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Acadia National Park is beginning to open facilities for 2018 season/NPS

Head to Acadia National Park in Maine this Sunday and, weather permitting, you can be among the first to drive the Park Loop Road this year.

The Hulls Cove Visitor Center and Thompson Island Picnic Area will also open on Sunday. The Hulls Cove Visitor Center will be open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (with expanded hours from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily during July 1- August 31). The Thompson Island Picnic Area is closed to motor vehicles daily at dark throughout the summer.

“The park staff are working hard to prepare for another busy season at Acadia,” said Superintendent Kevin Schneider. “Preparing the park includes hiring and training staff, opening facilities, clearing roads, and working with businesses and local communities to create the best experience possible at Acadia.”

The Cadillac Summit Road is treated slightly different from the rest of the Park Loop Road. As snow and ice melt during warmer daytime temperatures, flowing water can cross the road, then freeze overnight, and so create icy driving conditions. Road crews will be going out daily to monitor road conditions, but plan to expect the Cadillac Summit Road to be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day until further notice.

Those people driving motor vehicles wishing to see sunrise or sunset from the Cadillac Mountain summit should plan on utilizing public areas along the east or west sides of Mount Desert Island as the Cadillac Summit Road will not be available during those timeframes.

The Sand Beach Entrance Station (located on the one-way section of the Park Loop Road) will be staffed and entrance passes will be sold starting on Tuesday, May 1. Park entrance passes are required in all areas of Acadia National Park from May 1 until Oct 31 of each year’s season. All types of entrance passes are available at the Sand Beach Entrance Station location.

You can learn more about multiple locations and ways to purchase the wide variety of entrance passes at this site.

For those who use the Park Loop Road recreationally when it is closed to motor vehicles (by foot or bicycle), please exercise caution while park personnel are working to clear the roads. Keep an eye out for vehicles and gates and heavy equipment.

Park staff will continue to open other park facilities, including restrooms, campground, and picnic areas, throughout May in preparation for the summer season. For updates on the opening of facilities at Acadia National Park, visit this page or call 207-288-3338.