Exploring Acadia National Park By Land, Sea & Air

I have to admit, we are adventure junkies.

Don’t leave me hanging…who’s with us?!

Let me rephrase this by saying I have serious FOMO (translation: fear of missing out) when it comes to vacation adventures that are within the ‘reasonable & not *super*dangerous’ category. I have children, for the love! There will not be any dangling in a hammock from a tight-rope 3000 feet up in the air. I actually just saw a picture of this on social media and it gave me immediate cold sweats! However, I am always the vacationer trying to stuff 72 hours of fun and excursions (read: aggressive hiking + open door helicopter rides) into 48 hours of actual time. Legit, my husband always says he needs a vacation after he returns home from his vacations with me.

Sorry. Not sorry.

Erick & I have always wanted to visit Bar Harbor, Maine and the gorgeous, Acadia National Park, adjacent to it. In late August, we were looking to take a quick, long weekend trip to do some difficult hiking and adventure excursions sans kids. This can be SO hard to plan these days with having 3 young children. Luckily, we were able to make it work!

With only having a long weekend away, we knew we had to plan our time accordingly and decide in advance what big excursions we were going to embark on.

Day 1-2: Fly In & Drive!

We opted to fly into Portland, Maine on a Thursday morning and spend one full day and night there again. We have some serious love for Portland and all.the.foodie.spots! Then, the next day, drive up the intoxicating mid-coast of Maine to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.

It’s a relatively short drive from Portland to Bar Harbor. The drive took us around 4 hours and since we didn’t have kids with us, we were able to stop when we wanted to. And not stop when we didn’t want to! (Friends with kiddos-you know where I’m going with this…)

Pro Tip: There are so many beautiful spots to stop between Portland and Bar Harbor…it could take you all day to do this drive if you weren’t pressed for time, making pit-stops at all the cute towns. But, by planning your drive in advance, you can capitalize on your drive time. Camden & Belfast are adorable small towns with loads of cute, boutique style shops, cafes & restaurants. Stopping for lunch at either of these towns will get you a good leg-stretch & a fantastic lunch!

Arriving in the town of Bar Harbor and navigating your way around is very simple. The town and surrounding area itself is very well-marked. There are plenty of signs directing traffic in this small and sometimes congested town during the busy summer months.

Pro Tip: The summer tourist season lends heavy crowds to this area. We opted to visit at the end of August but before the Labor Day holiday weekend. Tourism operators had commented on the fact that the tourism season was starting to slow a bit at that time of year. It was still busy in town and at the park, but we did not experience the swarms of crowds you’d see in mid July.

Since we had around 2.5 days to really ‘experience’ Bar Harbor & Acadia, we knew we had to hit the ground running once we got settled in.

Exploring by Land: Hike? Or Bike?

Are you a hiker or a biker? Maybe you are both? Here’s what to do & how you should navigate Acadia National Park from both perspectives.

Cycling Acadia National Park:

If you only have a few days to experience Acadia National Park, it’s best to decide in advance or immediately after you arrive if you plan to cycle.

Pro Tip: If you contact any of the local Bar Harbor bike shops in advance of your rental day, you can often times score a discount on bike rentals because it allows the bike shops to plan ahead! Try Acadia Bike & Canoe or Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop to book online or just walk-in for fast, easy rentals of all kinds.

Visitors can cover a lot of ground in the park in a day or two by cycling on any of Acadia’s 45 miles of carriage roads or the 27-mile Park Loop Road, which is also open to cyclists.

Pro Tip: Before arriving in Acadia, I had my heart set on renting bikes and traveling the 27-mile Park Loop Road during our first full day to get a good lay of the land and experience the expansive park in the open air. While the Park Loop Road is open to cyclists, the traffic is intense in the summer months, even when we visited at the end of August. For safety reasons, we were cautioned by our Innkeepers and other tourism operators not to bike the Park Loop Road and drive it instead. The folks who work in the tourism industry do know best & we heeded their words of wisdom.

Visit the Visit Maine website for more information on Acadia National Park bike maps, info on The Bicycle Express bus and more general bicycle rental information.

Hiking Acadia National Park:

Since we stuck to hiking in Acadia National Park (after my dreams were crushed over cycling the Park Loop Road–yes, we could’ve cycled any of the other 45 miles of carriage roads, but we decided that is for NEXT time!)…we do have some extensive information on some really great hikes, from Easy to Difficult that you can enjoy over the course of a few days in Acadia National Park.

Our Favorite Hikes in Acadia National Park Designated by Level of Difficulty:

Easy: Jordan Pond Path

I call this 3.4 mile looped hike “Easy,” however, it could be labeled as Easy to Moderate & here’s why:

Once you reach Jordan Pond from the parking lot, taking a right turn onto the Jordan Pond Path will take you along the East side of the Pond. I would consider this to be a very easy walk on a hard, compacted surface. The only thing you’ll need to watch out for here is the occasional tree root and slight divots where the glacial water runs down from the mountains in the spring.

