Roam Guide / Acadia National Park
Where?
Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine “We had Acadia National Park near the top of our list from the beginning,” says Amy about how they chose Maine for a recent nine day road trip. “It’s one of the most popular parks in the National Park Service for so many reasons.” Amy and Greg agreed to share all the details of why Acadia ranks high on so many travel bucket lists.
When to go?
Mid-April to early DecemberAlthough it’s possible to visit Acadia year-round, many of the park’s roads and trails are inaccessible during the winter months. Summer weather and fall colors bring the most visitors to the park. Expect heavier traffic at some of the more popular spots in and around the park.
The best time to visit (and when we booked our last trip to the park) is mid-September to the first week of October. Large tour groups have gone home by then and the trails clear out some as kiddos return to school. We were still treated to the early tints of fall colors, but didn’t experience the rush of leaf peepers that inevitably arrive at the park by mid-October.
How to get there?
From Minneapolis, we flew directly into Portland, Maine (PWM). Acadia National Park is located about 2 hours 55 minutes north up the coast of Maine from Portland. Given flight times, we landed and headed directly to the park in our rental car. Portland is of course another great travel destination, so consider working in a night on the front or back end of your trip to Acadia.
Where did you stay?
We stayed near Acadia National Park, including the gateway communities of Bar Harbor, Mt. Desert and Northeast Harbor. All have welcomed overnight visitors since the mid-1800’s. With such a long tourism history, it means there’s pretty much every accommodation arrangement you can imagine in the area. Bar Harbor alone has everything from historic waterfront properties like the Bayview Hotel and the Saltair Inn, to modern luxury hotels like West Street Hotel and AirBnB rentals.
During our stay in Acadia we split our time between the Harborside Hotel and the Blackwoods Campground. While Bar Harbor offers the best nightlife, restaurants and dining options the campground kept us closest to the hiking trails and ocean front sunrises.
Rtip: Campgrounds in Acadia are usually open from May to October with reservations allowed up to 3 months in advance. Blackwoods, Seawall and Schoodic Woods opened even earlier in 2021 so it’s important to plan ahead.
What should we do?
One of our favorite parts of visiting Acadia National Park was how much we could see and do in such a short period of time. So many of the sights in the western national parks require hours of driving. In Acadia, expect your days to be full of outdoor activities and adventures. Some must-see things we wouldn’t want anyone to miss include the following:
Depending on the time of the year, Cadillac Mountain, the tallest point in the park, is the first spot to see the sunrise in the lower 48. Bundling up in the early hours of the morning to catch the first glimpse of the day is one of the most popular things to do, and requires a vehicle reservation -even if it’s an early morning wake-up call on vacation. A $6 two-hour sunrise window or a 30-minute daytime reservation can both be obtained at Recreation.gov. If the crowds on Cadillac Mountain aren’t your style, there are plenty of other seaside spots to start the day.
Even though it’s one of the smaller national parks, Acadia has more than 120 miles of hiking trails. Some of the trails have been around since before the Civil War, offering both history and nature. Our favorite hikes from Acadia are a mix of easy and challenging, offering both views of the water and the fall colors. Check out the Dorr Mountain, Ocean Path, and Jordan Pond Shore Trail.
While most people experience Acadia National Park from the car or the trail, one of our favorite experiences was getting out for a sunset kayak cruise with Coastal Kayaking Tours. From Bar Harbor, a guide took us out for a paddle around Mount Desert Island and some of the outlying islands. Out on the water, you’re able to get a strong sense of why the Wabanaki tribes of Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Native Americans first called this area home, and why visitors have come here for generations ever since.
For more ideas on where to stay eat and play in Maine, see our road trippers guide to Coastal Highway 1.
Where should we eat when we’re there?
Whenever our national park adventures take us to a new part of the country, we try to choose one or two ‘local favorites’ and eat those foods at as many different places as we can during our trip. You get a strong sense for why it’s the famous dish, and how different restaurants take on traditional favorites. For our Acadia National Park trip, we searched out two of Maine’s most iconic food groups: lobster and blueberry pie.
Our Acadia travel guidebook recommended starting with Stewman’s Downtown Lobster Pound on the Bar Harbor waterfront. Fun atmosphere and full of tourists on vacation, not to mention a good lobster roll and pie. Our other Bar Harbor favorites for seafood and brunch were Geddy’s and Cafe This Way.
While exploring other parts of Mt Desert Island, we stopped in at a few other places well-known for affordable seafood and great blueberry pie. Try out Colonel’s Restaurant in Northeast Harbor for casual pub fare and terrific bakery. And for a traditional lobster boil in an eclectic, roadside attraction experience, try Ruth and Wimpy’s Restaurant in Hancock, Maine. There are 32 lobster combinations on the menu and an 11 foot fiberglass lobster in front of the restaurant.
Where can we grab a nice cocktail or a cold beer?
Two options for craft brewing near Acadia National Park come to mind. Atlantic Brewing Company has two locations on Mt. Desert Island and brews Acadia-themed brews. Local favorites include the Cadillac Mountain Stout and the Blueberry Ale. As you approach Mt. Desert Island, you’ll pass Airline Brewing Co. in Ellsworth, Maine.
One of the longest dining traditions in Acadia National Park is to grab coffee or tea and a popover at the Jordan Pond House. The lawn seating overlooking Jordan Pond has welcomed visitors here since 1893. Legend has it that the popovers are the same recipe.
What should we shop for, or bring back with us?
Two things made it into our suitcase during our time in Acadia National Park that we think everyone should save room for. The Bar Harbor Tea Company’s Wild Maine Blueberry tea became our morning ritual during our camping trip. Hand blended in the shop in Bar Harbor’s shopping district, it’s still one of our favorite teas. We still have it shipped to our home for whenever we need to brew up some Acadia seaside memories.
Also, keep your eyes out in the grocery stores and souvenir shops for Old Soaker Blueberry Soda. Brewed by Atlantic Brewing Company, the extra-fizzy pop captures everything we love about Maine blueberries. We think it’s best with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
What should we take with us on the trip?
Acadia weather can be unpredictable at best. It’s important to bring good rain gear along with warmer layers for the cool seaside morning and evenings. There are some great summer reads set in the cottages and resorts around Acadia and Bar Harbor. Don’t forget to stash one of those in your beach bag.
Tell us something we don't know?
Acadia wasn’t always known as Acadia. When the park opened in 1916, it went by the name Sieur de Monts National Monument (a nod to a French colonist and settler in the area). In 1919, the park was renamed Lafayette National Park before being switched again in 1929 to Acadia National Park.
What’s the one can’t miss item on your itinerary?
While the shore of Sand Beach and Hunter’s Beach welcome far more visitors, one small and secluded spot worth stopping is Little Hunter’s Beach. Located on the southern section of Park Loop Road, it’s a tiny marker on the park’s map without a lot of parking. Most people drive right past it on their way back to Bar Harbor.
After a short climb down a wooden staircase, you’ll come to a tiny cove with a pebble beach. From there, get close to the water and get quiet.
“The ocean waves here make the cobblestones ‘sing’ as they slowly roll them up and down the shore. It’s an incredible, hidden gem in the park.”
What would you’d do differently next time?
Our only regret for Acadia was having to head home so soon. We easily could have spent another two or three days in the park, hiking more trails and spending more time on the water. While we were glad to have four days in the park on our way to see Maine’s other national parks, we could have spent more time. We would have traveled to the Schoodic Peninsula area of the park and explored the Bass Head Lighthouse. Two spots on our list for next time!
