BAR HARBOR, Maine — The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (MDACF) released its final foliage report Wednesday as fall foliage season approaches an end. But the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce said the colorful leaves are still raking in revenue for the city and surrounding towns.
According to the chamber, tourists from all over the world visit the area each October when foliage is at its peak.
"We’ve heard such good things about the foliage and just all the pretty colors," Taylor Bockman said.
She and her husband Jerry Bockman traveled from Boston to visit Acadia National Park to the see the changing colors of fall.
Tourist Jamie Schlossar said he and his wife flew in from San Francisco to get an up close and personal look.
"We came up to see the changing of leaves all up and down the east coast," he said.
As tourists flood the area to sightsee during fall foliage, many wind up patronizing several local businesses and mom and pop shops like Ben and Bill's Chocolate Emporium.
Owner of Ben and Bill's, Bill Coggins, said fall foliage is one of his favorite times of the year.
"It’s the key season for the stores," Coggins said. "This is when you actually make your money."
Fall foliage season is one of the many seasons Bar Harbor's economy depends on.
Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Everal Eaton said according to last year's park visitation report, more than 500,000 tourists visited Acadia in October.
Eaton said each tourist spends an average of $120 in each day in the city and in surrounding areas.
"Each day, the park has an economic impact for Bar Harbor and the surrounding towns of about $1.73 million per day," Eaton said.
Although tourism and traffic at Acadia National Park and in Bar Harbor are steady, fall foliage spokesperson for MDACF Gale Ross said foliage looks a little different this year.
"We had a wet summer, and then of course we had Hurricane Lee and Tropical Storm Phillipe come up the eastern coast," Ross said. "That indicates to me that if there was any foliage on the trees, it got knocked down early by those two storms."
Ross said the late color changing makes it hard to forecast foliage peaking, but Taylor and Jerry say they’re enjoying the scenery regardless.
"The rain and the storms have made it not what it usually is, but it’s still pretty good for what we’re used to," Bockman said. "It’s definitely still worth coming to."
Even though the season is coming to an end, the MDACF's latest foliage report said tourists who want to catch the final bright colors of the season can visit Down East and coastal parts of the state.
Eaton said there's still plenty of time to see fall leaves during the last two weeks of October. Click here to find MDACF's foliage sightseeing suggestions.