BSP Reservations - backed up big time

[peakbagger]

I have seen a few references out there that getting reservations for this summer at BSP is quite difficult. Many of the reservations that formerly were available on line, are now phone in only. The park office is not open for walk ins and there are only 3 reservations clerks working in the office. The reservations line is perpetually busy and looking at the popular sites they are booked the day they are available via rolling reservations.

 

[Kyle D]

I agree. I haven't seen it this booked up or difficult to get through in the close to 10 years I've been making annual reservations. It's not just the popular spots - I couldn't get reservations to the remote back country spots away from Katahdin that in the past I've had no issue calling and getting around the 4 month date. Made reservations for plan B but I was a bit shocked when scrolling through the back country sites for the months of July and August - way more booked up than in the past.

 

[DayTrip]

Agree with Kyle D. I was fairly shocked when I logged in online to book my usual late Summer vacation at South Branch. I usually have my choice of camp sites along the back loop of the campground and the only open site left was the one right off the day parking lot area. Was seriously bummed out. I think not surprisingly the vacation season this year will be truly insane. Can only begin to imagine the stories, the rescues, etc.

 

[TCD]

This is not surprising; traffic in "outdoor activities" is way up all over the region. Another example is that local bike shops cannot get parts for routine maintenance.

Many people newly "discovered" outdoor activities last year during the pandemic. For some of those folks, it will be a "just that year" thing. But for others, they will find out that these activities are fun, and their interest will continue. Result is a large, permanent uptick in traffic.

My impression is that "managers" have not planned adequately for this uptick in traffic, even though it has been obvious for a long time, even to "bystanders," that this was coming.

(From Google: "At the most fundamental level, management is a discipline that consists of a set of five general functions: planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling.")

 

[skiguy]

Not BSP but last weekend in The Whites many lots were full and tickets were being issued for roadside parking. It's going to be a busy Summer. Maybe we will get lucky and it will be a really bad bug year. https://giphy.com/gifs/1995-mosquito-8LfaJlBxiSq2c/tile

 

[arm]

I had no issues reserving an august BSP backpack yesterday ... had to wait on hold for 5 minutes (chillin' to jazzy hold music to bide the time) but was able to set up a fun trip in august ...

BSP reservations page shows "real time" site availability ... had to change my original plans due to someone snagging a back-country site that I had my sights set on (which showed up as available before 8am) ... I called in at 8:05am and someone cleverer than me called in at 8 sharp and snagged that site ... no big deal, ended up with a better option for hiking North Peaks Trail, which has been on my wish list for a while ...

I like the phone-in option, compared to the mail-in-only options that BSP offered before they went online and upgraded their reservation system ...

 

[peakbagger]

You will love the North Peaks trail on a nice day. There is so little traffic that you cannot avoid stepping on the lichen on the rocks. There is tempting side trip to hit an open prominent ledge that I expect has a great view down into the Northwest basin Its on a continuation of the ridge about 3800 distance in feet by my USGS map starting near the point where the trail diverges to the right off the ridge (while traveling north). Its quite visible from the trail but the intervening scrub may make it a hard earned view. The crossing of Wassatquoik Stream just short of the NW basin trail could be "interesting" during high water.

I would be hard pressed to recommend doing it on windy wet day as the first half is pure exposure, not even any rocks to hide behind.

 

[arm]

i'm a fan of hard earned views ... we've earned a few on Baxter bushwhacks over the years ...

GO spoke highly of the North Peaks Trail after hiking it in the 90's, on a trip where he had spotted caribou that had been reintroduced into the park ... unfortunately the caribou didn't last ... odd how caribou haven't lasted in Maine but they're easy to spot in the Chic Chocs 200 miles north ...

 

[peakbagger]

The post project analysis of the caribou project was the researchers at UMaine did a lo to things wrong. The Canadians made recommendations that were ignored. One of biggies was to bring them to UMaine prior to reintroduction. The UMaine facility had a high deer population and there is a brain worm that is relatively harmless to healthy deer that most likely was present. Unfortunately caribou are less tolerant than deer and if under stress they are more vulnerable to it. The Canadians recommend a direct transfer from a healthy non roaming herd of caribou to BSP. Many enemies were made with the project and its unlikely there will ever be another attempt even if the climate was not warming.