The threat of a potential federal government shutdown next week has officials on Mount Desert Island alarmed over how the premature closing of Acadia National Park could harm the area’s tourism season.
President Donald Trump and leaders in Congress continue to maneuver over budget talks, with Democrats and Republicans both using the threat of a shutdown as leverage in trying to win concessions from their political opponents. If they cannot come to an agreement before the end of Tuesday, there could be at least a partial shutdown that would shutter or limit operations by federal agencies, including the National Park Service.
Should Acadia National Park shut down on Wednesday, Oct. 1, it would put a dent in the area’s tourist economy, which typically draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to Bar Harbor and Acadia each October.
Park employees could be furloughed or laid off, some national news media outlets have reported, even though nearly a quarter of the service’s permanent staff already was laid off in the weeks after Trump took office in January, according to the National Parks Conservation Association. And tourists could decide to stay home, reducing business for local hotels, restaurants and shops.
If the park does close, it would put a sudden halt to its steady stream of visitors, who have been flowing into Acadia at a robust rate this summer. July and August each broke records at the park for monthly visits, and the overall pace has been close to the record-setting year of 2021, which is the only year when Acadia has had more than 4 million visits.
Some tourists are concerned about plans they have made, and money they have spent, in planning upcoming vacations to national parks. One user on the social media site Reddit posted concerns in a thread about Acadia that a closure of the park could significantly hamper their visit in early October.
“This is a nightmare,” the Reddit user posted. “Our entire trip is going to be ruined.”
Even so, a group of former national park superintendents has urged Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to close national parks if the federal government does shut down, out of concern that allowing continued public access could put both park properties and visitors at risk of harm.
On MDI, local officials hope that Congressional leaders can reach an agreement before Wednesday so that the park and the services it offers will continue uninterrupted until seasonal operations wind down in November.
“We are hopeful that Congress and the President can come to a compromise on the budget, or at least a continuing resolution, before a shutdown is forced,” said Bo Jennings, president of the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce. “While we can’t control what happens in [Washington], all we can control is being warm and welcoming to all of our visitors, providing them each with a wonderful experience.”
Stephanie Clement, vice president of conservation for the advocacy group Friends of Acadia, said it is unclear to what extent federal operations could be curtailed on Oct. 1, so it’s unknown how much of an impact a shutdown would have on Acadia.
“However, a government shutdown that would close Acadia during peak fall season is of great concern to all of us,” Clement said. “It could impact many visitors, local businesses, and communities surrounding the park, and, of course, Acadia National Park staff.”
A 2024 National Park Service report indicated that visitors to Acadia spend more than $475 million each in surrounding communities, she said.
“That spending supports 6,600 local jobs and has a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $685 million,” Clement said. “We urge Congress to take action to keep national parks open, fully funded, and operational.”
The most recent time that Acadia was affected by a federal shutdown during the park’s annual May-October busy tourist season was in 2013, when the park was closed for 16 days.
There have been two federal shutdowns since then — one for three days in 2018 and another for more than a month a year later — but each of those occurred in the dead of winter, when much of the park facilities are closed for the winter, and visitation slows to a trickle.
The October closure 12 years ago economically hurt the local fall tourism season, but by how much was open to interpretation.
Months after the government resumed operations, the National Park Service estimated that the impact for Acadia and surrounding towns might have been $16 million in lost tourism revenue. But the park service said it based that number on there being officially zero visits in the park during the closure even though some tourists likely came to MDI anyway, whether or not they ventured into the park while they were there.
Amanda Pollock, spokesperson for Acadia, said the National Park Service drafted contingency plans for a shutdown 18 months ago, when a similar budgetary impasse threatened to shut down federal agencies in March 2024. She said those plans are being reviewed and updated and will be posted online for possible implementation next week.
“We are hopeful that a lapse in appropriations will not occur,” Pollock said.