r/acadianationalpark

Hello, my husband and I are planning a trip for middle of May next year. I’m in the early stages of planning and I’ve been doing a lot of research. We have never been to the east coast before so I was curious what we need to be prepared for and some of the best places to hit. We will have six days. I’m thinking we will probably camp a few nights and possibly then stay in a different type of accommodation for the other nights. I know with this time of year the weather can be unpredictable and lean towards the chiller side. We are pretty avid hikers so we are definitely planning on hitting trials but would also like to see what there is outside the park.

Hi all, it's our first time going to the park and we're stoked. We only have a few days, so this is what we are prioritizing, but curious to hear thoughts from those who've been to Acadia:

Day 1: Cadillac Mt. South Ridge Trail

Day 2: Jordan Pond + Bubble Loop

Day 3: Beehive/Gorham/Ocean Path/Otter Point. We'll hit Wonderland and Ship Harbor trails later in the afternoon, before sunset.

The thought was to do Beehive/Gorham/Ocean Path/Otter Point in one go so we could get to the Sand Beach lot early and minimize days dealing with parking in that area. I know that would include double backing on the Ocean Path, but it sounds very scenic and easy.

I’m going to Maine the second week of Sept. and we’ll be staying in Orland, but also spending a lot of our time in Acadia and potentially Bar Harbor area (itinerary is more of a day by day - suggestions for this welcome as well!).

My main question is how do I dress, especially to hike? I’ve been reading that mid 60’s during the day and low 50’s at night are common. But when yall are hiking do you get hot in pants and long sleeves because you’re moving? Or is that the correct attire? Should I just wear layers and shed?

I’m just really trying not to overpack because that’s always a fault of mine lol. Also for casual wear, of course I’m bringing jeans but short sleeves, light long sleeves, sweaters? And we may be going on some sort of boat tour (AKA out on the ocean) and I’m assuming that can get chilly?

Thanks in advance everyone :) I’m used to September in Colorado and the hot midwest so I’m trying to gauge where it’s at 😂

We're going to drive the loop- coming from northeast of island. AI tells me I don't have to take a U-turn from Paradise Hill Rd, but there are cars doing U-turns on Google maps street view. We want to get the whole loop in one drive. Any advice?

We will be near Acadia over labor day weekend. Looking for the most beautiful hike recommendations. Wanted: vast views, good rock scramble, hard category, preferably loop, about 7-8 miles. Not Cadillac and not Beehive ( did both a couple of times). And in a separate note, if we did Beehive easily 3 times ( kids were 10-14 at the time), looking at Precipice, how daring is that (kid is 15 now).

We recently visited with 2 kids ages 3 and 6 so wanted to share our itinerary as I found a lot of helpful information here when planning our trip:

DAY 1
arrive in Bangor, rental car pickup
pick up groceries from Walmart in Ellsworth
arrive at Terramor (Birch Tent with bunk beds)
dinner at Abel's (did have to wait about 30 minutes for indoor table, they do have an outdoor bar for drinks and snacks with beautiful scenery)
return to Terramor for campfire and smores
DAY 2
breakfast at Terramor lodge (served 7 am - 10 am)
drive to Hulls Cove Visitor Center (for passport stamping and gift shop)
take Island Explorer to Sieur de Mont Nature Center
walk Jesup Path
take Island Explorer to Thunder Hole
walk Ocean Path to Sand Beach for picnic lunch
take Island Explorer to Jordan Pond for popovers and blueberry ice cream (kids were too tired to walk Jordan Pond Path)
return to Terramor for swimming (they have an outdoor heated pool)
dinner at Mainely Meat BBQ/Atlantic Brewing (great spot for kids with outdoor playground and live music)
return to Terramor for campfire and smores
DAY 3
breakfast at Terramor lodge
drive to Cadillac Mountain for 10 am timed reservation
Echo Lake for picnic lunch and play in sand/water, much less crowded than Sand Beach
drive to Bass Harbor Lighthouse (small parking lot, did have to wait about 15 minutes), kids were too tired to walk Wonderland Trail
stop in Southwest Harbor for coffee and ice cream at Saint Dreux's, visit Quietside Shop
return to Terramor, dinner at lodge that evening
DAY 4
breakfast at Terramor lodge
pack and check out at 11 am
arrive to Harborside Hotel in Bar Harbor (we had a bunk bed room for kids)
had lunch across the street at West Street Cafe
met with friends from Bangor for boat ride with Acadian Boat Tours (we saw Egg Rock Lighthouse, seals, and bald eagles)
dinner at Stewman's lobster pound
explore Bar Harbor 
DAY 5
coffee and breakfast at the Stadium, walk to Agamont Park
walk to Bar Island during low tide (was approximately 10 am this day)
return to Harborside for pool day and poolside lunch
Trolley ride of downtown Bar Harbor
dinner at Side Street Cafe
walk to Village Green, ice cream at Mount Desert Island Ice Cream, explore shops on Main Street
DAY 6
coffee and breakfast at Acadia Perk, walk the Shore Path
drive to Schoodic Point, explore and picnic lunch (there are some restaurants available on this side but we had groceries we wanted to use), great spot for tide pooling
drive to Corea, Maine for "catch your lobster" boat tour, this was excellent and highly recommend! we saw seals, bald eagles, puffins, and Petit Mana Lighthouse; dinner with full lobster, dinner roll, and corn on the cob is included at the end of the tour, it is BYOB
return to Harborside, ordered pizza from room service and had a movie night in
DAY 7
breakfast at Jeannie's Great Maine Breakfast
return to Bangor airport, return rental car and depart

