Cultural Landscape Report for the Historic Hiking Trail System, Treatment plan, Acadia National Park
Barter CS, Brown MC, Stakely JT, Stellpflug GJ. 2006. Cultural Landscape Report for the Historic Hiking Trail System, Treatment plan, Acadia National Park. Cultural Landscape Report. ISBN 0-9779833-1-5. National Park Service, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation. Boston, Massachusetts
The historic hiking trail system of Acadia National Park in Maine has a layered history, associated with several periods of historic significance and various contributing groups. The earliest trails on Mount Desert Island probably originated as Native American canoe portage trails. As settlement increased in the late 1700s, paths were expanded into a network of roads and trails to connect villages, farms, and logging camps. Tourists soon arrived at the scenic island landscape, and trails continued to serve both recreational and transportation purposes. The trail maintenance programs were an important component of early wilderness conservation efforts and federal work programs of the 1930s, contributing to the documentation and preservation of the trails. The National Register period of significance for the historic trail system of Mount Desert Island is 1867-1942 for its association with community planning and development, conservation, recreation, and landscape architecture. Some of the trails contain features that are well preserved to a specific era, while others include a collection of features representing different period and builders. A treatment approach must account for this complex and non-uniform pattern of development, aiming to maintain the character and integrity of the trail system as a whole while also preserving the unique qualities of each individual trail. Another goal of the report is to offer a treatment plan for rehabilitation and maintenance at a level that can be reasonably sustained by the park. The treatment plan that was agreed upon by Acadia park staff, the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation (OCLP), the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, and other stakeholders focuses on an approach to rehabilitation that preserves individual trail character as well as the character of the overall system, and also addresses maintenance concerns and capacity. This document identifies and describes the specific feature types common to the trails (bridges, steps, drainage, monuments, etc.). Every feature is not deemed appropriate for use on every trail. Treatment guidelines are provided as a recommendation of what features to use during rehabilitation on a particular trail area. The preferred treatment alternative identified in this hiking trails management plan is rehabilitation to protect natural and cultural resources. This treatment plan is the second part of a two-section Cultural Landscape Report on the Historic Hiking Trail System at Acadia’s Mount Desert Island. The full report documents the history, condition, and character of the trail system and provides a treatment plan for thoughtful rehabilitation of the landscape. The park’s system of 103 marked, maintained trails stretches over 118 miles.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Barter, Christian; Brown, Margaret; Stakely, J.; Stellpflug, Gary
- Date of Issue
- 2006
- Publisher
- National Park Service, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation
- Units
- ACAD , NER
- Keywords
- Acadia National Park, CCC, Civilian Conservation Corps, CLR, Community Planning and Development, Conservation, cultural landscape, cultural landscape report, Drainage Features, Historic Trail System, Land Use, landscape architecture, landscape preservation, monument, Mount Desert Island, OCLP, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Recreation, Retaining Structures, Route, Rustic Design, stonework, The 1930s: Era of Public Works, Tourism, Trail Guidance, Trail Management, trail rehabilitation, Trails, Treadway, Treatment Recommendation, Village Improvement Committee, Visitors
- Subjects
- CRIS-CL: 650065: Historic Hiking Trail System