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Contact: John Kelly, 207-288-8703
The park invites visitors to enjoy a car-free morning on Park Loop Road in Acadia from midnight to noon on Saturday, September 26. In celebration of National Public Lands Day, visitors will have free entry all day to the entire park. While the car-free morning is a great way to enjoy Park Loop Road by foot or bike, visitors will have the option of riding the Island Explorer or one of the park's two authorized concessioner bus tours while sections of Park Loop Road are closed. The fare-free Island Explorer will operate the Sand Beach (#3) and Jordan Pond (#5) routes on their normal fall schedule, and will increase service on the Loop Road (#4) route to every 15 minutes from 8:45 to 11:45 am. For reservations and information on ticket prices for the authorized concessioner bus tours, please call Acadia National Park Tours at 207-288-0300, or Oli's Trolley at 207-288-9899. The sections of Park Loop Road closed to private vehicles will include Cadillac Mountain Road, the section between the Hulls Cove Visitor Center and Jordan Pond, and the entire one-way section. Roads that provide direct access from ME 3 to Hulls Cove Visitor Center, Schooner Head Overlook, Sieur de Monts (including the Abbe Museum, Wild Gardens of Acadia, and Nature Center), and Jordan Pond will remain open, and visitors are encouraged to park in these locations. All other park roads on Mount Desert Island, Schoodic District, and Isle au Haut will remain open. For the safety of visitors, roadside parking will be prohibited at the Cadillac Mountain entrance on Eagle Lake Road (ME 233), and bicyclists will be required to ride only in the direction permitted on the one-way section of Park Loop Road. Jordan Pond House restaurant and gift shops at Jordan Pond, Cadillac Mountain, and Thunder Hole will be open during their regular business hours. For more information on the restaurant and gift shops, please call 207-276-3316. "We are excited to offer a way for visitors to enjoy a carefree, car-free experience on Park Loop Road on National Public Lands Day and look forward to working with neighboring communities to make it a success," said Superintendent Sheridan Steele. Acadia is promoting the car-free morning as a way for visitors to experience Park Loop Road through non-motorized activities, such as walking and bicycling. The park will also evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of car-free mornings to help inform the development of a transportation plan for Acadia National Park. The purpose of the transportation plan is to determine how best to provide safe and efficient transportation and a variety of high quality experiences to visitors within Acadia while ensuring the protection of park resources and values. The plan will comprehensively examine several management options to improve safety on park roads and reduce crowding and congestion at key visitor destinations and travel corridors. For more information on Acadia National Park, please call 207-288-3338. |
Last updated: September 23, 2015