BAR HARBOR, Maine – 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.