Acadia National Park has been on my list of "must visit" parks for years. I've been talking to…read morevarious friends about a trip there for a while. While searching for a last-minute 4-day weekend birthday trip - the timing seemed to work out to visit Bar Harbor and Acadia. I was here from 30 April - 03 May and loved it. Not everything was open, but enough was open that I was able to explore and see most of what I wanted in Acadia (Cadillac mountain opened ON 30 April so, we were able to drive to the top, park and walk around without a permit/pass before season starts in a few weeks. We hiked Beehive, Jordan Pond, Ocean Path, Homan's Trail and a few other short park and walk items. By far, my favorite was Beehive as it's just scary/steep enough to give you a thrill, gorgeous views. I also loved Homan's trail - easy and short, but beautiful rock work. The ranger also told me that one of the women who originally donated a ton of the land for Acadia and wanted to do so anonymously was last name Homan, so this is honor of her. And what a beautiful trail it is! The visitor's center is small but as always, friendly and helpful rangers who helped me prioritize my must-sees and map out the best use of time/driving to get to everything I wanted to do in two short days. Schooner Point lookout is also an easy/quick stop off before entering one of the park entrances - and a beautiful view of the ocean. Bar Harbor is charming and fun and welcoming and at that time in late April/early May - no waits for anything as season is just beginning. Can't wait to come back!

Acadia National Park is probably the premier natural site in the northeast. Its a beautiful park…read morewith forests, mountains, coasts, and other natural scenery. This was my third time visiting. We arrived late in the day and went to Anemone Cave. OK, this was a bit of a fail. The coastal scenery was nice, but the area around the cave was very slippery and I never made into the cave after seeing how hard it would be to get in there and then back out. Someone familiar with the site told me there weren't any anemones there anyway. So that was a bit of a fail. But the next day we went up Cadillac Mountain, drove around the main part of the park, stopped at the beach and Thunder Hole before having a late lunch at Jordan Pond. It was all very nice and we enjoyed it. The next day, we went to the western side of Mt. Desert Island and saw the part of the park over there. Very nice and much less crowded! Overall, it's a beautiful place and I would definitely recommend it if you are in Maine and have the time (and if you dont, you should try to make time for it).

I hiked the Hollingsworth Trail and it was well marked and relatively easy. Just have to be mindful…read moreof some roots and rocks. It looped around the Rocky shoreline,, which was beautiful. So it was. The ride to The preserve (Pigeon Hill Rd) is scenic. Parking could be tight on the busiest days but I was lucky!

We hiked the Birch and Lobster Point trails. There is a fairly decent sized parking area at the…read moreBirch/Lobster trail head, which is the first parking lot on the right. There were only a couple of cars when we arrived on a Thursday in September. The trail starts off in a mass of blueberry fields. Unfortunately for us, it was past blueberry picking season. As a note, you can only hand pick the blueberries, no rakes are allowed. The trail then enters the woods, and you are in the woods until you reach the water. The trail is gravel/natural mulch which makes for easy walking. There are some roots but it's not too bad. In several wet areas, they have built boardwalks. There are some strategically placed adirondack chairs at various viewpoints of the water. They were very comfortable - what a great idea! So, if you plan ahead, you can pack a lunch and dine by the water :) As you hike along, there is a spur trail that takes you to Lobster Point. When you return to the main trail, the loop trail to Birch Point is not far away. Once you leave Birch Point, continue around the loop. There is a pretty narrow part through some low bushes that is cleared just enough for you to walk through. Then you come upon a very open, rocky space that is on the water. Another place that would be fun to hang out and have lunch. Finish the loop trail and head back to the parking lot on the original main trail. This isn't a hike that will get your heartbeat up; however, it is an enjoyable walk with some great water views. It took us about 2 1/2 hours but we lollygagged around quite a bit. There were some bugs but they weren't too bad in September.

This was my favorite hike in Acadia! A bit challenging, but worth it…read more If you are even remotely afraid of heights, this is probably not the hike for you. My husband turned around and bailed, and several people I passed were scared and stuck at difficult spots throughout the climb. It starts with some serious rock scrabbling and then it only intensifies from there. You have to be able to climb vertical metal bars punched into the stone and navigate some pretty narrow ledges with sheer drops (think mini version of the worst parts of Angel's Landing) to get to the top. It's not long - less than a mile - to the top. But, it got a little intense. I LOVED it. Wonderful views throughout, beautiful and just challenging enough to get the blood pumping. It's not encouraged to go back down the way you came - and you can easily continue on hiking as it meets up with a loop to come back down to the parking area or you can continue on some other trails to continue your journey.

I visited around 7 am, and the trail was not too busy, but there were some lines and short waits of…read moreless than a minute at the most exposed areas of the trail. I think the cliff exposure is similar to Angel's Landing, but this trail is much shorter and not as strenuous. It's no walk in the park either, so definitely be safe and there's no turning around in the difficult part once you start because there's only room for one-way. If you have rock climbing experience, it makes a huge difference because it felt like a long slab climb with jugs. The trail was honestly shorter than I expected, and I completed the loop returning via the bowl trail in less than 2 hours. Great views throughout with lots of resting points so you could easily spend longer. You can chill by the pond on the loop, or relax at Sand beach nearby afterwards.