If you decide to take a left turn at the beginning of the Jordan Pond Path, you will experience what I would consider a more moderate-level hike. Taking a left will leave you traveling along the West side of the Pond at first. Here, you’ll be walking on boggy, marshy ground and traversing on top of wooden planks that are uneven and very narrow in some areas. The West side gives way to the North end where you’ll be climbing and traversing over rugged granite boulders. Use extreme caution here when the area is wet and make sure to wear proper hiking shoes.

The Jordan Pond Path can be very busy at times because of its close proximity to the Jordan Pond House. The Jordan Pond House is known for its AMAZING popovers & beautiful, expansive outdoor seating. It is also the only restaurant located within Acadia National Park, so this in and of itself, makes for a very popular destination.

Other easy hiking paths in Acadia National Park that we enjoyed are: Bar Harbor Shore Path, Ocean Trail and most Carriage Roads. I would consider each of these to be easy hikes in that they are on smooth or slightly uneven paths but with very level walking elevation.

Moderate: Cadillac Mountain North Ridge Trail & Gorham Mountain Trail

Both of these hikes fall into the moderate category because they both contain some steep grades, but also give you ‘breathers’ of level stretches along the way. These are great hikes for anyone slightly adventurous and desiring some pretty spectacular views along the way.

Cadillac Mountain North Ridge Trail is an open climb boasting spectacular views of Frenchman Bay. A total of 4.4 miles of incredible water and mountain vistas will keep you wanting more from the very beginning.

There is a stunning contrast between the Cadillac Mountain North Ridge Trail and the Gorham Mountain Trail. The scenery is completely different. The Gorham Mountain Trail possesses a spruce forest setting that opens up to a granite ascent of 525 feet, all within 1.8 miles up to Gorham Mountain.

Other moderate hikes that we found to be really fun are: Bubble Rock Trail & Champlain Mountain-Bear Brook Trail.

Strenuous: Acadia Mountain Trail & Beehive Trail

It was tough to decide which ‘Strenuous Hike’ was our favorite so I’m going to discuss both. I labeled them both as strenuous because I believe there are different kinds of strenuous. (I know. You’re probably furrowing your brow right now trying to understand what I’m saying…difficult IS difficult, right?!) The Acadia Mountain path is a little longer and you just generally move a little slower as it’s a steady climb to the top. It’s the ‘Slow & Steady Wins the Race’ type of hike. The Beehive is short and more like rock climbing on iron rungs. It’s the ‘5K PR Race of Your Life’ type of hike. Read about both & decide which one is best for you!

Acadia Mountain Trail, boasting the namesake of the park, is one of the most popular hiking trails. It offers panoramic views of Somes Sound and the Southwest Harbor.

The Acadia Mountain hike (returning on the fire road) is only 2.5 miles long, but you’ll climb nearly 700 feet in that distance. I found it to be a steady, difficult climb up to the summit, while traversing and sometimes climbing on hands & knees over very large boulders. On the descent, the hike was a mix of wooded trails as well as traversing or ‘sliding down’ very large boulders. For some reason, it’s always easier for me to climb rather than down…I have VERY short legs, so jumping and traversing boulders in a downward fashion can be…tricky.

Pro Tip: It is necessary to keep your eyes on the orange arrows to be certain you’re staying on the hiking course. One wrong move or slight variation off course and you could easily get taken off the trail!

Alternatively, Beehive Trail is considered one of the most difficult hikes in all of Acadia National Park, but I’d like to expose the contrast here. Beehive Trail, with the trailhead just across from Sand Beach, is a short .8 mile distance with a 520 foot ascent. Are you calculating that visual, here?

The Beehive Trail may fool you at first.

In the beginning, you enter a wooded hiking area with a very slow, steady climb up large boulders & a wooded path. You think to yourself…this is nothing! I can DO THIS!

This quickly turns into exposed cliffs and iron rungs on open ledges.

Your hike now begins to resemble something close to rock climbing.

There are many stops along the path (read: open cliff ledges) to stop and catch your breath, let your quivery muscles stop twitching (just kidding.not kidding) and take in a few panoramic photo ops of the breathtaking Sand Beach area below.

It IS difficult; I won’t lie. But, once you reach the summit, you realize that the all encompassing view was COMPLETELY. WORTH. IT.

Other popular Strenuous hikes include: Cadillac Mountain South Ridge Trail, Pemetic Mountain Trail & Precipice Trail. The Precipice Trail is the most challenging well-known hiking trail in Acadia National Park. It is similar to the Beehive Trail. It has completely exposed ledges with iron rungs and ladders with an almost vertical 1,000 foot climb. The Precipice Trail is only for experienced hikers with no fear of heights.

