Acadia National Park is launching a pilot vehicle reservation system requiring reservations to enter the Sand Beach Entrance and Cadillac Summit Road, Oct. 1-18, 2020. Reservations cost $2/vehicle and are available only online at Recreation.gov. Visitors must also have a valid park pass, also available online.
“The majority of the park is open just as it has always been, including access to all of the carriage roads and all but a few hiking trails,” said Superintendent Kevin Schneider in a prepared statement. “If you want to visit the park’s most popular areas during peak times with your vehicle, you now have the opportunity to guarantee access with a reservation. If you walk or bike into a vehicle reservation area, reservations are not required.”
How Acadia National Park’s new reservation system works
The Sand Beach Entrance will require vehicle reservations from 7 am to 5 pm. The Cadillac Summit Road will require vehicle reservations from 4:30 am to 6:30 pm. All reservations provide a timed entry, but do not require a departure time. Reservations do not guarantee a specific parking space. If you leave the area with your vehicle, you need another reservation to re-enter.
In addition to having a valid entrance pass, reservations must be purchased for $2.00 each online; reservations will not be sold at the park.
The new system aims reduce to severe traffic and parking congestion so visitors can plan ahead and have a more enjoyable visit. The new system will be in place for the 2021 season.
Conducting a pilot of the vehicle reservation system in October will help Acadia National Park prepare for the 2021 season, when vehicle reservations will be required.
Creating a better park experience
“Providing a positive visitor experience is in the best interest of the business community here in Bar Harbor and around Acadia,” said Alf Anderson, Executive Director of the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce. “Knowing in advance when a family will have a convenient place to park while they watch the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain, marvel at Thunder Hole, or play on Sand Beach will make their visit to Acadia National Park more relaxing and enjoyable.”
Vehicle reservations are one management action of the Acadia National Park Transportation Plan, which is intended to improve visitor safety, reduce traffic and parking congestion, and protect park resources and values. Other components of the plan include enhancing Island Explorer bus service and developing the Acadia Gateway Center transit hub in Trenton and a new visitor center and parking area in Hulls Cove.
“Friends of Acadia is very encouraged to see this first step toward a timed reservation system for vehicles to enter the busiest sites in the park during peak times,” said FOA president David MacDonald. “We have heard again and again from visitors about the frustration of being stuck in traffic or turned away when the Cadillac Summit Road or Sand Beach Entrance become gridlocked by over-crowding. Having the ability to pre-plan with a reservation, just as you would with a whale watch or a carriage ride or a dinner out, should provide more certainty and a better experience once in the park. ”
