Readers comment on Acadia Gateway Center article
TRENTON, July 14, 2026 - My recent article last Thursday on the Acadia Gateway Center is close to receiving 10,000 views and probably will be my most read blog since I started writing this journal.
It received 38 comments which is a record.
Here are some of them:
“FOA and the park service cannot deny it is a complete failure. And if they attempt to rectify this with a big sign that will be another waste of taxpayer $$$ drawing even more attention to this colossal failure and waste of money.”
“Perhaps more disappointing that the dollars spent on a large sign would be another large pylon sign on Route 3 that is brightly lit 24×7. Some of us enjoy night sky.”
Susan Hayward, Beech Hill
“Since it was installed last year, I grind my teeth in fury driving south through Trenton and seeing that puny sign for the welcome center.
“The problem is not that the huge building is not visible, but that the welcome sign is invisible. Why should anyone slow down and turn into the driveway?
“Wrong size, wrong location, wrong message. A sad nail in this coffin.”
“It is sad, especially with all the back patting after its completion. Social media is so easy to use to spread the word yet nothing is being done.”
“Right on! Every time that we have driven past that site in the last decade, we grind our teeth and mutter ‘Boondoggle.’ You are correct about the parking lot; we have never seen more than three cars. And what good is a center that has no connections?! No shuttle to the airports. Does Concord bus service stop there? Is there a taxi stand or an Uber pickup/dropoff spot? If we were to park there and attempt to ride the Explorer to Thurston’s, it would be an all-day affair. Useless. A dear departed neighbor in Bernard volunteered with FOA for years until she figured out that they had too much money and too little common sense. This is the proof in the pudding.
“Instead of building seasonal staff housing atop an already environmentally stressed Northeast Creek watershed, FOA should put them at Acadia Gateway Center where there is plenty of parking already” - The Quietside Journal.
“And there is plenty of space for building worker housing at the Gateway site. I also objected to FOA buying the apartment building by the former BH Golf Course, evicting the tenants, and using it for bus drivers. Build on the Gateway site!
“BTW That property formerly belonged to some of my ancestors and my mother spent part of her childhood in the old farmhouse.”
“I walked up around the Carroll Homestead this a.m. for the 1st time this year. I mused to my dog, ‘What have We The People done to this beautiful land.’ I think off island staff and bus driver housing at the Gateway thing is an outstanding idea. Let the seasonal crews cope with some of the traffic noise and amusement.
“We met a veteran who had lived in one of the apartments and had no idea where he would go.
“Those were some scary hiking pictures.”
“It is beyond my imagination to think why anyone would consider what is going on in the photos a great hiking, outdoor experience. It is like walking a vertical city street. What makes ‘domino effect’ jump to mind when I think of one person tripping or falling?”
“Or some ‘influencer’ doing stupid things for views...
“What an incredible waste of money! If a survey had been conducted FOA and the park service would have found that no visitors would be willing to leave their cars and important necessities so far from their destinations in the park. There is no benefit. This facility will forever be a vacant white elephant. Why not repurpose it with affordable housing?”
“Once again. Poor planning ruins a major construction!”
“Poor follow-up is more like it. They had their ribbon cutting ceremony then dropped the ball.”
“Friends of Acadia and the Island Explorer have completely FAILED to advertise or push the buses and the Gateway center on social media. It’s as if people from the 1940s are running these places.”
“Advertising and SM will not change anything. People will not abandon their cars so far from the park. If they had done a survey they would have learned this fact.
“When they have to park a mile from Sand Beach to try and enjoy Sand Beach they actually are abandoning their cars. Same goes for Jordan pond and folks parking their cars at Wildwood stables, 1.25 miles away. Doesn’t look fun to me, personally for me I’ll pack a bag or two and get dropped off right at the front door.”
“At least when they park a mile from Sand Beach it isn’t a half a day affair to get back to their car. If one leaves their car at the Gateway Center they’re forced to schlep all of their belongings with them for the rest of the day. What if they want to go to the beach in the morning, for a hike in the afternoon, and dinner in the evening?
“I’ve learned the schedule and you would have to be down at the lighthouse and miss a bus for it to take anywhere close to a half day. Folks are going back to their place before dinner mostly so your comment about schlepping all that stuff isn’t really relevant as a small bag/backpack holds a towel, suit, water and lunch easily. As locals who would love to get to Ellsworth occasionally in under 1.5 hours between 2:30 and 5pm we should really try and encourage the bus.”
