Plus, recent press releases.
May 15, 2026
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop.
by Sabrina Martin/Bangor Daily News
ACADIA NATIONAL PARK—Everyone descending on Acadia National Park this spring will find most trails, roads and amenities open, with a few exceptions.
A one-mile stretch of the popular Park Loop Road — a 27-mile scenic drive on the eastern side of Mount Desert Island — will be closed until June 12. The section between Kebo Street and Sieur de Monts Spring has been closed since mid-April, though the road will reopen for Memorial Day weekend.
While that section of the road is closed, visitors will be rerouted along Kebo, Mount Desert, and Main streets through downtown Bar Harbor, which is heavily congested during the tourist season.
The park does not expect any other closures to Park Loop Road this spring, according to Amanda Pollock, an Acadia spokesperson.
During the closure, crews will work on two projects, a park official previously said. The park is replacing a three-foot undersized culvert as part of a restoration of the Great Meadow, Acadia’s largest wetland.
Friends of Acadia, a local conservation group, was recently awarded $308,000 in state funding for the wetland’s restoration.
Officials also will connect the park’s seasonal workforce housing complex, Harden Farm, to Bar Harbor’s wastewater system during the road closure. New housing units, which have been under construction since 2024, will not be completed until 2027.
Visitors enjoying Cadillac Mountain summit, Acadia’s highest peak, are now able to safely walk between the summit’s east and west parking lots. A new dedicated pedestrian pathway, built between mid March and late April, provides a safe walkway along the busy corridor.
The winding road leading up to Cadillac Mountain was closed during the path’s construction, though it has since reopened. Vehicle reservations are needed to drive to the top of the mountain from May 20 through Oct. 25, and the road will close during the fall for crews to complete the walkway.
Cadillac Summit’s west parking lot — known as Blue Hill Overlook — will be closed for construction until May 19.
Four trails — Precipice, Jordan Cliffs, Penobscot East and Valley Cove — have been closed since March 1 to protect peregrine falcons during their nesting periods. The trails are closed until further notice.
Last year, three breeding pairs of peregrine falcons nested near Acadia’s trails, according to the park.
All of the park’s carriage roads are now open, following some springtime closures that are meant to prevent damage while the gravel roads are soft from thawing out from winter, Pollock said.
As of Thursday, most of the park’s public buildings were open. The Thunder Hole gift shop, Jordan Pond House Restaurant, and Hulls Cove Visitor Center have all opened for the season. The shop at the summit of Cadillac Mountain opens today, according to an employee.
The new $27 million Acadia Gateway visitor center — located just off Mount Desert Island on Route 3 in Trenton — will open Memorial Day weekend for its first full season.
Visitors will be able to park their vehicles at the Acadia Gateway Center and ride the Island Explorer — the park’s free shuttle system — around the park and back to Trenton.
The Island Explorer will begin running three routes Memorial Day weekend for the first time in its 27 year history. The shuttle’s service from Trenton to Bar Harbor, Park Loop Road, and the Schoodic Peninsula will start May 20.
Acadia is never fully closed, though some roads are blocked off to vehicle traffic in the winter and most of the park’s public buildings are shut down. Aside from some seasonal closures, most trails and paths in the park are open year-round to hikers and non-motorized traffic.
This story appears through a media partnership with the Bangor Daily News.
RECENT PRESS RELEASES AND BRIEFS
To see all the press releases, click here. To see our news, click here. For the full archive, click here. All of these are on our dedicated website.
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Bar Harbor Bank & Trust’s Chairman of the Board and Senior Executive Team Recognize 11 Employees for Showcasing Extraordinary Leadership
Free Museum Passes Are Back With Your Library Card
Maine Congressional Delegation to Begin Accepting Military Academy Nomination Applications May 15th.
Garden Club of Mount Desert Announces Its Open Garden Day
Pints for a Purpose Begins May 21
Environmental humanist Jeffrey McCarthy speaks at next COA Blue Humanities Forum
Summer Season Starts at COA Beech Hill Farm
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