A 3 Day Guide to Acadia National Park
Watch your step as you climb the rocks around Thunder Hole.
After having multiple personal trips cancelled this year, my family decided that we needed a nature getaway, so we decided to make the 8 hour drive to Acadia National Park in Maine. Acadia National Park is located on Mount Desert Island (MDI), but no worries, you can drive to it. We booked a house via Airbnb in Lamoine, Maine, about a 30-40 minute drive outside of the park and bought our park pass in advance and online for $30 for one vehicle. I helped plan our days in the park, keeping in mind that it was my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and my 14 month old niece. While we only were in the area for 3 ish days, we definitely could have spent more time exploring all that the park had to offer. We enjoyed the fresh air, beautiful sights, and had delicious lobster rolls and blueberry pie during our stay.
When we arrived, we considered it a travel day, so we didn’t make any concrete plans, but we did enjoy lunch at Acadia Lobster & BBQ Co. We decided to check out Lamoine Beach, a rocky beach about 2 miles down the road from our stay. If you are planning to cook while you’re on vacation and need to pick up some food, there’s a Hannaford’s and Walmart in the area. We opted to have breakfast (pick up some delicious treats at Sugar Bakery) at our stay and also got some food to make dinner a few nights (Don’t worry we still had lobster and other seafood throughout the trip!). With our Airbnb out of the way, and most of our intensive excursions planned for the mornings, we avoided much of the afternoon crowds. It also helped that we went mid-September, where we avoided the crowds of Labor Day and October fall foliage seekers. This helped a lot with social distancing.
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Day 1:
We kicked off Acadia National Park by starting at the Ocean Path - a 4.5 mile out and back trail. We mistakenly drove past the parking lot at Sand Beach and because Park Loop Road is a one-day road, we had to park at the next lot along the loop. From there we walked to Thunder Hole - a natural rock inlet where waves crash with a thunderous boom. Initially, the path is adjacent to the roadway, but does eventually disappear into a more wooded area along the water. From Otter Cliff Lookout, you can watch some rock climbers scale the adjacent cliffs. You can then continue down the trail to the end of the peninsula at Otter Point, where you can climb more outcroppings for the perfect photo.
Much of the Ocean Path is adjacent to the roadway, but also the beautiful water where you can easily climb out onto the rocks and relax.
The best time to visit Thunder Hole is 2 hours before or around high tide. Check online for when high and low tide will be during your trip.
We avoided a lot of the crowds during the first half since we started the Ocean Path a little before 9am. We eventually made our way to Sand Beach where my family enjoyed the sun and some snacks, while my brother-in-law went into the water. I dipped my feet in and it was freezing, so don’t expect warm waters in September. For lunch, we drove into Bar Harbor and ate at Side Street Cafe. If you’re not browsing the local shops, take a seat and people watch from the Village Green.
We wrapped up our first evening by going on a sunset boat tour using Acadian Boat Tours. We sat on the top deck, where you could sit in every other row. Wear layers because it’ll be very cold and windy. Gabby, our naturalist/guide, and the other staff were very kind and helpful, whether it was answering any questions we had or offering us extra blankets. We learned a lot of history about the island itself, the summer cottages that lined the coast, and the animal life that can be found in the local waters. We were lucky to see some seals in the waters!
The water at Sand Beach was very cold at this time of year, but a lot of people were still sitting around.
I enjoyed a lobster melt and blueberry soda for lunch:)
Our boat tour showcased the beautiful cottages and towering cliffs that dotted the shoreline.
DAY 2:
We returned to the same area of the park and parked at the Sand Beach Parking Lot where our group split up. My brother-in-law wanted to tackle the Beehive Trail, which involves scaling up the side of a mountain via iron rungs and handrails. Because my family is less experienced, my sister was using her baby hiking carrier, and my mild fear of heights, the rest of our group decided to pursue the Great Head Trail. There’s a separate Great Head Trail parking lot, but you can access the trail from the other side of Sand Beach. Unbeknownst to us, we didn’t realize how much “rock scramble” was involved at the beginning of the trail (counter-clockwise) from the beach entrance. The rocks were manageable, but for my sister with a baby carrier and my parents it was a bit more difficult. There are some great viewing points of Sand Beach, the peak that my brother-in-law was climbing, and the water in general. Be careful to note that the Great Head Trail has a short and long loop, so look for signage or else you’ll walk an extra mile around.
My sister was able to complete the hike with her baby strapped in their Osprey hiking child carrier.
