Science Survey Travelogue Spotlights Visitation Challenges in Acadia


Student reporter Alina Povelikin balances visitation recommendations and real-world data about rising visitation in Acadia National Park.

“Increased visitation has undoubtedly made trips to Acadia more difficult over the past few years,” writes Alina Povelikin, a student reporter from The Bronx High School of Science, in a recent article published in The Science Survey – the school’s newspaper.

A regular visitor to Acadia over the years, Povelikin’s travelogue-style story balances visitation recommendations and real-world data about rising visitation in Acadia National Park, capturing some of the park’s challenges and giving readers ideas of visiting in ways that help reduce some of those pinch points.

Of note, rising visitation numbers. Povelikin writes:

There are only two formalized park entrances: one stationed by Sand Beach and another near Cadillac Mountain, both on Mount Desert Island. Since 1990, rangers have extrapolated data from these two entrances to help estimate the park’s total number of visitors.

That number skyrocketed in the summer of 2022, signifying Acadia’s popularity. Naturally, millions of families sought a sunny escape after the COVID-19 pandemic during the summer and early fall. This trend, termed “revenge travel” by social media platforms, refers to a trip people take to make up for missed travel during the Coronavirus pandemic. The result of this mindset was Acadia’s second-highest visitation rate on record: 3,970,201.

Povelikin spoke with Friends of Acadia’s Becca Stanley, recreation technician coordinator, about the ramification of and response to those visitation numbers. She also touches on hiking etiquette, the park’s climate-smart approaches to today’s challenges (be they severe winter storms as seen in January 2024 or summit restoration work and beyond).

The story also includes some recommendations on riding the Island Explorer bus to avoid traffic and parking frustrations as well as enjoying destinations in the park and around Mount Desert Island that aren’t as popular (but are as equally stunning).

“I hope this travelogue will serve you well in escaping the congeries of popover fans at the Jordan Pond House and becoming a more environmentally-conscious revenge vacationer.”

Read “Vacationer’s Guide to Acadia National Park: How to Admire the Views and Avoid the Crowds” from The Science Survey.