The Perfect Acadia National Park Itinerary

We just returned from our first trip to Acadia National Park, and I learned so much, mostly the hard way. The kids were so excited to visit their first National Park and had a blast earning their Junior Ranger badges.

The first two days felt like we were just trying to figure things out. After a lot of trial and error, we finally landed on the perfect Acadia National Park itinerary that I wish I had from the start. Grab a cup of coffee because there is a lot to cover.

Visiting Acadia National Park Itinerary

How Many Days Do You Need for this Acadia National Park Itinerary?

You can cover the highlights in three days, but I highly recommend building in a fourth day if possible. New England weather is unpredictable, and you will likely need to pivot your plans.

We had days where the forecast said sunny while it was actively raining. Layers are essential, and flexibility is key when planning your Acadia National Park itinerary.

Understanding the Loop Road

Acadia National Park is centered around a 27-mile Loop Road that circles Mount Desert Island. Most of it is one-way, with a few two-way sections near Cadillac Mountain, Jordan Pond, and the Bubbles.

Without stops, the loop takes about 45 minutes to drive. In reality, you will likely drive it multiple times during your trip.

The biggest challenge is parking. Since it is a one-way road, if you miss a spot, you are committed to continuing the loop.

There is a free shuttle called the Island Explorer that stops throughout the park and can save you a lot of stress. That said, we preferred having our car since we were traveling with kids and needed easy access to our gear.

Highlights to Include in Your Acadia National Park Itinerary

Here are the must-see stops along the Loop Road:

1. Sieur de Monts Nature Center/ Jesup Path
2. Sand Beach
3. Thunder Hole
4. Otter Point
5. Jordan Pond House
6. The Bubbles/ Balance Rock
7. Cadillac Mountain
8. Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse
   

The Perfect 3-Day Acadia National Park Itinerary

DAY ONE

Start your Acadia National Park itinerary with a stop at the Visitor Center. It is the perfect place to stretch your legs after a long drive, grab maps, and talk to park rangers.

Pick up Junior Ranger booklets for the kids. These are free and make the park experience so much more engaging.

Visiting Downtown Bar Harbor

After that, head into downtown Bar Harbor for lunch. Parking can be tricky, so be prepared to circle a bit.

We kept going back to Side Street Cafe because the wait was short and the kids loved it. They got model magic to play with and a giant cookie with every meal. They were sold.

After lunch, have a wander around Bar Harbor. I thought we would need more time for this than I had scheduled in. In all honesty, the shops are mostly tourist traps and after you have seen one, you have seen them all.

The only shops we enjoyed were Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop, which is the oldest bookstore in Maine. The Rock and Art Shop was a really cool place. Wander down to Agamont Park, which is a green space with a gorgeous view of the ocean.

After exploring, check into your hotel and relax. Staying at the Holiday Inn Resort just outside of town ended up being a great decision because we avoided traffic and parking headaches. Our hotel was only a three minute drive to the park entrance.

After we settled into our room, the kids had a nice swim in the heated pool and I soaked in the hot tub. This hotel has such an incredible view of the ocean.

DAY TWO

I was up early to run into town to grab breakfast for the crew. Coffee Hound Coffee Co. at the Stadium was my go-to. They are well known for their delicious, albeit pricey breakfast sandwiches. My kids loved their crepes and the coffee was delish. Parking isn’t bad in the morning and they don’t start checking meters until 8 A.M.

Head to the park and start clockwise around the Loop Road. You will check in at a Ranger Station. You should purchase your park pass in advance and have the QR code ready on your phone. I have heard of the park reaching capacity.

Important note: phone service is pretty non-existent in the park. I have AT&T and it was in SOS mode the whole time. Therefore, you can’t rely on you phone for maps, calls or to bring up reservations. Print or screenshot your reservations. You have to keep your pass on your dash while you’re in the park.

The lack of cell service made it challenging if my husband dropped us off and went to find parking because we had no way of getting in touch with each other. For this reason, I would even consider bringing walkie-talkies.

You should also make a plan for lunch. Jordan Pond is the only place to eat in Acadia National Park. I would pack a picnic lunch and drinks in a cooler if you can.

Sieur de Monts Nature Center and Jesup Path

This is a great first stop, especially with kids. The Nature Center is small and free of charge. It is a quick stop but great for kids working on their Junior Ranger activities. There are also bathrooms here.

The Jesup Path boardwalk is an easy and beautiful walk through wetlands. It is about 2 miles round trip and takes under an hour. It will be buggy so put on your repellent.