Let me know if you have any questions!

We are currently planning a day trip to Acadia National Park as part of our honeymoon. We will be driving up from Camden and aren’t looking to do any real hiking but willing to walk to see a good view or two. One, what places should we see and two, where should we eat? We are huge foodies and love trying curated cocktails and food. We are budgeting mainly for food so any price rec is accepted and we want a lobster roll to be at least one of our meals.

First off, Schoodic is not likely an option. as much as it’s on my list, it probably won’t be this year.

we’ve done all the popular places, but I’m sure we still have lots to see. we stay at Seawall campground, and I love the southern coast there. we always do ships harbor and wonderland. we usually do echo lake and the surrounding hikes are some of our favorites.

we love bar harbor for the food, but it’s always hell to park. regardless, we end up there 2-3 times throughout the week. that being said, what are the best low-medium cost restaurants in BH that we may have missed?

any suggestions appreciated.

we took a trip to the Canary Islands this past spring and it was incredible. I’m trying to find something new on MDI that we haven’t experienced yet.

They were choppering someone out at about 12:45 pm today, Sunday, August 16.

Visiting tomorrow with 3 toddlers. Originally had a few small hikes planned and we have passes to do the Cadillac mountain drive around noon. Is there anything we can still do in the park if it’s rainy?

I am visiting Bar Harbor on a cruise soon for one day. I had booked an excursion through the company to visit the park, only to discover that there will be a $100 additional charge, which is not covered in my booking. Sufficed to say, the fee would more than double the cost of my excursion and while I would have loved to visit the park, the money I will save can be put to better use elsewhere.

I intend to spend at least a few hours in Bar Harbor itself, but I was wondering if there are any places people would recommend visiting in the area where I would avoid the $100 fee? I was looking at Bar Island, only to discover that it is part of the park too.

Hello! I am having a hard time finding a baby carrier (hiking backpack) for rent this fall. We are traveling from Boston to the park and could pick up along the way if we can’t find a rental in bar harbor area.

Edit: we are traveling from out of state to Boston, then driving up. We don’t want to deal with checking it with an airline or buying one then having to ship or put on the plane to get it home.

We're planning a trip in mid-late Oct. One of the people in our group wants to see Stephen King's house in Bangor. I want us to go over to Acadia NP.

I had just planned on us staying in Bangor since I've heard Bar Harbor can be pricey and an hour drive is fine for us.

We'll be driving up from Salem, stopping around Augusta before heading towards Bangor on a Wed, Acadia is the plan for Thur, then we fly out of Portland on Fri.

Before I make hotel reservations for Wed & Thu night in Bangor, I wanted to ask - are there any other cities/towns that we should consider instead?

Going to be in Acadia next week. Looking for suggestions for hikes, activities, restaurants, any other stops, for a family of 4 with kids ages 9 and 11. Thanks in advance!