6 Favorite Things & 6 Travel Tips for Acadia National Park

Our 6 Favorites of Acadia National Park 

Favorite Hike: Beehive Loop Trail 

Beehive Loop is the perfect trail for an adventurous hiker who is comfortable with rung & ladder trails. This is one of the Acadia’s most trafficked trails, so make sure to start this one early in order to avoid having to wait behind crowds of people. The hike does involve steep granite staircases, iron rungs, and exposed cliff faces. But at the top of the 450 foot cliff trail, you will be rewarded with stunning views of Sand Beach and the ocean (if you are lucky!).

Make sure that if you do attempt this hike you have good footwear and avoid performing in the rain as the rocks become extremely slick. The loop is about 1.5 miles round trip and will additionally take you by a lake known as The Bowl. Unfortunately, the fog rolled in pretty quickly when we visited, but we still did get some amazing views briefly. Overall, the hike was exhilarating but we would only recommend performing if you feel confident in your abilities. 

Favorite Family Friendly Hike: Jessup Path 

This path is on a boardwalk and is considered an easy 2.2 mile out and back trail. We loved the simple views and enjoyed leisurely meandering through the Maine wilderness. 

Favorite Lake: Jordan Pond 

Jordan Pond is one of the park's most pristine lakes, with outstanding surrounding mountain scenery. The lake itself has incredible visibility and overlooks The Bubbles (2 roche moutonnée). It’s crazy to think that glaciers carved the landscape leaving behind the various geological features. Next to the pond is the famous Jordan Pond House where you can additionally try tea and popovers if you are interested. 

Favorite Coastal Views: Ocean Path 

You can either hike Ocean Path or drive along the coast of Acadia National Park making various stops along the way. The most notable of the stops included Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Otter Cliff, Otter Point, and Otter Cove. About 75% of the time we spent in Acadia National Park was foggy and overcast, but we do think this added scenic moodiness to the landscapes.

Favorite Summit View: Cadillac Mountain 

No trip to Acadia National Park is complete without a stop at Cadillac Mountain. The summit is accessible by car with a permit through the National Park Service. Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. and offers magnificent views of its glaciated coastal and island landscape. It is known as the first place in the continental U.S. to see sunrise, although this is only true for a portion of the year. When we visited Acadia, we had purchased permits for sunset on one of the days we were there but unfortunately the fog was incredibly thick at the summit so we didn’t have any views. During a short span of sunshine another day, we were able to purchase a permit and book it up to the summit in our vehicle in order to not miss out on the most sought after views of Acadia National Park. 

Favorite Lighthouse: Bass Harbor Head Light Station 

Okay, Bass Harbor Light Station may be the only lighthouse in Acadia, but it is still our favorite! The one downside to this lighthouse is the lack of parking. There is a single small public parking lot next to the lighthouse and we had to wait for about an hour for a parking space during the middle of the day. However, the lighthouse in combination with the rocky coastline is truly iconic and one of the few Maine lighthouses that is accessible by car. 

6 Other Tips for Visiting Acadia National Park

1. Start your day EARLY and be patient. 

Acadia National Park attracts a LOT of people so you will need to start your day early if you want to limit the crowds to a degree. There will be times that you have to wait for people on trails or wait for a parking space so be patient and remember that everybody deserves to enjoy the beauty of Acadia National Park. Be considerate and kind to others. 

2. Plan your stops out in advance.

Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park is a one-way road in certain areas, so make sure you plan out your stops accordingly since there is no such thing as backtracking. For instance, if you stop your car at Otter Cliff but want to backtrack to Sand Beach, you will either have to hike along the coast or drive your car all the way around and back to the beginning in order to reach Sand Beach. Additionally, driving up to Cadillac Summit requires a permit so you may want to plan this out in advance. This is especially true if you are hoping to reach the summit at sunrise or sunset. You can buy your permit through the National Park Service website. 

3. Make sure to explore outside of Bar Harbor.

Some of our best accommodations and restaurant experiences in the area we found were actually outside of Bar Harbor so don’t limit yourself! We stayed at The Moorings Inn which was the cutest inn on the harbor farther away from the hustle & bustle of Bar Harbor at a much more affordable price. Our absolute favorite meal from our trip to Maine was at the restaurant Little Fern. They do take reservations, the food was absolutely incredible, and the views on the water made the experience so romantic. 

4. Consider preparing your own food to save money.

If you are planning a trip to Maine, pretty much everything is super expensive. Meals are going to cost you more and in order to decrease our spending we made sure to pack our own lunches everyday we were exploring around the park. 

5. Only attempt hikes that you feel confident in your abilities to complete. 

As mentioned above with the Beehive Loop and with other hikes in the park (Precipice Trail, etc.), many of the trails around Acadia do involve steep drop offs, ledges, and climbing. Only attempt these type of trails if you feel comfortable with heights and your abilities. 

6. Be flexible.

Lastly, if your trip is anything like ours, flexibility will be very important. Due to weather and limited parking, we had to alter our plans pretty consistently on a daily basis in order to make the most out of our trip. We did have an itinerary and areas that we definitely wanted to see in Acadia National Park, but this changed throughout our time here.

Overall, we did enjoy our time at Acadia National Park. We would love to visit during autumn for fall foliage, but we also aren’t sure how we would manage with the crowds that time of year. With its beautiful, rugged, rocky, and glaciated coastal landscapes, it is no wonder Acadia National Park is so popular.