Acadia National Park superintendent Kevin Schneider (Photo by Ashley L. Conti)

“The more you play in our national parks, the greater the appreciation you have for them. It’s the human experiences in national parks that give them their power.”

Why do we feel so connected to national parks?

That’s not a rhetorical question. It’s a question I think about often. Yes, they are beautiful. They are public places in which we all have a vested interest. They preserve some of America’s most important histories. But I think most people who visit national parks would agree there is some “power” these places hold: an intangible, majestic quality that we feel in our cores every time we look out from the Cadillac Mountain summit or across Jordan Pond.

On one of my many long runs on the carriage roads (I tend to get my best ideas there), I really began to ask myself, “What is it about this place? What is it that builds a strong connection between people and nature?”

Some of my first experiences in nature were in national parks. As a high school student, I joined the Youth Conservation Corps and spent a month working and playing in the backcountry of North Cascades National Park. This work experience was transformational, and it helped set me up for a career in America’s national parks.

Working the following summers in Glacier and Rocky Mountain National Parks, I spent as much time as
possible recreating in the park on my weekends.

These days were some of the most important, foundational experiences I had as a young adult. I deepened my commitment to our national parks, learned about resilience, the relationships between nature and people, and my motives for pursuing a career in
conservation.

Ultimately, the biggest lesson I took away from that summer was the more you play in our national parks, the greater the appreciation you have for them. It’s the human experiences in national parks that give them
their power.

Finding time to play in the park has become a cornerstone of my management approach. I think it’s really important for me to “sample the product,” so to speak. I want to have an understanding of the visitor experience, but even more, I need to feel a deep connection to the resources I’m stewarding. Thus, I spend as much time as I can in Acadia in the role of a visitor.

I have a deep understanding of the power this place has to take your breath away. I know how important it is that we protect Acadia National Park. That core belief derives from every stride I take on the carriage roads, every laugh that erupts from my kids as we picnic at Seawall, and every sunrise I witness from Cadillac’s summit. It makes it a lot easier to give your all at work when you really believe in the work you are doing.

As you play in the park this fall, really take a moment to make some memories and bask in the power of this place.

I know I will.