Acadia reminds visitors about park safety after woman swept of rocks at Thunder Hole

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK, Maine (WABI) - After a 20-year-old Massachusetts woman was swept off the rocks at Thunder Hole in Acadia National Park Saturday, the park is once again reminding people about safety and respecting the elements in the park.

The ocean was fairly calm on Tuesday as visitors to Acadia National Park climbed the rocks at Thunder Hole to take in the view.

But the park says regardless of what the conditions are while you’re there, there’s always a need to be aware of your surroundings in Acadia.

“The ocean is a very powerful force, and it doesn’t matter the time of year. Storms can come in and cause different current patterns, sneaker waves, rogue waves. And as beautiful as it is, we just encourage all of our visitors to show it some respect, and give it enough space,” said Therese Picard, Acadia National Park chief ranger.

With fall and winter right around the corner, the conditions in the park will be changing soon, so the way you prepare to visit the park will need to change as well.

“With the coming of fall we see a lot more people get caught by darkness. They’re not thinking about the shorter days. So we really want people to have a flashlight or another source of light other than your phone. There’s not a lot of cell service in the park, so you can’t rely on it for phone calls, updated maps, all of that. It could be a little bit off. So we really want people to rely on good old fashioned research and a paper map, and a plan,” Picard said.

No matter what season you visit, knowing your limitations is key.

“Honestly, be flexible enough to turn around. If it doesn’t look good, is it worth it? Or is it time to turn around. So really having people be flexible enough to change their plans and maybe look for an alternate trail is a good thing as well,” Picard said.

Ultimately the park says there’s a direct correlation between safety, knowledge, and having the best visit possible.

“I mean the goal is for everybody to enjoy themselves, and even first time park visitors- where they have never been to a national park- stopping in, asking some questions, going to the website, doing a little bit of research, will make their first, second or hundredth visit a little bit safer, and a little bit more enjoyable for them,” Picard said.