Baxter State Park not friendly to thru hikers

[Keith579]

Hi All,

My son and 3 others just finished thru hiking the AT at Mt. Katahdin on Sunday. I want to express my disappointment with Baxter State Park and how they treat thru hikers. When I tried to figure out how I was going to pick him up (I luckily live only 3 hrs away), I first found out that there is a limited number of day parking spots in the park that you must reserve for $5. So far so good. But the rules are that if you do not arrive by 7:05AM, they cancel your reservation and give it away, and you are not allowed to enter the park. Period. Now most people don't live as close as I do, but even then, I would have to have left my house at 4:00AM. Others would be forced to spend the night just outside the park.

I said screw it, I am going to arrive at noon and see what they do. When we got to the gate, I saw a sign that said the parking lots were full. I politely explained to the ranger that I was picking up an AT thru hiker and realized from the sign that the parking lots were full. I then showed the ranger the parking pass I had purchased in good faith and all she did was curtly say: "That expired at 7:05AM". I then asked politely if I could still pick him up and she said yes, again in an unfriendly tone, and she proceeded to fill out a parking permit for my window. Wow, thanks for the fantastic welcome.

We drove on to the parking lot I had originally signed up for and saw that there were at least 10 open spaces--hmmm, not sure how that works with respect to their system since that would suggest 10 or more day visitors had arrived before 7:05AM and then already left by 1PM. I'm sure a few gungho people did that, but still....

We then had to wait for an hour or so, and when the hikers arrived, their families and the hikers congregated at a picnic table next to a ranger building where you are supposed to sign in and out when hiking. We had a great brief reunion there, giving the hikers Gatorade, hugs, etc. Then a ranger approached to enter the cabin said in a somewhat sarcastic voice "what is this, some kind of ceremony?" I said "yea, they just finished the AT!" No response as the ranger proceeded into the cabin. Note that we were a group of 4 young hikers with aunts, uncles, parents, cousins, etc. Not rowdy, not leaving trash, just being happy.

As we were leaving, my son (who did not know about the parking hassle), said "They don't seem to like AT hikers, the hut at the base of Katahdin is disgusting. Surrounded by gravel, near a smelly latrine, and next to a road...for $10. I don't get a good feeling about this park."

I want to finish up by explaining that I previously had exchanged email with the Park director when I first found out about the parking issues. I told him that the park seemed unfriendly to people picking up or dropping off thru hikers, and provided a list of simple ways they could make it easier, like having a sign-up to let the park know when a thru hiker is arriving, allowing pickups, changing their parking reservation system, etc. He basically said this: People are secondary at the park, nature comes first (I am actually ok with this; Baxter State Park is a special place). But then he said that AT thru hikers only make up 2% of their visitors and that they had considered my suggestions in the past and that none of them were acceptable.

Wow, thanks alot Baxter State Park. Thru hikers beware.

[WingedMonkey]

I'm speechless.

OK that's not even possible for me.

I think that NedtheFed, the hiker that they rescued off of the mountain by helicopter after a boulder fell on him last week, might disagree with you.

And I also think that the thousands of thru hikers that have climbed Katahdin in the past might disagree with you.

I'll save the entitlement issues for the up coming posters..

[Keith579]

Get off your high horse, Monkey.

1) Rescuing a hiker has nothing to do with AT thru hikers. Such rescues occur across the country at state and national parks.

2) There is no sense of entitlement. As a Maine citizen for 20 some years, BSP is an anomaly. Maine people and parks are friendly and accommodating. You probably do not know it, but BSP is not actually a Maine State Park. It's essentially private.

3) So you think BSP having a system to make it easier for AT thru hikers is a bad idea? Come on, there are dozens of ways to help them out without harming the park.

4) So tell me about Springer Mountain. I am told it is very convenient for thru hikers.

Bring it on, I am not shy about countering your elitist holier than thou attitude.

[rickb]

I'll save the entitlement issues for the up coming posters..

A better direction would be to discuss the very unique history and philosophy of BSP.

I stand to be corrected, but even though it is called a "State Park" I don't think it supported by taxes, for example. Not state, local or federal.

As a private gift from Governor Baxter, he definitely set a tone for the park that leads to some limits on how many people are allowed within the park on a given day. Good thing or bad? surely that depends on where you sit.

I am no expert on parking spots, but I do believe that people who stay within the park can still drive to all over, and are not constrained to park in one spot only. That some spots remained open at KSCG is a good thing-- depending on where you stayed the night before.

As for a reticent ranger passing a table, who knows? Good thing about Maine is you can always be guaranteed of a smile and good cheer at LL Bean (seriously) or get a flight out down to Disney.

[jeffmeh]

Even if I concede the the BSP staff were less than friendly, I would like to invoke SGT Rock's tagline on this one.