We had some great views of the places we went to the day prior, like the Ocean Path and Sand Beach.
We took a snack break on the beach before heading out to the Wild Gardens of Acadia. The Wild Gardens (free admission) are an unsuspecting garden that showcases typical habitats found on Mount Desert Island. The live gardens have over 300 native species and are labeled to make identification easy for everyone. Adjacent to the Wild Gardens is the entrance to the Jesup Path. There’s a narrow boardwalk and occasional information stations covered by a beautiful canopy. Some of the leaves were beginning to turn, but I could only imagine how nice the Jesup Path would be during peak foliage. The path continues through a field, where you can eventually loop right to Hemlock Road (another trail that brings you back) or just walk the same path back.
For lunch, we drove to the town of Ellsworth outside of MDI, which is a 35 minutes drive from the main Bar Harbor area. We ate riverside at Union River Lobster Pot. We then stopped by Acadia Provisions and Global Beverage Warehouse nearby to grab some local meat and drinks for a barbecue dinner and bonfire that evening.
After going to the Wild Gardens of Acadia, try to identify some of the plants along the path.
Union River Lobster Pot offered a lot of outdoor socially distanced seating options.
Don’t forget to pick up some local / regional drinks to enjoy!
DAY 3:
We woke up dark and early to get ready for the 6:14 sunrise at Cadillac Mountain, which is the first place in the US to see the sunrise from October - March. My sister and the baby didn’t join us because it was too early and too cold. When we arrived at the peak around 5:30am, the parking lot was practically full. Bring a blanket and a coffee to keep yourself warm. The sunrise hits differently when you’re purposely trying to seek it. Unfortunately my family didn’t get the chance to come back to Cadillac Mountain at any other point, but the sunrise view was still beautiful.
The sun rise is difficult to capture in all its glory.
Have the Jordan Pond loop all to yourself if you visit immediately after sunrise.
It didn’t make much sense to drive all the way back to the Airbnb yet, so we decided to scope out Jordan Pond. Heading in with only intentions of walking for 30 minutes or so, we ended up doing the entire 3.5 mile loop! We started on the right hand side, where the trail is mostly a compact dirt/gravel path. Eventually we met a few rocks that required some proper footing. The path was supposed to meet the boardwalk portion of the trail, but the signage directed us to a detour through the woods due to some park renovations. It was nicely shaded with soft ground, but you had to watch out for a lot of tree roots. We finally made it to the open portion of the boardwalk, where you walk along a narrow wooden pathway. By the time we got to the boardwalk, we started to pass a few more groups of people coming in our direction. The boardwalk was nice, but I felt semi-rushed and unappreciative of the views since I had to constantly watch my feet and oncoming traffic. Because my family started so early, we didn’t really run into anyone for the first half (thankfully), but once we got to the boardwalk, we realized how difficult it must be to do this loop during peak times.
We headed back to our Airbnb to eat breakfast and rest before we headed back to MDI. We easily found parking at the Town Pier and walked along the Bar Harbor Shore Path. At the end of the path, you can turn right and follow the side street back onto Bar Harbor’s Main St. We grabbed a few souvenirs, ice cream from Jordan Pond Ice Cream & Fudge, and sat on the grassy hill of Agamont Park. Eventually, we made our way to Bar Island a few blocks away, where you can walk on a sandbar during low tide. We eventually grabbed some takeout from The Travelin’ Lobster and called it a night.
The narrow boardwalk winds around trees and is fun to walk on, but makes it difficult to pass other groups and oncoming traffic.
My mom was extra careful when climbing over the rocks at the Jordan Pond Loop.
The Bar Harbor Shore Paths has plenty of seating opportunities, so you can enjoy the view.
Grab some ice cream and enjoy the sea breeze at Agamont Park.
Tips:
Use AllTrails beforehand to scope out suitable trails. You can filter for difficulty, distance, accessibility, pet-friendly, etc.
Start early. My family started most of our trails by 8:30am. You have more of the park to yourself if you can beat the morning crowds.
While you can access some areas of the park via other roads, much of Park Loop Road is 1-way, so plan accordingly.
You probably will eat lobster during your stay, but don’t forget to grab some delicious blueberry treats like blueberry pies, whoopie pies, and soda. We tried 3 different blueberry pies and 3 different blueberry sodas!
Pack layers.
If you have the time, drive the entire scenic Park Loop Road. There will plentiful beautiful spots you don’t want to miss.
Leave no trace! The park was very clean, but we did see a few stray masks unfortunately.