Hundreds of volunteers prep Acadia National Park for the winter

Nearly 500 volunteers were spread out in Acadia National Park Saturday morning, prepping the old carriage roads for winter by raking the leaves from the pathway and from the drainage ditches.

"It's Acadia National Park, it's almost pristine I think. I mean we just learned about how leafs affect the rest of the park and how it affects tourism itself. And it would be a shame if not everybody could see it the way we see it one day," said Sydney Abramovich.

"We make sure the drainage ditches are clear so that with the snow build up and runoff in the spring, we don't have washouts on the roads. Less maintenance for the crews in the spring, better experience for all the park visitors. If we don't do this, when there's runoff in the spring the water backs up and it washes out the roads. And no matter how hard we work there will still be a few washouts in the spring. But the harder we work now the fewer washouts there are," said Mike Engling, of Friends of Acadia.

"I have a lot of fun, and it's a good way to help give back to the park that gives us so much as far as hiking and lots of outdoor activities. Historically the carriage roads are like so important for Acadia. And so it's mice to see them being maintained and kept up," said Jessica Doherty.

For all the details for next years event, you can visit friendsofacadia.org.