For many national parks, the busy season is usually the summer, when families take advantage of warm weather and long days to hit the trails and explore the great outdoors. However, at Acadia National Park, many visitors choose to venture out during the “shoulder seasons” of late spring and fall.
Park officials report that visitation during the “off seasons” is 25% higher than summer visitation was ten years ago.
September has become a particularly popular time to visit, and park officials expect this trend to continue as the fall months see warmer temperatures. This visitor shift has significant implications for the park’s seasonal workforce, as they now have to adjust their staffing accordingly.
“We need to keep our seasonal employees,” says Park Superintendent Kevin Schneider.
“We need them to start in April or May, and we need them to stay into October because that’s really where our visitation is,” Schneider added.
With the park experiencing record visitor numbers in 2022, staffing was already stretched thin, and last summer, they were 30-to-50 employees short. The park is facing difficulty retaining workers as it struggles to compete with local employers who can offer to house their seasonal staff, a luxury that Acadia does not have the capacity for.
To address this, the park is working on expanding its employee housing options, renovating existing units, and working with the Friends of Acadia to create additional capacity. However, with a recent federal spending bill only authorizing the transfer of National Park Service land for building purposes, any construction of workforce housing is likely years away.
As more and more visitors flock to Acadia National Park during the shoulder seasons, park officials will continue to face challenges in balancing their staffing and resources. But with the park’s natural beauty and diverse landscapes, it’s no surprise that visitors are choosing to come outside of the traditional busy season.
Isn’t it cool to see Acadia National Park getting more love in the shoulder seasons? It’s awesome how the park’s beauty shines beyond the usual busy times. Cheers to the team for tackling the challenges and keeping the experience top-notch for all us visitors. Keep up the good work!