Exploring by Sea

If exploring by water is your thing, you’re in luck! There are so many options when it comes to boat tours of Frenchman Bay, the bay area right outside Bar Harbor/Acadia National Park.

A simple internet search will immediately present you with almost too many options: do I take a schooner? A private sail boat? Catamaran? Whale-watching? Or do I go aboard a real-working live Lobster boat? All of these options can be a ton of fun.

How does one pick?

Well, start with availability. What days are you available during your trip to take a boat tour? What time of the day would you like to go? Middle of the day? Sunset tour? What other excursions/activities do you have planned? Asking yourself these questions will quickly narrow down your options. Many tour operators only operate at certain times of the day and those times are often *very* busy and pre-booked during the high tourist season. Also, keep in mind, there are less times available when the busy tourist season starts to dwindle down.

Since we’ve been on sail boats, catamarans and whale-watched on previous trips, we decided to take a sunset tour on a real, live-working lobster boat!

LuLu’s Lobster Boat Ride & Tours

When my husband first suggested this, I conjured up images of sitting shoulder to shoulder with strangers on a stinky lobster boat for hours. It was not this way AT ALL! LuLu’s Lobster Boat Sunset Tour was absolutely fantastic and one of the highlights of our trip!

The tour of Frenchman Bay started around 6 p.m. and went until almost 8 p.m., returning right at sunset. Our incredible tour guides started out by taking us to view the Egg Rock Lighthouse and educating us on its historical background. There are lots of rock formations just outside the Egg Rock Lighthouse where seals play in their natural habitat. They often like to put on a show for passer-bys.

After leaving the Egg Rock Lighthouse, we began circling closer to shore and had a bird’s eye view of the stunning summer cottages dotting the shoreline. Many of them owned by famous household names (hint: the Campbell Soup family has a home here!)

Many of the lobster pods were located in between the Egg Rock Lighthouse and the shoreline so as we were touring, the experienced captains were catching lobsters right before our very eyes! Not only was this tour a feast for the eyes, but we received a genuine education on lobster fishing in Maine.

The narrators demonstrated how the lobster pods and fishing gear work and discussed the anatomy and life cycle of a Maine lobster. Each of us on the tour was able to hold a lobster (if we chose) and learn how to properly decide if it was a ‘keeper’ or not. Note: All lobsters were returned back to their natural habitat after the educational portion of the tour was over.

And look at that sunset as we were pulling in to Bar Harbor Bay…

What a stunner. All the heart-eyes here, friends.

Exploring by Air

My husband and I have flown on commercial airplanes for decades and my husband even has his private pilot’s license. Large, commercial airplanes make me feel safe because they don’t move around very much. Small planes and helicopters tend to give me the heebie-geebies.

When planning this trip, my husband mentioned his desire to go on an open-door helicopter ride. My response was silence & ‘the look.’ Friends, you know the one I’m talking about.

I decided that I would try to oblige him on this trip. We have discussed the possibility of a helicopter tour when we visit Kauai in a few months with our family. Erick wanted this to be a ‘trial run’ for me.

After a quick search, we found a few options. The best option for availability, flexibility within the tour AND have operated with a flawless safety record was Acadia Air Tours . (That last requirement was a BIG one for me!)

Acadia Air Tours offers dozens of tour options is any one of their 5 different aircraft from biplanes to gliders to helicopters. We contacted them immediately after arriving in Maine and we committed to a late afternoon flight in their open-door helicopter.

When we arrived, Erick mentioned to the pilot that I was slightly nervous. Our pilot did nothing short of amazing things to ease my jitters. He assured me that at anytime if I felt uneasy I could tap him on the shoulder and that we would return. He mentioned that he tells all of his riders this and that he has never gotten a tap on the shoulder! There’s something to be said about the professionalism and understanding that Acadia Air Tours gives all of its riders!

Based on the area we had already covered between our hiking and our LuLu’s Lobster Boat Tour of Frenchman Bay, our pilot decided the best tour for us would be a bit of a non-traditional route.

As we set off, we initially headed South and West from the airport. This allowed us to cover the West side of Mount Desert Island, over to Deer Isle, Stonington and many of the tiny islands around there. We even went as far west as Castine on the Penobscot Bay and then headed back. Our tour took a total of 1 hour and it was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.

I have no idea why, but flying in a helicopter felt much less turbulent than in other small aircraft. If we do air tours on our future trips, I will be requesting helicopter tours going forward! (I know we will!)

I sure hope this post inspires you to explore the intoxicating Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, Maine area! It sure has been one of the most incredible trips we have EVER been on. We can’t wait to visit again!

If this post inspires you, check out my other posts on Adventure, Luxury or Foodie-Inspired Travels. If you’re adventure junkies like us, check out our blog post about our family adventure to Iceland. It is sure to ignite the adventure fire within you!

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