I am a Mainer. I hike in Acadia National Park almost weekly, and I visit Baxter State Park several times every year.

Last fall I explored a very rough loop road that is in Stacyville, in the proposed Katahdin Woods and Waters National Park. The views of Katahdin were spectacular!

I am looking forward to visiting this beautiful area again this summer. However, I will need to wait for a friend with a four-wheel drive vehicle. The area is not yet accessible to all. I hope someday it will be.

My husband and I have just returned from a week tour of three national parks. We were with a group of 38 people from about 10 states on a Road Scholar trip.

We stayed two nights in a very small and adorable town outside of Zion Nation Park (Springdale, Utah). After hiking in Zion, we traveled to the even smaller and fun town of Bryce Canyon City where we spent another two nights. Our last national park of this trip was the Grand Canyon. We stayed on the north rim of the park at the Grand Canyon Lodge.

We traveled to these areas because I, like many retired people, plan to visit all of the national parks. We (and 36 others) spent several hundred dollars in each town.

I would love to see some of Maine’s congressional delegation and Katahdin-area towns people visit these two towns to see how a national park can bring jobs to the nearby small and unique towns.

Many retired travelers like to fly into an area and explore for a week. Give them a special place to visit and they will come.

Eleanor Archer

Otis

Copy the Story Link