Acadia National Park: 3 Day Itinerary
Acadia National Park is one of the most popular national parks in the United States and for good reason. It is the only national park in the Northeast and its location in Maine along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean are unmatched. This is by far one of our favorite places we have been to. The lakes, the trees, hikes and stunning ocean views are spectacular. In particular we found the hikes here to be among the best as far as scenery and uniqueness of the trails.
You could easily spend a whole week here, but if you only have a few days like we did this guide is for you.
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Where to Stay
Bar Harbor is one of the most charming small towns we’ve ever been to and definitely one of the best towns located next to a National Park. We highly recommend staying in Bar Harbor. You won’t have to fight parking in downtown Bar Harbor when going on to eat as you can park at your accommodations and walk everywhere. It is extremely walkable.
One thing you will find is Bar Harbor is full of idyllic bed and breakfast style inns and hotels. We love this vibe especially when you are vacationing in a small town and out and about exploring nature.
Prices are higher than other places we have traveled, but we found some good mid-range options that suited our needs for a romantic, comfortable stay without breaking the bank. All of these are located in Bar Harbor and are walkable to anywhere downtown.
Here are three great options for your stay in Bar Harbor:
Acadia House Inn
This is where we ended up staying on our trip and loved it. The Acadia House Inn has 9 queen/king rooms with private bathrooms. Our room was on the smaller side, but had a huge bathroom and private deck we were able to utilize on nice evenings. The innkeepers were attentive and friendly; we immediately felt welcomed. We loved the cozy vibes and the fresh breakfasts were outstanding. You get your choice each day from a small menu offering things like omelettes, fresh Maine blueberry pancakes and parfaits.
Bar Harbor Grand Hotel
If you are looking for a more traditional hotel option then Bar Harbor Grand Hotel is a good option. I say “traditional”, but not in the modern sense. It is a replica of a historic gilded-age hotel and is stunning from the inside out. You can choose from queen/king rooms, suites and rooms with kitchenettes. The hotel features a continental breakfast and you’ll have access to their heated pool and hot tub.
Atlantean Cottage
This bed and breakfast is a little more pricey than the Acadia House Inn, but offers some gorgeous rooms with a bit more space. Featuring 6 guest rooms and two suites all with private baths, there’s a room here to suit your needs. Their breakfast menu looks absolutely delicious with a two-course meal of an appetizer and entree. You’ll also have access to fresh fruit all day and a freshly baked goodie in the afternoons.
Park Tips, Passes & Timed Reservation
Since Acadia is so popular we really recommend trying to avoid visiting on the weekends if at all possible. Weekends are full of both travelers and locals visiting the beautiful park. If you can only swing a weekend, that’s fine just be aware you’ll be sharing the trails with many people.
If you truly want to avoid the crowds then you will also want to visit in a shoulder season like spring. Acadia is popular throughout the summer and fall. We opted to visit during a week in October since we wanted to see the fall foliage, but made sure to schedule our trip during the weekdays. It was still very busy, but not enough where we were worried about finding a parking spot or waiting in lines.
Get up early to start your hikes! You can beat the crowds if you get there before 8 or 9 am and have some time with the trails to yourself and secure a parking spot.
You must have a valid park pass in order to enter Acadia National Park. Entrance for 1-day in a standard vehicle is $30, $35 for a 7-day pass or you can of course enter if you have an America the Beautiful pass. If you plan to walk or bike in then it is $20 per person. If you plan on visiting more than two national parks in a year, you should definitely spring for the America the Beautiful pass. You can purchase passes online or purchase in person at locations in the area.
Acadia Mountain National Park also has a timed entry reservation system, but only for Cadillac Summit Road by vehicle. There are both sunrise and daytime passes available with passes being released for reservation 90 days in advance and two days prior. You can only buy one reservation for the sunrise slot per 7 days. This reservation is very popular for sunrise, so if you would like to see the sunrise here make sure to plan in advance and secure a reservation.
Your Three-Day Itinerary for Acadia National Park
Day One
If you secured lodging at one of Bar Harbor’s many great BNBs then you of course will start your day with a great breakfast. However, there are some great places in town if you need to stop for a bite.
Make sure you start your day early as we recommend starting off with one of Acadia’s most popular hikes, the Beehive Trail. This trail is probably one of my favorite trails I’ve ever hiked, but is not for the faint of heart. It is a 1.5 mile loop that can only be hiked in the counterclockwise direction. It incorporates rungs and ladders for some adrenaline pumping action. There are some steep dropoffs, so not recommended if heights aren’t your thing. It’s all well worth it though. Views at the top are incredible.
Just make sure you are able to take on this challenge, we wouldn’t particularly describe it as advanced (there is another trail similar to this one that would fall in that category); however, you need to be in physical shape to take it on. Someone had to be airlifted off the trail while we were there due to a hip dislocation!
After you get to the top you’ll wind along the back portion with an overlook over The Bowl, a small lake, and if you are ready to finish up hiking you can complete the loop. However, we recommend adding on to your hike and taking Gorham Mountain Trail to the Ocean Path which leads you back to your starting point at Beehive Trail trailhead.
If you take this path it will be a total of 3.6 miles. We really enjoyed the Gorham Mountain Trail which takes you through trees and has some great scenic overlooks. There is also a section where it splits off. You can continue on Gorham Mountain Trail the whole way or take Cadillac Cliffs Path and it will meet back up with Gorham Mountain Trail. Cadillac Cliffs Path was a really fun side quest with some rock scrambling, so only take this way if you are up for it. You’ll then loop back down to Ocean Path. This was probably the most disappointing trail we took. We thought it would be closer to the ocean for some great views, but you really are mostly walking right next to the road. But, it was necessary to get back to our car.