[hikerboy57]

Why should thru-hikers be treated any differently than anyone else? I've been to Baxter State Park 5 times always had a good experience with the Rangers.

[max patch]

Not friendly to thrus?

The Rangers let me and one other thru hike up to Katahdin and finish our hike on a day when the mountain was closed because of conditions.

They didn't have to do that.

[jeffmeh]

I should also add that last June when my wife and I spent the night in BSP and summitted the next day with Achilles and a bunch of other thru-hikers, the BSP staff were great to us.

[jj2044]

So let me understand this... you knew the parks parking rules... but said F it, you would show up whenever you wanted. they were nice enough to let you in anyways, against the rules by the way, so you could pick up your son and you're complaining?? As for them being rude, now you MIGHT have a real complaint.. as for the person at the gate he wasn't being too rude if he let you in.... thousands and thousands of people visit that park every year with no complaints, over 500 thru hikers a year and with almost no complaints. I think it might of had more to do with YOU then Baxter park. The Rules Are The Rules, If you like them or Not.

[John B]

"... But the rules are that if you do not arrive by 7:05AM, they cancel your reservation and give it away, and you are not allowed to enter the park. Period....
I said screw it, I am going to arrive at noon and see what they do."

Is that your attitude and consideration of their rules? And they bent their rules to accomodate you, and you still complain?

Wow.

[peakbagger]

Unless the rules have changed, you can drive anywhere in the park without a parking pass except for the three trailheads that access the summit. People staying in the park can only park in these three parking lots if they are staying in the particular campground (or associated backcountry area) or they get to the parking lot before the day use folks are allowed in (requires a 4 AM car ride). The park in the past tried to enlarge/improve the roads and was sued as it violated the rules of the park which incidentally are just about impossible to amend.

On popular weeks and weekends, the day parking slots are booked weeks in advance, therefore there really isn't an option to leave spots for thru hiker visitors and pick ups as it would reduce the number of slots for day hikers. If you wanted to avoid the hassle, you could have easily met the folks at Abol bridge.

One thing at Baxter is that the staff tend to be great folks unless you have an attitude with them, they are used to dealing with the 99% who respect and follow the rules and when they get the 1% who try to ignore the rules, they are very good at citing chapter and verse if need be. I have been going there 30 plus years and follow the rules. I have never had issues with the staff at the park and have appreciated when they enforce the rules in place.

Good luck with your rant, I expect you will not get much sympathy. If you have an issue, feel free to communicate it to the Baxter State Park Commission, I expect your input will get the level of respect it deserves.

[snifur]

Keith, I believe you might be the one on a high horse. I am not sure exactly what point you are trying to make. Are you saying that because your son and three others hiked the entire trail that they should celebrate with you and be more courteous to you? We get it, you’re proud of your son’s accomplishment and you believe that all personnel employed by BSP should be equally elated. Keith, I grew up in Maine and have been to BSP at least 100 times and finished my thru-hike there. My wife and kids picked me up with no issues. I have never experienced the outrage you are presenting. Maybe it was your attitude mirrored by others that you do not like. Relax and be thankful for what you do have and what you experienced with your son.

[T.S.Kobzol]

So this wasn't just you quickly picking up hikers off the trail? It was a bunch of aunts and uncles and family members entering State Park, setting up a welcoming party at a picnic table in BSP where the rules even disallow the use of radios. Really? You don't see the irony that you gained access with a GROUP to park resources under the pretense of "picking up a hiker" ? Instead of being grateful you $hit all over them because they did not share the same committment to your hootin'and hollerin'?

... Note that we were a group of 4 young hikers with aunts, uncles, parents, cousins, etc. Not rowdy, not leaving trash, just being happy.

sent from samsonite using tapioca 2

[Migrating Bird]

Keith 579: Congratulations on your son's accomplishment. If it were me, I would have gotten my arse and the arses of those wanting to meet your son inside Baxter, out of bed ready for departure at 3:30 am and been at the gate at 6:30 latest! I would have then chosen to either abide by the rules or celebrate outside the park, the local economy could use the income. The multiple times I spoken to staff for reservations, camped at the park, and interfaced with the staff, they have been great, engaging and a source of good information. The rules while restrictive are there for good reason, Baxter is not just any park if not for rules, it would resemble many of our National Parks.

Poor planning (or execution) on your part, does not constitute an emergency on everyone else's. I sincerely hope that your sour feeling and you perception of the Rangers did not ruin an opportunity to bask in the sunshine of the moment.

One catches more bees with honey than vinegar.

[DavidNH]

Keith.. given the arrogant uninformed attitude you expressed in your post I would have been unfriendly to you as well. The park is actually extremely friendly to thrus. The reception you received.. you had it coming to you.. based on what I read in your post.

[Lone Wolf]

thru hikers ain't special. they should walk out to the gate if they can't be met inside the park. the ranger's attitudes come from dealing with too many Ahole, entitled hikers from past years.

