Trail Vandalism Reported Within Acadia National Park

Whether malicious or ignorant, it's bad no matter how you look at it.

According to various sources, someone has been illegally trail blazing, spray painting the rocks, among various trails within Acadia National Park, including those on Mount Desert Island and the Schoodic Peninsula.

AcadiaOnMyMind.com reports that since the Fall of 2019, members of the Acadia Trails crew have been finding the illegal spray-painted blazes at Bald Peak, Huguenot Head, Champlain Mountain, Schoodic Head, and within other areas of the Park. The blazes are off-color and most times shaped differently from what Acadia officials would normally use.

What's confusing is that sometimes the vandals would leave the painted streaks of a different color and much longer right next to the shorter ones that Park officials had painted themselves.

Gary Stellpflug, who is a foreman with the Acadia trails crew told AcadiaOnMyMind.com  that he has never seen vandalism both so extensive and of this kind within the boundaries of Acadia. Mr. Stellpflug tells us, “It’s not like it makes the trail any better marked. I think somebody thought they were helping, perhaps”

During the month of August, volunteers used an organic solution to wash off about 50 of the illegal trail blazes.

Hikers and Park officials also have a problem with folks leaving small, painted rocks behind on the trails, which apparently has become another popular thing to do.  One recent photo taken shows a small rock with the words "you can do it" painted on it.  This particular painted rock was found sitting within a large boulder that can be seen in the background of a photo taken around 1940 of George B. Dorr, the father of Acadia, as he was standing next to it.

If anyone out there has any information that they'd like to share about these illegal happenings, they can call 207-288-3338 to inform law enforcement.