There are some offshoots where you can get closer to the ocean for some cool views though including Thunder Hole and Sand Beach. It’s really hard to time getting to Thunder Hole correctly, but if you do you are in for a treat. Thunder Hole is an inlet where the ocean meets the rocky cliffs and creates a thunderous sound. It is recommended to visit 1-2 hours before high tide for the best chance at hearing this iconic sound.
After a long morning/afternoon of hiking head back to town. We cleaned up at our BNB then headed downtown to do some exploring. Bar Harbor’s downtown is very cool to just wander in and out of shops. There are some really interesting and unique shops to secure some souvenirs. Then head over to Tap & Barrel Tavern for dinner. Here you will find some delicious lobster rolls, burgers and grilled cheeses to satiate you after a long day in Acadia.
Day Two
Wake up before the sun rises. Acadia National Park is one of the best places to watch the sunrise and is the first place in the US to see sunlight in certain months of the year. The most popular place to watch the sunrise is Cadillac Mountain due to being the highest point in the park. As mentioned before you have to secure reservations in order to watch the sunrise here, so you will need to make sure you plan in advance.
However, there are many great places to watch the sunrise in Acadia. We opted to watch from Boulder Beach and it was spectacular.
Move on to your next hiking adventure and drive over to the trailhead for North & South Bubble Trails. The parking lot is extremely small here, but if you are up early here after the sunrise you might be able to snag a spot. If not, head a little further down the road to the Jordan Pond parking lot. This is where we ended up parking, it gets busy too but it’s much larger and if you get there in the morning you should be able to find a spot.
Jordan Pond is beautiful, so we were glad we parked here and made it a longer hike so we could include Jordan Pond into our day. Jordan Pond path is an easy loop stroll around the pond, which you can certainly take all the way around.
However, you can start your journey around the right side of the pond and veer off the path to the Bubbles trail. It is a total of 3.1 miles from the Jordan Pond parking lot to the summit of South Bubble. Once you get to the Bubbles trail from Jordan Pond Path you’re in for a more strenuous hike. You will be doing some rock scrambling and hiking up, so make sure you bring plenty of water and be prepared for some climbing. You will be greeted at the top of South Bubble by a huge boulder that looks like it’s about to topple off the cliff side, which was pretty cool.
From here you can head back or continue on your journey to North Bubble. This section was not quite as difficult although you are still hiking upwards. You’ll get some pretty epic views over Jordan Pond at North Bubble summit.
We recommend taking Bubbles Divide back down toward the Bubbles parking lot if you parked there or you can take it down most of the way and then turn onto Jordan Pond Carry. Scrambling down the way you came won’t be easy or fun, so this is a great alternate route back to your car.
We are sure you have worked up an appetite so head over to the Jordan Pond House Restaurant for their iconic popovers. You’ll be ending your hike here anyways. They serve up some other great food, but are known for their popovers for a warm, light delicious bite. This place can get very busy, but worth the wait.
It was a very busy day, but if you’ve still got energy for one more sight make the drive down to Bass Harbor Light Station. It’s a very scenic drive and you’ll get a rest. The parking area is small here, so expect a wait. The line went fairly quickly as people just go to view the lighthouse and head off. There’s two paths, but you’ll want to take the one at the far side of the parking lot. It’s a short trip down and you will get a view of the lighthouse along the rocks and trees with waves crashing against the rocks.
For a pre-dinner drink head over to the Garden Bar at Ivy Manor Inn. Located right in front of the inn are firepits, adirondack chairs and a small bar. It’s open daily from 12-8 pm even if you are not a guest at the inn and they also have live music in the afternoons. It’s a cool spot to chill after a packed day. For dinner head back to downtown Bar Harbor and stop in Salsa Verde Grill. They’ve got some really good Mexican fare, great tacos and margaritas.
Day Three
You might be pretty tired on day three, so we suggest taking a leisurely stroll in the morning. Head over to the Jesup and Hemlock Loop Path. This 1.6 mile trail has a wooden boardwalk that is surrounded by white birch trees and goes over a wetland. We honestly took this path one day because it was raining and most hikes in Acadia are not safe when it’s slick out. So, this is a great option for a rainy day where you still want to get out. But, even if you get lucky with no rain at all, you should take this walk. It’s absolutely stunning and one of the prettiest hikes to take everything in while not overexerting yourself.
If you are up for a little bit more there are some really pretty trails past the loop. We opted to take Emery Path up and Hoomans Path back down to the Jesup Path. There was absolutely no one else back there, so it was serene and felt like we had walked into a fairy tale with all the leaves on the ground and rock stairs. It is a moderate hike, so if you just wanted to stick to something easy just do the Jesup/Hemlock loop. But, it was well worth it in our opinion.
After your morning stroll/hike head back to Bar Harbor and rent some bikes or e-bikes. There are several places around downtown, but Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop is a good bet. Acadia is one of the best places to bike with 45 miles of stone-crushed, vehicle free old carriage roads. This really is a must. We recommend biking the Tri-Lake loop for a 10.9 mile bike ride around Eagle Lake, Bubble Pond and Jordan Pond.
Finish up your trip with dinner and drinks at Project Social. They’ve got a really cool ambiance with outdoor and indoor seating. We ended up coming here twice. Once for some great cocktails and once for dinner. It’s a tapas style menu and everything was delicious.
Final Thoughts
There really is so much to see and do in Acadia National Park and this guide just scratches the surface. Acadia really has some of the best hikes for scenery and challenges. It was one of our favorite trips we have taken by far. Perfect for those who like active vacations and love quaint, bustling small towns to explore. We hope you enjoy your trip!
Happy trails!
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