“Well, speaking of the Precipice, last year birders with scopes could not be in that small parking area because they created too much stress for the Peregrines, and the brief time when the trail is open to hikers helps create the potentially hazardous herd hiking experience. Oddly, this year the Precipice parking lot has turned into a staging area for noisy heavy equipment that is slowly doing road work on the Loop. So the message the Park Service’s bizarre rules for that parking area suggest the birders and hikers stress the falcons but heavy road equipment does not bother them?
“I think the idea of using the Gateway thing for staff housing is absolutely perfect. Excellent thinking! :)”
“I stayed at Seawall Campground and stopped at the Gateway Center as I was leaving for home. Almost completely deserted and hardly any souvenirs. Mainly a park and ride as stated in the article. I’m glad I saw this article and realize that I’m not alone in being bewildered by the purpose of this place.
“Lots of maps though!”
“The Gateway Center needs some amenities to attract visitors and compensate for its remote location. A nice cafe would be a start, and perhaps some a well-advertised variety of food trucks and unique vendors.”
“I have always said “friends of Acadia are enemy to the people”
“Friends of Acadia do a lot of good for Acadia. This is not one of the good things!”
“A car and its culture: I will add that there is no bus service from southern Maine or New England that reaches Trenton or Acadia. So nondrivers are shut out! As a lover of the park, summer and/or winter, I, a nondriver, would ride a bus to get there regularly (at least 4 times a year). I was sad when I read the initial plan for this center in Trenton----sad about the placement, sad about the price and most sad about the fact it was built for car culture. This article only makes me sadder.”
“There is, actually, the Concord bus station by the Bangor airport is also serviced once a day by Downeast Transportation which goes all the way into downtown Bar Harbor.
“Thanks for this; it is, however, a limited benefit; the bus system on Mt Desert Island only runs seasonally so connections on the island are very limited ‘out of season.’ Wondering if that Bangor bus by Downeast stops at the visitor center----seasonally, of course.”
“Downeast is also only weekdays. Which visitor center are you referring to? The Gateway center or Hull’s cove?
“I meant the Gateway: In summer a stop there would create easy bus to bus transfer, especially important for nondrivers who may be carrying extensive luggage for a week’s stay.
“How many people come to Acadia for the day vs. the multitudes who visit for a longer stay? Most people are bringing vehicles onto the island. The remote Gateway Center has never made sense.”
“A transportation hub and parking garage at Hulls Cove is probably the only thing that could have achieved the vision of the Gateway Center.”
“I visited the AGC for the first time last week. I was stunned at how empty the lot and the building were. It would definitely make sense to build worker housing there since buses are in place to transport them to the park.
“I do think tourist lodging off island will increase since there appear to be no brakes on development of such lodging. The new Hampton Inn in Ellsworth is nearing completion. This morning I noticed a new ‘Acadia Timber Cottages’ sign along the Bar Harbor Road in Trenton. Sure enough, new vacation lodging. I don’t know how that little bridge can handle it.
“Excellent selection of photos! Imagine finding out for the first time that your young child is afraid of heights on that hike--not to mention the parent’s irresponsibility putting a child of that very young age on that cliff side . And what in the word are elderly folks, who look like they are at risk of a fall just around their home, doing on the side of the cliff?! My friend and I sometimes visit Sand Beach in the early morning to enjoy it without crowds. But while the beach is not crowded at 7 am, the parking lot is already full with the people who are snaking their way up Beehive as in your photo. We watch them with amusement from our beach chairs. Finally, I could not agree more that a reservation system is needed for these overcrowded and treacherous hikes. A reservation is required to hike Mt. Katahdin and to drive up Cadillac. Why not the Beehive?
POSTSCRIPT:
This morning I spotted a car in the “Park and Ride” lot - the first one in three visits for me.
Then there were all these unused EV charging stations.
The park argues it is taking the long view and that visits to Ellsworth and Trenton will explode because the lodging is cheaper there. It is betting those people will hop on a bus for day visits to the park. Do you think people will do that? Park their cars at the Gateway and take bus instead for a day trip?
Whatever the Gateway issues, I think people would benefit from acquainting themselves with both the Island Explorer and DownEast Transportation commuter routes.
DownEast Transportation runs buses M-F year round. ThankYou Jackson Laboratory for putting the Bar Harbor-Ellsworth route on the map - with morning, midday, and later afternoon options. Also M-F Bar Harbor-Bangor morning and late afternoon. This is a great service. I think perhaps people who drive and have cars may not understand how important this is for some of us.
Island Explorer and Commuter info here.
Downeast Transportation Home
.https://www.downeasttrans.org/.