Did You Know Doing This in Acadia is a Form of Vandalism?
You may see this is Acadia, but it doesn't mean you can or should do it too!
According to a recent post on the Acadia National Park Facebook, park officials are asking that this summer and in all visits to the park that you always follow the 'Leave No Trace' rule. In recent discussions on the Facebook, some were surprised this included moving rocks.
It is against park rules and a form of vandalism or graffiti as the park mentions to build rock piles or cairns in the park. As you hike the trails of Acadia you are sure to see these rock piles that look like natural art, but they actually serve a purpose. As to disturb as little as possible, these cairns were built in the early days of the park to mark trails and point hikers in the correct direction.
Building your own cairns can damage the ground and trails, confuse hikers using them for direction, or distract from the surroundings. In addition, if everyone built cairns when and where they wanted in the park, areas would become barren of rocks and full of created rock formations.
It's like going to a plane crash memorial, if everyone took a piece of the plane for a souvenir, there would eventually be no plane. Same goes for the rocks in Acadia. The park adds creating a cairn here is a type of graffiti to the park. Same goes for taking rocks from the park, that is stealing. 'Leave No Trace' is the best mindset to have when visiting the park this summer to keep it enjoyable for yourself and others for many years to come.
The park does suggest that if you feel an incurable itch to build a cairn in the park, build it on a rock covered beach, and knock it down before you leave it.