MoldyNalgene t1_jd77ccj wrote
I think it's a bad idea. Right now the vast majority of the tourists go to Acadia National Park and leave the rest of the states wild areas relatively peaceful for the rest of us. If this area becomes a national park, it will get very crowded very quickly and ruin the sense of wilderness. The only upside would be a revitalization for towns like Millinocket, which would likely occur with increasing tourism.
CarAtunk817 t1_jd78jvx wrote
>The only upside would be a
Preserving huge amounts of land.
TranscendentPretzel t1_jd7a876 wrote
Isn't it already preserved as a national monument?
bigtencopy t1_jd7drz3 wrote
No, most of that area North of Baxter is harvested and is responsible for keeping hundreds of wood workers employed
ppitm t1_jd80i8p wrote
> hundreds of wood workers employed
This gives me the image of a bunch of old guys sitting on stumps and directly whittling and planing pine logs.
hike_me t1_jd7jc9l wrote
The national monument is quite small
GuppyGB t1_jd7agc6 wrote
There's not really much attraction. Baxter is cool because of Katahdin and the Appalachian trail. This is just a swath of wilderness. I don't see the attraction of visiting but I do like the idea of protecting it.
MoldyNalgene t1_jd7b97d wrote
You throw "National" in front of park and the crowds will come. Of course there are some exceptions like Gates of the Artic and Isle Royale, but those parks are a real pain in the ass to get to. It would probably cause a drastic increase in visitors to Baxter since it would be surrounded by the new national park. Good luck getting an opportunity to hike Katahdin then.
The area is so remote that I don't see it needing protection. There's no jobs up there and little in the way of infrastructure to accommodate lots of growth. The woods have already been logged for the most part, so it's not exactly old growth forest we're talking about protecting here. I personally don't like the idea, but if it happens, it happens.
bigtencopy t1_jd7lq9x wrote
Yup nothing cool up there at all, stay away lol
Icy_Look_7332 t1_jdrn7wc wrote
Yeah nothing to see up here, I heard Bar Harbor is really nice tho😉
seeclick8 t1_jd80len wrote
Baxter is cool and unique because of its natural beauty but most particularly because use is regulated and limited. I was hiking one of the trails several years ago and talked with someone from Pennsylvania who remarked on how beautiful and unique it was and how nice not to have crowds.
Earthling1a t1_jd8b9lx wrote
I remember climbing Katahdin about 30 years ago and thinking there were an awful lot of other people on the trail with me compared to the other times I had climbed it. First time was probably around 1975 or so, I think I saw less than five other people outside my group of two. Climbed it a few years later (in nicer weather) and probably saw about two dozen others, mostly at the top. Last time (that time 30 years ago) I saw lines of people, probably over 100 overall. I can't imagine what it must be like today. I'm imagining walking on a crowded sidewalk.
HIncand3nza t1_jd8xrje wrote
About the same as 30 years ago. They haven’t really expanded the number of available parking spaces.
GuppyGB t1_jd9c6ix wrote
Sounds about the same. Climbed it a couple years ago with good weather and clear skies. Maybe a dozen people at the very top at one time, and maybe 50 or so people just below the summit, either coming up or down. But spread out pretty evenly so it didn't feel crowded at all. There's a big rock scramble passed the tree line that does a good job of slowing the traffic flow lol.
reason2listen t1_jd7fmxg wrote
There’s something so special about how Baxter restricts access. I’d hate for anything to change that would increase the number of people in the park.
MrLeeman123 t1_jd7q69z wrote
You’re acting like its easy to get there. The park will attract some more visitors but getting north is a hell of a lot harder than the coastal highways. The majority of visitors will look at the 4-5 hour drive and decide to go to Acadia instead.
HIncand3nza t1_jd7jloh wrote
Agreed. I am not opposed to it becoming an officially protected piece of land, but the NPS is the wrong department for managing that. They have too much emphasis on unlimited access.
I took a trip out west last year and really soured on the ideal of the national park system. That sounds dramatic, but the crowds of people really detracted from the experience. It was like resort skiing the west on a weekend. Just jam packed with people, even on trails. It was shockingly bad in some places, and the NPS needs to figure out a way to restrict the number of visitors meaningfully.
I grew up going to Moosehead and Baxter. I’ve been seeing an uptick in tourists for awhile, and frankly I want them to stay on the coast. When I was a kid you could hike Kineo Big Moose, or Borestone and be nearly the only one on the trail. It’s still pretty quiet, but everyone is an out of stater. Not that that is wrong, it just detracts from the experience as a resident. There are still hikes in that region where you will be the only group on the trail though. Especially on the non katahdin hikes in Baxter and the few hikes between Greenville and Baxter.
This will be the most controversial part of this, but I understand the wealthy Mass resident urge to privatize everything. When you’re bombarded by people your only chance at securing peace and quiet is to force them to go away.
Sundance12 t1_jd8k08e wrote
The success of National Parks is a blessing and a curse, unfortunately. We should be happy people are appreciating these natural spaces, but beyond a certain threshold, it becomes a hug of death.
hike_me t1_jd8tu17 wrote
The state of Utah spent millions of dollars a year for years promoting their national parks until visitations exploded (Zion is pretty insane now, as is Arches which now requires timed entry reservations during peak visitation times).
All the while their state government kept passing bills asking the federal government to turn over all federal land to state or private owners.
HIncand3nza t1_jd8xf3h wrote
Zion isn’t even worth going to. It is absolutely insane. I thought I could sneak in at the crack of dawn and see some stuff but it was already packed. It was May too.
Arches has the potential to show that the restricted access model works. I went last year and it wasn’t too bad. Still very busy but not a complete mad house like Zion. You could actually see things and get away from crowds.
hike_me t1_jd963hp wrote
I went to Arches thanksgiving week a few years ago and it was AWESOME. Absolutely no crowds and temps in the mid 50s. Perfect hiking. No waiting at the entrance station. No problem finding parking at popular spots.
Went to Joshua Tree thanksgiving last year and it was really busy (but it still didn’t seem that bad compared to Acadia in summer) so unfortunately that strategy didn’t translate to another park.
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