Acadia National Park

Exposed to two centuries of wind, salt air, storms and exposure, and difficult to access for repairs, the lighthouse is suffering from cracking masonry, crumbling surface material and failing paint that threaten the structure and visitor safety.

“We’re almost at capacity and, on busy days at busy times, we’re beyond capacity,” said the transit operator’s director. A fleet expansion is in the works.

Of reported sightings between 2020 and 2025 in Acadia, about 60% occurred just in 2025. “I believe this is because there were some bear conflicts early in the year,” said a lead researcher.

Every year, the Downeast region draws thousands of runners, tens of thousands of boaters and millions of hikers and bikers. Although varying by orders of magnitude, the numbers support businesses, jobs and communities.

If the park can’t provide bedrooms for prospective seasonal employees, most couldn’t find a place to live within commuting distance — also increasingly the case with permanent staff.

Overall, Bar Harbor had a middling season, but it really came down to whom you talk to. Lodgings did pretty well, compared with last year. The retail sector was probably hit a little more, with the loss of cruise ship traffic.

The timing of the shutdown comes during the fall foliage season, which is among Acadia’s busiest periods and a major driver of the regional economy.

The Schoodic district encompasses just 5% of the park. But it’s seeing a record number of visitors this summer.

To greet the park's 4 million annual visitors, the $27.7 million Acadia Gateway Center is situated on the main thoroughfare to Mount Desert Island.

Maine’s jobless rate remains below the state's 5.4% long-term average since January 1976, when Barry Manilow’s “I Write the Songs” was at the top of the pop charts.