Village green is a large open green space that's kind of in the center of the downtown/harbor/…read moreshopping area. We parked on the street in front of the square to let our dog out to use the restroom and walk around. We also wanted to do some shopping and this is a prime location to start your journey on foot. There are great stores in every direction. We had to use the restrooms as well and there is a public restroom across the street from the green near the police station. We ended up spending 20 or 30 minutes at the green itself, walking the path around the little gazebo and enjoying the fact that we were visiting during the off-season. It's just a beautiful, welcoming space with great views of the historic buildings in the area. If we return, I would definitely stop here again and maybe grab some food from a local restaurant and enjoy a picnic here or just a snack on the bench.

I was in town to run the famous Mount Desert Island Marathon. The Village Green was used as the…read morestaging area for the race. I thought it was the perfect location for runners to hang out right before running the race! It was centrally located in Bar Harbor so it was easy to get to no matter where you were staying. The start line for the race was just a hop, skip, and a jump away.

We had a nice day here, driving the loop, hopping into the cold water and hiking beehive…read more The hike was the most memorable. Dare seeker kind of heights with no railings. I had with me a fanny pack that impeded my movement - the cliff side overhangs were small enough for me to feel a wee nervous about the pack's width further from the safety of the rock face. My husband had a metal water bottle he had to keep one hand on. Also quite a bit of a burden. Should have left it so he could have both hands on some of these scrambles. My pre-teens loved the steps and ladders made from bent metal bars forced into rock. It was like a jungle gym with real life stakes. And the view! It was gorgeous. Worth the climb, even if the journey wasn't stupendously adventurous.

To Acadia National Park Management,…read more I am writing to express my frustration with the parking situation we encountered today at the Visitor Center. We arrived in our motorhome specifically looking for the designated RV parking, only to find that cars were occupying the spaces marked for RVs. Because of the size of our motorhome, we cannot simply pull into a regular automobile parking space, so when cars take the limited RV spaces, it can leave us with nowhere to park at all. What made this especially frustrating was the inconsistency in parking enforcement that we observed throughout the park. Along the Park Loop Road, we noticed vehicles receiving warning stickers when they were parked improperly or were sticking only a few inches into the roadway. Yet at the Visitor Center, we did not see a single car parked in the designated RV spaces receive a ticket, warning, sticker, or any other indication that the parking restriction was being enforced. If Acadia National Park is going to designate certain spaces specifically for RVs, those spaces need to be enforced. RV parking is already extremely limited, and cars have many more parking options available to them than visitors traveling in motorhomes. We understand that Acadia is extremely busy and parking is challenging. However, that makes consistent enforcement even more important. It is difficult to understand why minor parking violations elsewhere in the park appear to be actively enforced while cars occupying spaces specifically reserved for RVs are allowed to remain without consequence. We hope the park will address this issue by monitoring the RV parking area more closely, clearly marking it as RV-only parking, and enforcing those restrictions just as consistently as parking restrictions elsewhere in the park. Visitors traveling by RV should have a reasonable opportunity to use the parking spaces that the park has specifically designated for them. Thank you for taking this concern seriously.

What lovely gardens inside Acadia National Park! The signage is excellent with many examples of the…read morevarious plants, flowers, trees etc. the paths are also nice as well. I would highly recommend!

Less than an acre, this is a nice short stop along the Park Loop Road. During our visit in late…read moreJune, there were a few flowers blooming. The plants are labeled for easy identification. Parking is readily available.

Bottom Line: A short, moderate hike with great views that departs from Sand Beach…read more For a quick hike offering great views of the Sand Beach and the Atlantic Ocean my husband and I chose the Great Head Loop. The hike is 1.3 miles if you take the shortcut or 1.9 miles if you do the whole loop. The hike had a little bit of rock scrambling and some standing water. I was glad to have sturdy hiking shoes for this short and scenic trek. To get to the trailhead we parked in the San Beach parking lot and walked across the beach to start our ascent up Great Head.

Wonderful trail in Acadia national park. It wasn't too hard at all, good for families and adults…read morealike. Opens up to see the water with some amazing views. You do have to cross the Sand beach to get to the start of the trail. This was the only thing that was confusing, otherwise it's well marked. It's a good alternative to the Beehive trail that's a lot more challenging but starts at a close by trailhead. Get to the parking lot early though because it fills up.

This is totally THE place for hanging out! With a campground and great places. This is a great…read moreplace to be! Before you even go into the park. You see the attractive display of colors in the area! With lots of Acadia-based places. Like cafés. Inns. And even airplane rides. All of which offer great things! Plus it's on an island. Wow! Then the campground. One word: Perfect! With nice staff and great places. Including an amphitheater and a group campsite. This is the place to camp. As well! It's easy to get used to. And with tons of insects of all shape and form. This is the true nature lovers joint! And hiking is a option! So go out there. Hikers! Overall. This is THE resort! I advise you go here for everything regarding nature. so go on ahead!

Acadia National Park is beyond gorgeous and offers so many activities. There are so many trails and…read morepaths for hiking and biking, ranging from easy to hard. You can also go grab lunch in the park at Jordan's Pond House, a classic restaurant in Acadia. This is the perfect place for any person, regardless of physical activity level. There is something for everyone. I also highly advise taking one morning to go watch the sunrise on top of Cadillac Mountain. The sunrise is the first sunrise in the whole country. It was absolutely breathtaking and such a special moment to experience.