Park plans access renovations

Thunder Hole: A series of ramps will allow visitors to get to the viewing station without climbing stairs. The stone steps will be renovated, using concrete to provide better traction. Design has been done and the project is going out to bid. Work should be completed by 2002.

Cadillac Mountain: Ramps and handrails will be installed to help visitors get from the Cadillac summit parking lot to the vistas along portions of the Cadillac Ridge Trail. Work should be completed by 2003.

Sieur de Monts Spring: Fairly accessible walkways to the Nature Center and Abbe Museum will be smoothed and resurfaced with concrete for easier use. Ramps will be provided at entrances where necessary. Work should be completed by 2002.

Jordan Pond House grounds: The Jordan Pond House and its gift shop meet federal standards, but the Nature Trail and other paths around the grounds must be resurfaced for wheelchair use. Work should be completed by 2003.

Seawall and Blackwoods campgrounds: Restrooms and access paths to reach them will be made fully accessible. Teletypewriter telephones for the hearing-impaired will be installed. Some campsites at each location are already level enough to be reached, but will be made more wheelchair-friendly with proportioned picnic tables and fire pits. Work should be completed by 2002.

Echo Lake: Nothing is accessible. The access road will be resurfaced and restrooms and changing stations will be made accessible. A means of crossing the beach by wheelchair to reach the water – perhaps a series of heavy grates under the sand – will be installed. Work should be completed by 2004.

Sand Beach: No plans have been made, although Acadia maintenance chief Jim Vekasi is seeking access solutions. “Getting down to the beach is a tough nut to crack, but never say never,” he said.

Ship Harbor Trail and Wonderland Fire Road: Rangers renovated about 1,000 feet of trail this summer to meet the new accessibility standards. Minimal resurfacing on the nearby Wonderland trail, which is actually an old fire road, will make it accessible as well. Work should be completed by 2001.