Though the federal shutdown could soon end, operations at Acadia National Park are expected to continue to wind down for the winter.
The U.S. House of Representatives was expected to meet Wednesday to vote on ending the 43-day long shutdown, but winter weather has trumped the potential reopening of Maine’s only national park.
The snow on Veterans Day led the park to close Summit Road on Cadillac Mountain, according to the park’s website. Acadia doesn’t require reservations for driving up the summit starting in November, but how late in the season the road remains open depends on conditions. The road may be reopened before the end of the month, if warmer weather melts away the ice and snow, but it is typically closed for the winter each Dec. 1.
Despite the shutdown, Acadia was busy in early October, when tourist season is still in swing. Some facilities were closed because of reduced staffing caused by the shutdown, but popular attractions such as the summit of Cadillac Mountain, Sand Beach, Thunder Hole and the Jordan Pond House remained open. The fare-free Island Explorer Bus System, which is operated by nonprofit group Downeast Transportation, also continued to function during the shutdown.
Visitation to Acadia had been high this year and was on pace to exceed four million visits for the year for only the second time ever, after it first surpassed four million in 2021. The park got its highest total for visits in any month in July of this year and then broke that short-lived record in August.
The park has not released monthly visit estimates for September, before the shutdown went into effect on Oct. 1, and has not been collecting visitation data since that date, and so is not expected to release visitation estimates for October.
Visitation typically takes a nosedive in November, but the park never fully closes for the winter. The Ocean Drive section of Park Loop Road typically remains open to vehicles throughout the year, as do the park’s hiking trails. The Schoodic Loop Road in the Schoodic section of the park, on the east side of Frenchman Bay, also is open through the winter.
The Visitors’ Center in Hulls Cove will remain closed regardless of the shutdown talks, as it usually closes at the end of October. The Sieur de Monts Nature Center, and the Rockefeller Welcome Center at Schoodic Point also are not expected to reopen until next spring.
The park’s campgrounds shut down each October. Park facilities run by concession companies — including the Jordan Pond House, the Thunder Hole Gift Shop, and Wildwoods Stables — also have closed for the winter.
