Acadia National Park is a stunning destination located on the rocky shores of Coastal Maine. Known for its ruggedly beautiful scenery and endless outdoor recreational activities, visiting Acadia has been a bucket list item since we started traveling. In fact, we planned our entire summer trip around visiting the park. In this post, I will share the top things you need to see when visiting Acadia National Park, with tips and recommendations for planning your own trip.
Acadia National Park is located on Mount Desert Island right next door to the charming town of Bar Harbor, Maine. We planned a summer family trip to visit Acadia National Park. Like most national parks, summer is a very busy season to visit. We drove to the park along with our RV and stayed in the Schoodic Woods campground on the Schoodic Peninsula section of Acadia. There are two other campgrounds located in the main section of Acadia on Mount Desert Island. If you are not camping, there are plenty of hotels, inns, and cabins located in and around Bar Harbor, Winter Harbor, and nearby Ellsworth.
There are so many things to do in Acadia National Park, here are some of the highlights from our trip:
Driving Tour of Acadia National Park via Park Loop Road
This 27-mile scenic drive takes you to many of the park’s top features like Sand Beach, Otter Cliff, and Thunder Hole as well as numerous scenic overlooks, and trailheads.
Stop at Sieur de Monts to visit the nature center and gardens of Acadia. Relax and take in the sunshine at Sand Beach, enjoy afternoon tea at the Jordan Pond House before taking a trail around the beautiful glacial pond, and end your day with a sunset at Cadillac Mountain.
Adventurous hikers will find plenty of trailheads along Park Loop Road for popular hikes such as the Bubbles and Beehive Loops. Or visitors can choose from miles and miles of carriage road trails for walking, biking, and horseback riding.
We found it interesting that there are sections of the one-way road where you can park in the right lane. Parking can be pretty limited during the busiest times of the day, and this allows many more people to be able to stop and enjoy the sights. You can avoid the crowded parking areas altogether and take the free Island Explorer bus. It stops at many of the popular destinations along the loop.
Thunder Hole
Thunder hole is a very popular destination in Acadia National Park. According to the Acadia NPS Website– Thunder Hole “is a carved-out inlet along the rocky eastern shoreline of Mount Desert Island. When a storm or the turning tide forces waves into this narrow channel, the air escapes with a thunderous reverberation that is both deafening and thrilling. We recommend coming 1 – 2 hours before high tide for the best chance of hearing this roar. Wave sprays here have been seen to reach over 40 feet (12 m) in height. At low tide, follow the stairs down for a close look at the cliff walls carved by the crashing water.”
There is a parking area designated for Thunder Hole with a gift shop and restrooms. Across the road from the parking area, you will find a staircase that leads you down to the viewing area. We missed the prime viewing time by about an hour, but watching the waves come in and crash against the rocks was still a sight to see. Even with smaller waves, there is still a thundering sound, albeit a tamer version. We were also able to get very close to the viewing point without getting completely soaked!
Our Favorite Destination in Acadia National Park: Jordan Pond
Also located off Park Loop Road, is Jordan Pond. There is a restaurant and gift shop located at the Jordan Pond House. Both were very busy; but reservations can be made for the restaurant to avoid the long wait times. Plan a trip for lunch, dinner, or teatime and try the famous popovers. The gift shop was the best of the three that we visited, offering the most selection of apparel, hats, and souvenirs. There was also an entire upstairs offering seasonal items and arts and crafts.
A short walk down from the house takes you to the shores of Jordan Pond. Absolutely stunning glacial water surrounded by the thick summer foliage of ferns and evergreens will greet you at the bottom of the hill. You will also find picturesque views of “The Bubbles”, a very popular formation within Acadia. There is no swimming allowed in Jordan Pond, but you can enjoy limited boating. Be sure to check the NPS website for more information. There is also access to many nearby carriage roads from the Jordan Pond parking area.
The Jordan Pond Path is a loop trail around the entire pond; there is also access to a couple of other trail heads from this trail including the Bubbles Trail. Walk the trail as far as you are comfortable or enjoy the full 3-mile loop. We started down the boardwalk side of the path near the Jordan Pond House after learning it was the rockier and more strenuous side of the loop. This would allow us to finish our hike on the more level, smooth side closer to the parking area. I still can’t believe the kids made the full loop and I am so glad that we pushed through. It is still on our top list of favorite trails.
Cadillac Mountain
The highest peak in Acadia National Park. You can hike, bike, or drive to the summit. During the summer, reservations need to be made at recreation.gov for timed entry to drive to the summit. There is a visitor center with restrooms located at the top along with 2 different parking areas and paved walking trails. Sunrise and sunset from Cadillac Mountain are both epic, but you can’t go wrong with visiting any time of the day. Spectacular views of the park, the ocean, and the surrounding islands await you at the top!
Unfortunately contending with the fog and the rainy weather was an ongoing battle during our trip to Acadia. This included our sunset excursion to Cadillac Mountain. We made reservations on a day that the weather was supposed to hold out, hoping to catch a sunset that we had heard so much about. We enjoyed some hiking on the summit as well as a family picnic… only for the fog to roll in just as the sun was setting! Ah well, now we have another reason to come back!
Schoodic Peninsula District of Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park is a wonder all its own, but don’t count out the Schoodic Peninsula area of the park. Located about 45 minutes driving north from Mount Desert Island (where the main part of Acadia is located), Schoodic Peninsula offers its own scenic wonders with less of the crowds.
Top sights along the 6-mile loop road include Frazer Point, Schoodic Head, and Schoodic Point. Bicycling is a very popular way to get around this portion of the park, but there are still plenty of viewpoints and turnouts for vehicles.
The Schoodic Head Trail takes you to the highest point on the peninsula. An easy-moderate hike with, according to the kiddos, “the most awesome rock scrambling”. The top of Schoodic Head offers fantastic views of the harbor and on a clear day you can see the mountains and features of Acadia, Cadillac Mountain, and Mount Desert Island.
Schoodic Point
Be sure to stop at Schoodic Point for epic views of the rocky coastline, bird watching, and amazing sunsets. On a clear day, you can see lighthouses and even Mount Desert Island across the harbor.
Tide Pools at Little Moose Island
Head out to Little Moose Island for a peaceful nature walk and take in the beautiful coastal surroundings. The small island is accessible from the mainland on foot during low tide, so be sure to check the tide charts and plan accordingly. Exploring the tide pools was a great family activity on a cool, foggy morning. There was plenty of sea life to be found, including snails, mussels, starfish, and seaweed.
These are just some of the top things to see in Acadia National Park. There are many more natural wonders, wildlife, and attractions to discover in this amazing place. I hope this post helps you plan a fantastic trip to Acadia National Park! Be sure to check out one of our other favorite national park sites- Chiricahua National Monument.
