New England Travel
The Island Explorer will offer spring service to the park for the first time on May 20.
Sunset over Bass Head Light in Maine’s Acadia National Park.
Maine’s Acadia National Park, named among the 10 most popular national parks in the U.S. in 2025, is gearing up for another busy season.
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One of the best coastal small towns in America is in Maine, according to USA Today readers
The park has the tallest coastal mountains on the eastern seaboard, and Cadillac Mountain is one of the first places to see the sunrise in the U.S. The park’s Sand Beach was named among America’s best beaches to visit in 2026 by Conde Nast Traveler.
Acadia is open year-round, but some areas of the park operate seasonally. Park Loop Road opened on April 15. Acadia’s campgrounds as well as other park facilities open on various dates in April and May.
The Island Explorer, a fare-free shuttle bus system, will offer spring service at the park for the first time this year. Service begins on May 20 between the new Acadia Gateway Center in Trenton and the Village Green in Bar Harbor, and on Park Loop Road. The expanded service is due, in part, to the opening of the new center, which debuted in September and reopens for the season on May 20.
“We figured if the center is going to be open, we ought to have something operating there,” Paul Murphy, executive director of Downeast Transportation, which operates the Island Explorer, told the Mount Desert Islander. “That will encourage people to pull in and at least go in and get their information and park passes. And, if they’re day visitors or if their lodging is off-island, they can get out of their car and into a bus there.”
Full summer service on the Island Explorer begins June 23.
A man and a woman do handstand poses in front of a camera at the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park in August 2021. – Associated Press
Why visitors must plan ahead
All Acadia National Park visitors age 16 and older must have a park entrance pass displayed on the windshield of their visiting vehicle. They may enter the park with a Standard, Annual, or America the Beautiful Pass. Standard passes cost $20 per person without a vehicle, $35 per private vehicle, and $70 for an annual pass.
The popular park has battled severe traffic and congestion due to an increase in visitors — 4 million people visit annually — according to the National Park Service, so a vehicle reservation system is now in place for Cadillac Summit Road. Vehicle reservations are not required for other locations in the park or for visitors who travel by foot, bicycle, or taxi.
Visitors who want to drive up the Cadillac Summit Road between May 20 and Oct. 25 must buy a reservation, which is only sold online in advance and is not available in person inside the park. The reservation includes a 3-mile scenic drive to the top, where parking, restrooms, and a gift shop are available at the summit. The vehicle reservation costs $6.
The sun sets over the rocky shoreline off Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. – Heather Diehl for The Boston Globe
The timing of closures this season
The park’s carriage roads remain closed until further notice to protect them during mud season, a period of time during the spring thaw when the roads are especially fragile, according to the National Park Service.
The Cadillac Summit Road will remain closed through April 30 for all uses, including pedestrians and cyclists, as construction continues on the new Cadillac East-West Connector Trail. This is a paved trail for pedestrians that will run parallel to the summit road and create a connection between the summit’s two parking lots and visitor areas, according to the National Park Service. Hiking trails to Cadillac Summit remain open.
The section of Park Loop Road between Kebo Street and Sieur de Monts is closed through June 12, except during Memorial Day Weekend, to replace an undersized culvert that will help restore Great Meadow and also to connect new park housing to the town wastewater system, according to the National Park Service. A detour redirects motorists out to Mount Desert Street and Main Street following Route 3 to re-enter the Park Loop Road at Sieur de Monts.
Finally, the following trails are closed until further notice to protect nesting peregrine falcons: Jordan Cliffs, Penobscot East, Precipice, and Valley Cove.
Kristi Palma
Kristi Palma is the travel writer for Boston.com, focusing on the six New England states. She covers airlines, hotels, and things to do across Boston and New England. She is the author of the award-winning Scenic Six, a weekly travel newsletter.
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