After the busy and exciting summer celebrating the National Park Service’s 100th birthday, a little quiet with elbow room isn’t a bad thing. You can have just that at Acadia National Park in Maine this winter by pitching your tent at the Blackwoods Campground.
During the slow winter months, the park staff offers free “primitive” winter camping — you’ll have to pump your own water, and don’t blush at using a portable toilet in the cold — at the campground located on the southeastern tip of the park.
After picking up a free camping permit at park headquarters, you’ll have to work a bit extra for this solitude, as the campground entrance road is “gated and closed, requiring campers to hike in a distance of approximately one mile to the campground.”
If you don’t want to rough it that much, wait for a good snowstorm to coat the park and break out your cross-country skis or snowshoes and take to the carriage roads or unplowed sections of the Park Loop Road. Forty-five miles of carriage roads in the park offer the perfect setting for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. When there’s enough snow, a volunteer group grooms nearly 32 miles for skiing.
In Addition to Acadia's carriage roads and trails, the Second Century Campaign is focused on the intertwined goals of Wild Acadia, to protect Acadia’s natural resources; The Acadia Experience, to address challenges of Acadia’s increasing popularity; Tomorrow’s Stewards, to get more young people outdoors and involved in Acadia’s future; and the FOA Endowment, to ensure FOA’s long term sustainability in its support of Acadia and the surrounding communities.
While you’re camping, huddled around your campfire looking for shooting stars, or after your ski or snowshoe, remember that 2016 is the centennial of Acadia National Park, too, and that you can contribute to the ongoing campaign to help the park through its second century.
Earlier this year, Friends of Acadia launched its Second Century Campaign, one that recalls the conservation and philanthropy that launched Acadia National Park in 1916 and which has a $25 million goal. The funds are to help tackle the park’s “most urgent challenges ... and ensure that Acadia will thrive for many years to come.”
So head out to Acadia this winter to enjoy the snow, solitude, and centennial celebration.
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If you're looking to hike up Cadillac in the winter, we happened to have just answered a reader's question on our blog, about alternate routes up Acadia's highest mountain: http://acadiaonmymind.com/2016/12/planning-a-trip-to-acadia-in-winter-as...
There are also links to year-round lodging, dining and other tips for a winter trip to Acadia, in the blog post.