Wild Gardens of Acadia

At the Wild Gardens of Acadia, you can see over 400 native plant species in thirteen sections designed to represent natural plant communities found within Acadia National Park. We didn’t spend more than 20 minutes here and it was free of charge. I thought it was going to be a large botanical garden, but it is not that formal. This is a great place to do the leaf study in the Junior Ranger book.

Note: while we were visiting, part of the Loop Road was closed for construction. Be prepared for detours that will take up more time.

Sand Beach

Head back to the Loop Road. Your next destination is Sand Beach. Parking is tight, so be patient or look for nearby roadside parking. There is a small lot just beyond Sand Beach than nobody seemed to park in. I think people get so anxious since it is a one way road and if you don’t grab a spot, you have to do the whole loop again.

You will leave your car here for a bit because you are going to walk the Ocean Path up to Thunder Hole. We did Sand Beach last so the kids weren’t hiking in wet bathing suits.

The Ocean Path is a 1.8 mile corridor of the Park Loop Road which runs along the rugged coastline of Acadia National Park. The walk from Sand Beach to Otter Point takes about 45 minutes (without stops).

Thunder Hole

Thunder Hole is a natural rock inlet where waves crash with a thunderous boom. This is a really popular stop and the crowds are always high. Be careful, as the rocks are very slippery.

Thunder Hole is best viewed a couple of hours before high tide, but it can be unpredictable.

Otter Point

Continue along Ocean Path to Otter Point for incredible views. This was one of our favorite spots. The kids loved climbing on the rocks, and we even spotted seals in the water.

If you have a packed lunch, you could stop anywhere along the Ocean Path and have a nice picnic with a scenic view.

Sand Beach

After Otter Point, retrace your steps back down the Ocean Path to Sand Beach. Sand Beach’s warmest water temperature is between 55 and 60 degrees in August. Even though it was too cold to swim, it is a great spot for kids to play and explore. Lizzie and I collected rocks for the geology study in the Junior Ranger book.

After the kids got good and sandy, they rinsed off with the hose by the changing rooms. The kids wanted to head back to the hotel by this point.

The kids enjoyed another swim back at the hotel and we ate dinner poolside. Then we threw clothes back on because there was one last adventure to be had.

Bass Harbor Head Light Station

End your day with a visit to Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. The lighthouse is a 30 minute drive down to Bass Harbor.

Check for what time sunset will happen that day and plan to arrive at least an hour before. The parking lot here is tiny and there is no street parking. The earlier you go, the better the chance you have of getting a spot.

You can walk down to the lighthouse itself which is really pretty. But don’t miss the trail at the end of the parking lot that will bring you down a wood staircase to the rocks below.

You have undoubtedly seen amazing photographs of this view of the lighthouse on the rocky shoreline. But beware: this is an Instagram vs Reality spot, because behind those amazing pictures are about 50 people clamoring on the rocks trying to get a good shot.

The sunset there was breathtaking. We had several days of rain, so to see the beautiful pink sky begin to glow was quite the experience. We even had harbor porpoises and seals feeding in the waters right beside us.

DAY 3

Today you will be going backwards down the Loop Road.

Sunrise on Cadillac Mountain

This is going to be your early morning day. If you want to see the sunrise on top of Cadillac Mountain, this is the day to do it. Note that you have to register to summit Cadillac Mountain, in addition to having a park pass. But here is where you have to be ready to pivot at a moments notice.

The sunrise mountain tickets have a staggered release. Thirty percent of vehicle reservations are made available 90 days ahead of each date. The remaining 70 percent are released at 10 am EST two days ahead and they will sell out within the hour. Set your alarm. Put it in your calendar. Even if you score one of these coveted tickets, it is up to the weather gods to cooperate.

Watching the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain has been on my bucket list for ages, as it is the first place the sun touches America. I mean, how cool? I got up at 3 AM on the morning we were to do the sunrise summit and… rain. My hopes were dashed and I let my family stay happily in bed.

Here is the next thing to know: you can only summit Cadillac Mountain in a car ONE time in a week (sunrise or daytime). It’s not like you can get a ticket for every day you are there and just pick the best weather day.

It also means that if your date got rained out, you probably aren’t going to get another ticket because they will be sold out. If you keep checking the reservations website, you will see an occasional ticket pop up if someone cancels their reservation.

