MAINE PUBLIC • November 26, 2025
Despite the 43-day government shutdown, Acadia National Park is reporting a record number of visitors in October. The park had more than 590,000 visitors, just over 5% more visitors than last October. But the shutdown prevented Acadia from collecting entrance fees from those visitors. Eric Stiles, president of Friends of Acadia, estimated that the park lost around $1.7 million in October. "Park entrance fees provide more funding for the park operations than Congress does, so that's a significant hit to the park for future projects, future programs and for staff," he said. Stiles said even with the federal government now open, staff at Acadia can only plan through January, when the temporary funding measure expires.