Friends of Acadia Updates About Acadia During the Shutdown
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND—During the government shutdown, the Department of Interior has directed national parks, including Acadia, to remain mostly open, while operating with significantly reduced staff and visitor services.
The duration of the shutdown remains uncertain, but impacts on Acadia National Park, its staff, gateway communities, and visitors are being felt quickly. The timing of the shutdown is particularly difficult, as fall foliage season is among Acadia’s busiest periods and a major driver of the regional economy.
What to Know:
The following is based on our current understanding as of Oct. 9, 2025 and subject to change. For the most up to date information, please check this page on our website.
Visitor Services:
Open/accessible to visitors:
Park roads, carriage roads, and trails
Cadillac Summit Road is open to motor vehicles through the reservation system
Park campgrounds and most restrooms
The fare-free Island Explorer bus system
Facilities operated by concessionaires, including Jordan Pond House and Wildwood Stables. The gift shop at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center is open, but the main visitor center remains closed.
The Acadia Gateway Center, which is operated by the state, will be open and staffed by the Maine Tourism Association, but National Park Service staff will not be present
Closed/not accessible to visitors:
The Hulls Cove Visitor Center (restrooms and gift shop remain open), the Sieur de Monts Nature Center, Rockefeller Hall on the Schoodic Peninsula, and the Wild Gardens of Acadia
Ranger programs, family programming, school field trips, and outdoor education experiences
Staff:
The majority of Acadia’s National Park Service staff have been furloughed, with exceptions made for a small number of staff deemed “necessary to protect life and property” and basic sanitation services, including law enforcement, fire safety, and custodial staff.
Most staff, including those who continue to work in the park, will not be paid until the shutdown ends.
Volunteer programs:
FOA’s Drop-In Stewardship and Wild Gardens volunteer programs will be paused within the park during the shutdown; however, volunteer work will continue on community trails outside park boundaries.
Fee collection and revenue:
During the shutdown the park is unable to collect entrance fees. This disruption puts significant park-generated revenue—critical for next year’s operations—at risk. Friends of Acadia estimates that Acadia National Park collected approximately $1.5 million in fee revenue last October, one of its busiest months.
How You Can Help:
Engage with policymakers: Contact your Congressional representativesand urge them to end the shutdown and to fully fund and fully staff our national parks.
Recreate responsibly: Read tips on how to stay safe and reduce your impact on the park’s incredible natural and historic resources here. Small acts of care—like carrying out your trash or taking the Island Explorer bus when possible—make a big difference.
Express appreciation: Thank essential National Park Service personnel for continuing to serve during this period.
Support local businesses and organizations: Help keep our community vibrant by supporting local businesses and organizations through this challenging time.
Share information about community resources: Several local organizations and food pantries are available to help furloughed federal workers.
Consider a donation: Help Friends of Acadia support the park by becoming a member or donating. Your gift will fund programs at Acadia including trail maintenance, habitat restoration, youth education, and conservation efforts to protect our cherished park.
We know many visitors want to support the park by purchasing a park pass – but simply have no way of doing so right now. In lieu of a park entrance pass, visitors can support Acadia by donating the value of an entrance fee at friendsofacadia.org/entrance.
Thank you to everyone for helping support our park and our community during this time!
Take Pride in Acadia Day on Nov. 1
As of right now, we are still planning to host Take Pride in Acadia Day on Saturday, Nov. 1. Join friends, neighbors, and other Acadia-loving volunteers to help “put the park to bed” for the winter and enjoy a lunch of the “4 Cs” (cider, chili, cornbread, and cake).
Register here by Oct. 24! Thank you to our lead event sponsor, Chilton Trust.
Indigenous Peoples Day at the Abbe Museum: Oct 13
You are warmly invited to join us on Indigenous Peoples Day (Monday, October 13)! The Abbe will feature free programming including performances by the Inter-Tribal drum group Rez Dogs and a printmaking workshop. Admission for the day (10am-5pm) will be “pay what you can.” Friends of Acadia is proud to support this event, and we hope to see you there!
See the full program on the Abbe’s events calendar.
Thank You for Helping us Reach Our $25K Goal!
Thanks to your incredible generosity, our Annual Fund Fall E-Challenge surpassed its goal! With $27,832 in donations and $25,000 in matching gifts, we raised a total of $52,832 for Acadia!
A heartfelt shoutout to everyone who shared their ‘whys’ for supporting the park, and special thanks to our very generous lead donors, Bob Boyd, Yardly and Scott Jenkins, Sandra and Mark Kryder, Mary Ann and Mike Siklosi, two anonymous donors, and Friends of Acadia staff.
Didn’t get a chance to participate? You can still support Acadia by becoming a Friends of Acadia member or making a donation today!
Come Learn What Our 2025 Seasonal Staff Accomplished!
Come learn about all the work that was done this summer season by the Summit Stewards, Recreation Technicians, Stewardship Crew, and Wild Acadia/Climate Community Volunteer Ambassador!
The presentation will be in person and online on Friday, October 17 from 12:00 - 1:30 pm. Join us in person in the Machias Savings Bank Bar Harbor Community Room or online here.
Help Stop Invasive Plants - Become a Backyard Steward
Backyard Stewards is a new community initiative that helps MDI residents to identify and remove invasive plants in their own backyards. The program offers online resources, including identification and removal guides, native replacement suggestions, and a directory of landscaping professionals and plant nurseries that have joined the program to help support their community.
Identify: Learn to identify invasive plants that might be growing in your backyard.
Take action: Remove these disruptive species and consider replacing them with native plants.
Tell us about it!: Share your hard work to help us make informed management decisions.
Find out how you can take action against invasive species in your own backyard and help keep invasive plants from traveling into Acadia on our website.
Trailwork in Costume at Trick-or-Trails: Oct. 23
You’re never too old to dress up and do trail work! Join the Stewardship Volunteer Program Thursday, Oct. 23, for Halloween fun at “Trick-or-Trails” as we celebrate the end of another successful drop-in volunteer season with one last work project. See the upcoming volunteer drop-in schedule on our website. (Location TBD based on the status of the government shutdown.)
Pints for a Purpose - Final Talks of the Season
Join us for informative talks and camaraderie that’ll deepen your connection to MDI and Acadia National Park.
This free series happens every Thursday through October 16 at Terramor Outdoor Resort. All are welcome to attend, and $1 of every beer purchased benefits Friends of Acadia!
Oct 16: Earl Brechlin – More Wild, Weird, and Wonderful Maine
Upcoming Events & Save the Dates:
Oct. 13: Last day for 2025 Island Explorer bus service
Oct. 23: Trick-or-Trails (Final Drop-in Stewardship volunteer day)
Nov. 1: Take Pride in Acadia Day
Dec. 1: Park Loop Road closes for the season