Acadia National Park: 5 must-try activities
Acadia National Park is such a beautiful park! Located in Maine, along the Atlantic Ocean, it is full of trails, wildlife, flowers, lakes, and mountains.
It is huge, too! There’s Deer Isle and Isle au Haut, Blue Hill Peninsula, the Ellsworth and Trenton area, the Schoodic Peninsula… but we stayed on Mt Desert Island and Bar Harbor. Remember that if you are planning to go in the park with your vehicle, you will need to pay a fee. It’s easy to not use your car, though, with the free shuttle Island Explorer.
We tried to pack in a lot of activities in four days: none of these activities are too strenuous so we could have another adventure the next day, they are varied and gave us a good sample of the beauty of Acadia National Park!
So without further ado, here’s my top 5!
Summit a Mountain… or Two!
Take a free shuttle from the Hulls Cove Visitor Center to Jordan Pond, and from there you can choose from many trails. We opted for one that would have us summit two mountains, Penobscot at 1,194’, and Sargent at 1,373’. On this same hike we also got to swim in a lake!
Even though these mountains are not very high, some of the inclines can be steep. You’ll be mostly on rocks, and very exposed after a certain altitude.
Beware of trail closures (we had to modify our way down because of some trails being closed to protect nesting birds), make sure you have a map, take plenty of water and sunscreen… and, if you choose this particular hike, don’t forget your swimsuit!
To see the video of this hike, click here!
Go Whale Watching
What an incredible experience it is to see animals in the wild!
For less than $100/person, you can go on a whale-watching tour right from Bar Harbor and try your luck. The tour organizers can’t promise you’ll see whales, but if you’re there at the right season and you’re lucky, you might see some… and other animals as well! On our afternoon tour, we were lucky enough to see dolphins, a basking shark, and very playful humpback whales! I can convey the beauty much better in a video than in a photo for this, so click here to see them!
The boats always stay at a respectable distance from the animals, so make sure you have binoculars or a good zoom/lens on your camera. And no matter what the temperature when you leave Bar Harbor, it will be colder and windier once you’re out on the Atlantic Ocean, so pack an extra layer or two—one for warmth, one for wind protection. Don’t forget water and sunglasses.
Hike Jordan Pond
The trail around Jordan Pond is beautiful for the views of the pond, the views of some of the mountains around, and the forest it goes through. The loop is about 3 miles.
Because the loop alternates between gravel, stone, earth, and a narrow boardwalk, I wouldn’t qualify this hike as easy, but there’s no real elevation change.
To see the video of this hike, click here!
You can take a free shuttle from the visitor center at the entrance of the park, but we actually combined this hike with our day of biking around the park on the carriage roads…
Bike the carriage roads
One particularity of Acadia National Park is its carriage roads, gravel roads where no vehicles are allowed, a system gifted by John D. Rockefeller. People use them for hiking and running, but also biking! The roads definitely go up and down, giving you nice views along the way, so be prepared for some exercise.
You can rent a bike in town at several places, and they all seemed to offer similar services and prices. If you’re visiting during a busy period, I’d highly recommend making a reservation at least the day before your bike adventure.
Pack a lunch and plenty of water, check for road closures (for construction or storms) and explore as much as you’d like of the 45 miles available! You’ll see many bridges, a waterfall or two, flowers, lakes… and don’t forget to smell the forest!
To see the video of this adventure, click here!
Explore Bar Harbor and its museum
One great and easy way to explore Bar Harbor is to take one of the free L.L. Bean shuttles (the Island Explorer) that goes from the Visitor Center to downtown and then explore on foot. That way you don’t have to worry about parking. If you’re staying in a hotel or Airbnb on its route, even better!
The town is easy to explore on foot, there are many restaurants, a cool café, bookstores, and souvenirs shops. If you’re planning on staying late, make sure you can walk back to your lodging. You can easily walk along the shore of the Atlantic Ocean and watch the sun set from town. And don’t forget to try a blueberry-based product—I loved the blueberry soda: it’s all the rage in Maine!
There is a small but worthwhile museum in the heart of Bar Harbor called Abbe Museum that is well worth the visit. Check their hours so you can organize your time, and head on over to learn about the history and culture of the Native peoples of Maine.
These adventures are only the beginning: Acadia National Park has so much to offer that we will definitely have to come back!