This Ancient Sea Cave Isn’t On Any Map Of Acadia National Park For Good Reasons
It's no longer on any current maps of Acadia National Park in Maine and for very good reasons.
Anemone Cave was once a big attraction within Acadia National Park. Nowadays the cave is only known to those who have heard of it or have internet. The cave, at one point, was on maps and signs within the park. There even were once metal railings that aided adventure seekers down the cliffside at the cave entrance.
According to online blogs, the common idea behind why the cave was removed as an attraction stems from injuries and at least one death. Because the cave is tidal, rescues of injured hikers were dangerous. The cave floor is very slippery, consisting of seaweed and rock. According to one blog, a college student died after being trapped in the cave.
The man was an experienced rock climber. Accompanied by a friend and fellow climber, the two were attempting to climb inside the cave. The rising tide trapped one of the men inside the cave, where he drowned. Recuse efforts were hindered by poor weather and were eventually called off until morning after a rescuer located the man's body floating lifelessly in the cave. He was recovered the next morning.
We spoke to Acadia National Park as to why this marvel of nature isn't publicized as an attraction. In an email response, a park official said visitation to the cave is discouraged for multiple reasons. First, was damage to the anemones that live in the tide pools in and near the cave. Visitors were wading into the pools, causing population numbers to decrease.
The other reasons are visitor safety. If you don't account for the tides in a very conservative manner, you can become trapped by the tides or swept off the rocks. They also confirmed there was indeed a death in the cave related to the tides.
Some visitors clearly do struggle to understand the tidal forces at Acadia National Park. Case and point, Bar Island. Without fail, every year vehicles become trapped on the bar. Most recently, a car became stuck in the sand attempting to drive onto the island. Luckily the vehicle was towed to safety before the tide came in. However, others haven't been so lucky. In years past, numerous vehicles have gotten stuck and swallowed up by the rising water.
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