Current Conditions

Facility Closures

Operating Hours & Seasons

Roads and Parking Lots

Carriage Roads

No official closures at this time

Trails

Jordan Cliffs Trail, Precipice Trail, and Valley Cove Trail

To provide peregrine falcons adequate space for nesting, the National Park Service will temporarily close areas including Penobscot East Trail, Jordan Cliffs Trail, Precipice Trail, and Valley Cove Trail in Acadia National Park on March 1 until further notice. In addition, the parking lot for the Precipice Trail will remain closed to vehicles until further notice. These annual closures protect the peregrine falcons from inadvertent human disturbance or harassment during the nesting period.

Research has shown that nesting peregrine falcons are particularly vulnerable to human activities, which can disturb the adults and make them less attentive to the eggs or chicks. Human activities near a nesting area can lead to temporary or permanent abandonment of the nest by the adults leaving chicks susceptible to hypothermia, starvation, and predation.

Signs at trail heads and trail junctions around the closed areas indicate where public entry is prohibited. Public entry into a closed area is a violation of federal regulations, which is punishable by a fine, imprisonment, or both. The closure area will be actively monitored, and violations will be strictly enforced.

The NPS will reopen the closed areas once park resource managers determine it is safe to do so.

In 2024, three breeding pairs of peregrine falcons made their homes on Acadia’s cliffs: one near Valley Cove Trail, one near Jordan Cliffs Trail, and one near Precipice Trail. Two chicks from nests near Precipice Trail and one chick from a nest near Jordan Cliffs Trail survived until they could fly.

To learn more about peregrine falcons at Acadia National Park, please visit go.nps.gov/peregrine.

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Beaches

Sand Beach, Echo Lake Beach, and Lake Wood are monitored weekly for bacteria from June through August. Read more information on the bacteria monitoring program.

• Check out the Current Beach Status (Fresh Water Sites)

• Check out the Current Beach Status (Sand Beach)

Winter Storms January 2024

Scientists’ predictions of more frequent extreme weather events as a result of climate change were a reality for Acadia National Park this winter and spring. Sections of the park endured storm damage throughout multiple extreme storms. As the NPS continues to assess storm damage throughout the park, visitors should exercise caution while exploring.

• About 200 feet of the right lane of the Schoodic Loop Road was undermined. The road remains passable and open to visitors.
  
• Some hiking trails had significant impacts, including sections of Ocean Path. Our trail crew, with support from Friends of Acadia, completed temporary repairs at Ocean Path.
  
• The railing and staircase leading to Sand Beach was damaged by debris and storm surge. The park has stabilized the staircase. The sand dunes and bluff eroded significantly.
  
• The lower portion of the wooden steps at Little Hunters Beach washed out. Our trail crew successfully re-constructed temporary replacement stairs. There is significant erosion to the cliff face.
  
• Otter Cove Causeway has damage to the riprap retaining wall with some undermining of the road. The park’s seasonal waterline was exposed and twisted for several hundred feet. A portion of Otter Cove Trail that traverses the causeway was destroyed.
  
• Seawall Picnic Area experienced significant damage from debris and downed trees. Seawall Campground experienced significant damage from downed and hazard trees.
  
• Several locations in the park, including but not limited to Thompson Island Picnic Area, Park Loop Road, and Schoodic Loop Road, required debris clean up.
  
• The foundation of the Blue Duck Ships Store next to the Islesford Historical Museum was undermined. Islesford Boat Works, the company that leases the historic structure from the park, successfully repaired the foundation.
  
• Rockefeller Hall’s roof lost shingles and a leak caused water damage to the ceiling and walls.

Acadia National Park staff are working to respond to long term impacts from these winter storms.