I quickly cancelled our reservation as soon as I knew we weren’t going to do it so I could book a daytime summit ticket later in the day when the weather cleared. Daytime tickets are easier to get, though they do sell out if the weather is nice.

So here is my unpopular advice about sunrise on Cadillac Mountain: don’t do it. After experiencing all of the back and forth and high hopes being dashed, just go for a daytime ticket. It’s not worth the stress. Sleep in past 3 AM so you don’t have cranky kids all day. We got tickets at 8:30 AM, just as the sky cleared and it was perfect.

It really is worth it to drive up Cadillac Mountain. The scenic drive is not scary (if you have ever attempted Mt. Washington, it is nothing like that). It is good that they space people out with reservations because parking is less of a challenge.

There are bathrooms at the top along with a gift shop and coffee. We walked around the trails and sat on a rock to take in the views. It was pretty spectacular.

The Bubbles

This was the kid’s favorite hike in Acadia. We actually did the hike twice since the first day was so foggy. The parking lot is tiny, so we had to wait for someone to leave. Just be patient, we never waited long.

This 1.5 mile (round trip) hike is a quick way to access the iconic North Bubble, South Bubble, and Bubble Rock. Visitors can take two short spur trails to reach each summit with expansive views of Jordan Pond and the surrounding mountains. There are some scrambles which the kids love doing.

If you are only going to do one hike, do the the South Bubble. The view of Jordan Pond is breathtaking. This is also where you will find Bubble Rock (aka Balance Rock). It’s crazy to think that a glacier deposited that boulder on a cliff side and it is still dangling there.

Popovers at Jordan Pond House

Having a popover at Jordan Pond House is an iconic experience at Acadia National Park, but you are going to have to work for it. If you can make an advanced reservation, do so by visiting this link. There was nothing available during our visit.

Your best bet is to arrive by 10:30 at the latest. Jordan Pond House opens at 11 and you want to be in the reservations line before it opens. We arrived 15 minutes before opening. They were taking reservations and the wait was already over an hour!

They did give us a buzzer, so I walked around with the kids and checked out the gift store. My husband had the tedious job of parking the car. Of course the lot was full, so he back tracked to the overflow lot. It was also full. They sent him over a mile down the road to the horse stables. That was full. So he came back and circled for a full hour.

Just as our buzzer went off that out table was ready, he walked in the door.

The indoor seating at Jordan Pond house is very nice, but we came for the view so opted for an outdoor table. We sat out on the lawn looking over Jordan Pond and I have to say- those popovers were worth the hype. The food was incredible.

If you can’t get a reservation, don’t fret. You can actually go upstairs to the cafe and order food there. While they don’t sell traditional popovers up there, you can get a popover sundae which looked amazing. You can get the same amazing view from upstairs and it was not crowded at all.

Junior Rangers

Before leaving, stop back at the Visitor Center so the kids can complete their Junior Ranger program. Watching them take the oath and receive their badges was one of the highlights of our trip.

This is something kids can do at every National Park. We also did the National Park passport, where they can get stamps throughout each park. You can purchase a passport in the gift shop.

Final Thoughts on This Acadia National Park Itinerary

This Acadia National Park itinerary is designed for three full days, but adding a fourth day will make your trip more enjoyable. We had rain for several days and were so grateful for the extra time to revisit places in better weather.

If you have extra time, consider adding a boat tour from Bar Harbor or exploring additional hikes.

We missed out on some very popular hikes, such as the Beehive Loop. This is a 1.4 mile loop trail that ascends a 450 ft cliff face. Exposed cliffs, iron rungs, and granite staircases climb this trail revealing scenic ocean views. Considering the ages of our kids, I think I will save that one for the next trip.

Acadia National Park is one of the most beautiful places in New England, and with the right planning, it can be an incredible experience for families.

Helpful links:

• Map of Acadia National Park
• All visitors need a Standard Entrance Pass ($20.00–$35.00) A park entrance pass is required year-round at Acadia National Park. All vehicles must display a pass clearly visible through the windshield.
• If you plan to drive up Cadillac Mountain between (May 24–Oct 22), you will need to purchase an additional Cadillac Summit Road Vehicle Reservation ($6, Reservations are per vehicle, not per person.) Vehicle reservations provide a timed entry to space people out (think of it like a Disney fast pass). This pass is required to drive up Cadillac Summit Road at any time. Cadillac Mountain is not served by the Island Explorer bus system.
• Acadia National Park Activities for Kids
• More info on becoming a Junior Ranger

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