Island Explorer bus service directing cars to the Acadia Gateway Center in Trenton.
And visitors were still climbing the 52 steps up to the gift shop and restrooms, although the section of the visitor center normally staffed with park rangers was closed.
Some services operated by outside vendors, such as gift shops, are still open to the public. But Eric Stiles with Friends of Acadia said with much of the park staff furloughed, visitors are missing out.
“We want everyone to come here and safely and responsibly enjoy the park, but it is a diminished experience for those that are coming during the shutdown,” he said.
Stiles said there are no staff to collect entry fees or sell passes, and even the self-serve machines are out of order.
Friends of Acadia has set up an online fund for visitors to donate the entrance cost instead. Donations will be given to the park after the shutdown.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