[max patch]

If the rules at BSP are too onerous to follow, then go SOBO and finish at Springer. No rules there.

[Jack Tarlin]

* In my experience, people that are aware of rules and regulations, but who then adopt the attitude "Screw it. I'll do
what I like and we'll see what happens" are often unhappy when they discover what happens.
* In my experience, people that adopt attitudes of utter selfishness like this (i.e. they feel that rules and regulations
are for other people) are also likely to become disgruntled and unpleasant when other things don't go their way..
* Personally, I like the "nature first" attitude to be great, especially if the "secondary" mission is to appease overly
huffy and entitled guests.
* Lastly, it should be noted that I've visited Baxter more than a dozen times in recent years, as a completing thru-
hiker; as a section hiker; as a day guest to the Park, and also to pick up friends who were completing trips of their
own. I have never, not once, been treated with anything but kindness, professionalism, and respect by the staff,
and in truth, the insinuation that the staff there is unfriendly, unwelcoming, or rude......this, to me seems highly
unlikely. I suspect that most people find what they're looking for at Baxter, or better yet, perhaps they find what
they deserve.

[tawa]

Hi All

My son and 3 others just finished thru hiking the AT at Mt. Katahdin on Sunday. I want to express my disappointment with Baxter State Park and how they treat thru hikers. When I tried to figure out how I was going to pick him up (I luckily live only 3 hrs away), I first found out that there is a limited number of day parking spots in the park that you must reserve for $5. So far so good. But the rules are that if you do not arrive by 7:05AM, they cancel your reservation and give it away, and you are not allowed to enter the park. Period. Now most people don't live as close as I do, but even then, I would have to have left my house at 4:00AM. Others would be forced to spend the night just outside the park.

I said screw it, I am going to arrive at noon and see what they do. When we got to the gate, I saw a sign that said the parking lots were full. I politely explained to the ranger that I was picking up an AT thru hiker and realized from the sign that the parking lots were full. I then showed the ranger the parking pass I had purchased in good faith and all she did was curtly say: "That expired at 7:05AM". I then asked politely if I could still pick him up and she said yes, again in an unfriendly tone, and she proceeded to fill out a parking permit for my window. Wow, thanks for the fantastic welcome.

We drove on to the parking lot I had originally signed up for and saw that there were at least 10 open spaces--hmmm, not sure how that works with respect to their system since that would suggest 10 or more day visitors had arrived before 7:05AM and then already left by 1PM. I'm sure a few gungho people did that, but still....

We then had to wait for an hour or so, and when the hikers arrived, their families and the hikers congregated at a picnic table next to a ranger building where you are supposed to sign in and out when hiking. We had a great brief reunion there, giving the hikers Gatorade, hugs, etc. Then a ranger approached to enter the cabin said in a somewhat sarcastic voice "what is this, some kind of ceremony?" I said "yea, they just finished the AT!" No response as the ranger proceeded into the cabin. Note that we were a group of 4 young hikers with aunts, uncles, parents, cousins, etc. Not rowdy, not leaving trash, just being happy.

As we were leaving, my son (who did not know about the parking hassle), said "They don't seem to like AT hikers, the hut at the base of Katahdin is disgusting. Surrounded by gravel, near a smelly latrine, and next to a road...for $10. I don't get a good feeling about this park."

I want to finish up by explaining that I previously had exchanged email with the Park director when I first found out about the parking issues. I told him that the park seemed unfriendly to people picking up or dropping off thru hikers, and provided a list of simple ways they could make it easier, like having a sign-up to let the park know when a thru hiker is arriving, allowing pickups, changing their parking reservation system, etc. He basically said this: People are secondary at the park, nature comes first (I am actually ok with this; Baxter State Park is a special place). But then he said that AT thru hikers only make up 2% of their visitors and that they had considered my suggestions in the past and that none of them were acceptable.

Wow, thanks alot Baxter State Park. Thru hikers beware.

-----like my dad use to say when I came home from school complaining about how I was being treated/or not being treated right---"what part did u play in what happened"!? Think about it! As I get older I'm amazed at how folks want rules---but only want them enforced on everyone else and not them! Found that life treats me just find if I'm polite and respectful of others and the work they do. You get back---what u give off!

[MuddyWaters]

Thru hikers finish all the time there.
It might be something special to you, its not to them. They see it all day long, every day, for several months out of the year.

Unfriendly? Dont they allow hikers to leave their pack, and give them a daypack to use to access the summit?
Doesnt sound unfriendly to me at all.

No. They are not unfriendly to thru hikers.
Possibly, they are unfriendly to people that think they dont have to follow rules, and want to tell them how they should do things differently.

Nor should they make exceptions for someone because they are there to pick someone up, whether they walked 5 miles, or 2185 miles.