NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ACADIA P.O. Box 177 Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 (207) 288-3338 WELCOME TO ACADIA NATIONAL PARK! You may begin your visit to the park at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center open from May 1 to October 31. A free 15 minute introductory film is shown every half hour. Free and sales literature are on display and give details about motor vehicle, bicycle, and hiking routes, and about the cultural and natural history of the area. Ask for a schedule of naturalist activities (mid-June-early October) that includes walks, hikes, boat cruises, and evening programs. Naturalist schedules are usually ready for distribution in early June. When the Visitor Center is closed (November through April) you may obtain information at Park Headquarters located on Highway 233 three miles west of Bar Harbor. CAMPING You may camp at either of two campgrounds: Blackwoods located off State Route 3 five miles south of Bar Harbor or Seawall, located on State Route 102A two miles south of Southwest Harbor. Both campgrounds are situated in forest surroundings within a short walking distance of the ocean. The campgrounds contain comfort stations, picnic tables, fireplaces, water faucets, and amphitheaters for evening slide programs. Designated sites accommodate trailers up to thirty-five feet. Neither campground contains utility hookups. If you wish to camp at Blackwoods Campground from June 15-September 15, you may make your reservation at a Ticketron outlet no earlier than 56 days before the date you wish to camp. Should you wish a reservation form, telephone or write Acadia National Park, your local Ticketron outlet, or Ticketron Reservation Office, Dept. R, 401 Hackensack Ave., Hackensack, N.J. 07601. During the off-season, from September 16-June 14, Blackwoods remains open but operates on a first come, first served basis. Blackwoods campsites cost $8 per night per site. Seawall Campground, only open from late May until late September, operates on a first come, first served basis. Drive-up campsites at Seawall cost $8 per night and walk-in campsites cost $5 per night. All camping must be in established campgrounds. Overnight backpacking is prohibited because the park is small and fragile. If you wish to camp at one of the eleven nearby private campgrounds, please see heading, Other Accommodations, for the address of local Chambers of Commerce. OTHER ACCOMMODATIONS Although the park has no overnight accommodations except campgrounds, nearby communities contain hotels, motels, cabins, and inns. Please write Chambers of Commerce: Bar Harbor, Maine 04609; Northeast Harbor, Maine 04662; or Southwest Harbor, Maine 04679; and for the Schoodic Peninsula area, Winter Harbor, Maine 04693. ENTRANCE FEES North of Sand Beach on the Park Loop Road, a ranger will collect the Park entrance fee which costs $5 per private vehicle, $2 per person in a tour group, or $2 per person without a vehicle. The fee covers a one week stay in Acadia. If you visit Acadia frequently, consider purchasing a $15 annual Acadia Pass instead. If you visit many national parks, you may prefer to purchase a $25 annual Golden Eagle Pass which provides entry to all Park Service fee areas. If you are handicapped or if you are 62 years or older, free Golden Age and Golden Access Passes are available that offer free entry and half-price camping in Acadia and other federal parks, monuments, and recreation areas. All passes are available at the fee station on the Park Loop Road. You can obtain the annual and free passes at Park Headquarters, open weekdays 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. If you are a Park camper eligible for a Golden Age or Access Pass, you can pick one up at the Park campgrounds. MAIL The park has NO mail delivery service. Address mail to Blackwoods Campground campers c/o General Delivery, Otter Creek, ME 04665, to Seawall Campground campers c/o General Delivery, Manset, ME 04656, and to other park visitors c/o General Delivery, Bar Harbor, ME 04609. Do NOT include Acadia National Park in the address. WEATHER You should arrive prepared for a wide variety of weather conditions. Summer temperatures vary from 45°F to 85°F, spring and fall temperatures from 30°F to 70°F. You may encounter rain and fog at any time, but we assure you that the sun does shine! Mosquitoes and blackflies are most common during June. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Greyhound Bus Service may operate between Bangor and Bar Harbor during the summer months. Call 617-423-5810 for current information. Bar Harbor Airlines flies to Bar Harbor Airport, 10 miles from Bar Harbor. Although the park operates no public transportation service, Downeast Transportation runs a local service which connects Mount Desert Island towns with Ellsworth. Write to Downeast Transportation, 96 Main St., Ellsworth, ME 04605 for a schedule. Local businesses operate bus and trolley tours to the park and scenic boat trips. The towns of Ellsworth, Bar Harbor, and Northeast Harbor have taxi service. For information on the "Bluenose Ferry" that sails between Bar Harbor and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, please write CN Marine Reservations Bureau, P.O. Box 250, North Sydney, Nova Scotia, B2A 3M3. 1/87