Travel Itinerary: Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, Maine

Your vacation in the picturesque bayside town of Bar Harbor, Maine awaits! Stay in the heart of town, walking distance to all restaurants and shops, and a five-minute drive to Acadia National Park. Acadia National Park is a top 10 most-visited national park in the United States. Primarily on Maine’s Mount Desert Island, the park has plenty of hiking trails, rocky beaches and granite peaks to explore!

Day 1: Welcome to Maine

Welcome to Maine, “The Way Life Should Be” or ‘Vacationland’ as the license plates say! Once you arrive in Bar Harbor, check into your hotel and grab lunch in town.

Logistics: When we visited Bar Harbor, we made a pit stop in the town of Boothbay Harbor, Maine. You can find the full itinerary of our long weekend in Boothbay here as well as a video on our visit and stay here. After our stop-over in Boothbay, we drove another 2 hours to Bar Harbor, a short and scenic drive. If you’re flying into Bar Harbor, Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport is within town (Cape Air offers flights to/from Boston year-round).

Accommodations: Book a room at the Inn on Mount Desert. The Inn features 31 new rooms in the heart of downtown Bar Harbor’s Historic Corridor, about a five-minute walk from the Village Green. The rooms are spacious and comfortable, furnished in a coastal cottage design. Several rooms feature their own private terrace or balcony overlooking Mount Desert Street or the grounds. Each morning they serve a complimentary breakfast (even during the COVID-19 pandemic).

Day 2: Schoodic Peninsula

Unknown to most, Acadia NP actually extends across the bay from Bar Harbor to the Schoodic peninsula. To get here, you need to hop in your car and take the 1 hour loop around to the less crowded, and remote peninsula. In order to visit a national park you need to purchase a park pass for the length of your visit. All visitors at Acadia National Park are required to have and display a park entrance pass from their vehicle from May through October. They ask that you print your pass prior to arriving to the park and to display it on your dashboard.

The Schoodic Peninsula drive is a 6 mile, one-way loop road offering views of rocky coast, lighthouses, seabirds, and forested islands. You can use the vehicle turnouts to stop and enjoy the scenery. Make your way along the road to Schoodic Point for the most amazing views of the coastline.

After leaving Schoodic point, drive approximately one mile until you reach the Blueberry Hill Parking Area. Across the road is a trailhead for the Alder trail. Hike the moderate 2-mile loop from the Alder Trail over to the Schoodic Head Trail and down the Anvil Trail. We did this hike carrying our 2-year-old and 2-month-old and it was a good hike for families - but, to be clear, our 2-year-old could not have hiked it without being carried. Watch the video of our adventure here for detailed information about the hike! For our daughter, we use this child carrier, which we take on all hikes like this (especially if we don’t expect her to walk the entire time).

Logistics: The Schoodic Peninsula is approximately a 1 hr and 15 minute drive from the Inn on Mount Desert via ME-3 W and US-1 N.

Day 3: Jordan Pond Loop

Cruise over to the neighboring Mount Desert Island side of Acadia National Park! Walk the Jordan Pond Loop Trail. The trail is an easy 3-mile loop around Jordan Pond, providing beautiful views of the mountainous backdrop. During our trip there, we had trouble finding a parking spot in the Jordan Pond parking lot (and the nearby Jordan Pond House parking lot). However, there is plenty of parking nearby, and with clearly marked signage throughout the park, it is easy to make your way to Jordan Pond House/loop (for more information, check out this video of our experience).

It is also highly recommended to stop by the Jordan Pond House after the loop. There is outdoor seating with a beautiful view of Jordan Pond. We have been told by many people that the popovers are “to die for”.

Logistics: Acadia National Park is primarily on Maine's Mount Desert Island, so it is approximately a 5 minute drive from downtown Bar Harbor or The Inn on Mount Desert.

Day 4: Explore town of Bar Harbor

Take the day to relax and explore the quaint coastal beauty of Bar Harbor. Slow down a bit, and enjoy the stunning views of local islands and the ocean.

During low tide, a sand and gravel bar appears that connects Bridge Street in Bar Harbor to Bar Island. You can walk across the sand bar to the island or, if you have small children, search within the formed tide pools for crabs and star fish!

When we visited we grabbed lunch at Finback Alehouse. The beer menu was expansive, with lots of local options, and the lobster roll was delicious! Afterwards, we stopped in at Jordan Pond Ice Cream & Fudge for $1 scoops (due to it being their last day open for the season, we traveled in October). We also grabbed coffee and fudge at Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium. The ice cream and fudge were equally delectable.

Day 5: Cadillac Mountain and Sand Beach

Hop back over to Acadia National Park again today and visit Cadillac Mountain and Sand Beach! Check out our video for our experience at both locations! At 1,529 feet, Cadillac Mountain is the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard and the first place to see the sunrise in the United States from October 7th through March 6th! If you can’t get there for sunrise, no big deal, the views are beautiful regardless of the time of day or the weather forecast. We visited on a rainy day and the views were still gorgeous.

Sand Beach (lacking a bit of creativity on the name…) is a cove-style beach, most popular for swimming, hiking and scenic views. After you leave the beach, you may notice the sand is difficult to get off of the skin…this is because the “sand” is mainly comprised of shell fragments due to the thousands of years of pounding surf created by the beach itself. Sand Beach has changing rooms and restrooms available (next to the parking area), as well as, a lifeguard on duty from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

For more sightseeing after Sand Beach, head over to Thunder Hole. It’s probably easiest to drive there from Sand Beach, and is on your way out of the park anyway. Otherwise, there is an oceanside trail, accessible from the upper parking lot of Sand Beach, you can follow along the water to Thunder Hole. The Ocean Path is approximately 2 miles in total distance and offers beautiful sights along the way. About half-way along the path is Thunder Hole, the name is derived from when the waves and the tide are just right, you will hear a signature sound that is similar to thunder.

Day 6: Final Day - Explore Bar Harbor or surrounding towns

Consider this day an “open day” to do what you wish! During our trip, we stayed at an Airbnb in a surrounding town to Bar Harbor, Sorrento. Sorrento is located in coastal Hancock County and is a well-known fishing and summer resort community. It is only 14 miles from the Schoodic Peninsula section of Acadia. Our house was right across from the water, we enjoyed spectacular views of Bar Harbor and the mountains of Mount Desert Island every morning and every evening.

For information on our MUST-HAVES when traveling with the girls, check out our travel gear page!

As always, live presently and travel often!