Beautiful and serene historic site where you can . We enjoyed our twilight visit and spent some…read moretime looking at the earthen embankments, the informational signs and plaques, and the peaceful views. We were nearly ready to leave when a woman pulled up in her car - it turned out she lives about 20 minutes away and she volunteers to take the flag down every night. We were honored to speak with her and my friend assisted her with folding the flag. What a lovely sacrifice she is making with her daily flag routine to keep a respectful remembrance of what took place at this site many years ago.

While searching for Maine history we found this battle ground site…read more No metal detectors. Parking and a picnic table. Hard to find, it is behind the Fort O'Brien public school. Very peaceful site. There were once four guns there and a barracks. We were attacked by the British here.

Located inside Acadia National Park. It has a parking lot across the street for you to park and…read morewalk over. I liked that there are steps at various levels, so you can get a range of different views of the rocks and water. Plus it's a great place to get your steps in (if thats important to ya). I really enjoyed this spot on our way out leaving the park. Beautiful scenery to enjoy nature. One could spend a few minutes here or a couple of hours here taking it all in. It was not high or low tide, so I did not get to here the "thunder" but still really cool to look at. According to the internet: "Thunder Hole is a popular inlet known for the loud thunder like boom and spray created when the waves crash into a narrow sea cave. The sound and spray are most dramatic 1 to 2 hours before high tide, but it also interesting at low tide for a closer look at the cliffs." While it was cloudy and chilly on my visit, I still had a great time with my group. Enjoy!

This may have been our favorite place to visit in Bar Harbor. Loved exploring the rocks, the sounds…read moreof the waves, and the scenic view. Hike wasn't bad, was able to park along the road and walk along the way on a paved pathway. On a beautiful sunny summer day, the sound of the waves and smell of the salty ocean was perfect.

This small concrete reinforced bridge spans the Machias River in East Machias. It carries US-1…read more Named after William Pope, it was privately financed by three of his descendants and his seven sons who were early settlers and entrepreneurs of East Machias. In 1902, it was the first bridge to be constructed of reinforced concrete and is believed to be the oldest concrete bridge of any type still in use in Maine. A three-arch, closed spandrel structure, it is the work of Leonard Metcalf, a preeminent civil engineer and bridge designer. It is the fourth bridge in this location to cross the East Machias River. There is a small parking area on the west side of the bridge where the Sunrise Trail follows the course of the river. Mill Memorial Park (which we did not visit) is on the east side, downstream from the bridge. It is a very pretty bridge and at this time of the year, some of the snowmelt is making for a lovely rush of rapids under the bridge and through the rocks. Stop by for a picture, as we did. [Review 14860 overall, 362 of 2021, number 46 in Maine.]

This place is waiting for you. A little bit of history along with the simple beauty of a lighthouse…read moreon a cliff surrounded by trees, the waves lapping the coastline, various trails made spongy-feeling by the dense foliage long since released from its branches leading down to the shore, benches under a thick pine awning, amazing water views ... wow. Come during their hours of operation and get a tour of the lighthouse and the Burnt Coat Museum. Learn some island history from the kind folks who manage the lighthouse. If you have a special event and are looking for a place to host it, you are able to rent the Burnt Coat Harbor House next to the lighthouse. This is my third trip, and although they closed 30-minutes prior to my arrival, Kimberly, as she was exiting the building, stopped to talk with me and answer a few questions. I learned that Harbor Island (the big island straight across from the lighthouse) is owned by four families, has a wharf, electricity and they allow visitors to dock and hike around the island. If you're feeling *really* adventurous (and have a boat) you can take advantage of that opportunity as well.

beautiful to catch a sunset here. the lighthouse is so cool to checkout. i remember seeing a…read morebutterfly around here. highly recommend

Wonderfully clean and quiet state park, with honor system parking. There is a sandy and pebbled…read more beach on one side facing Englisman Bay and Simpson pond on the other. Flat walking trails and picnic areas. It was not at all crowded when we visited just after Labor Day 2026. A lovely way to spend a few hours or the entire day alone or with friends and family.

This is a great spot. Parking , bathrooms and a long empty beach. Lapping waves. Very cold water…read more Lots of sea birds This is a pay to park beach, honor system.

Excellent way to see acadia, the harbor, and the islands. Ruth did a wonderful job educating us on…read morethe history of the islands lighthouses and wildlife. Definitely a not to miss event in the fall. I am glad that i had the chance to go out for a three hour trip before the incoming noreaster. Super professional staff and quite an array of different tours to suit everyone.

I would not want to be on this boat if it was 100% full. I think we went on a day that was at 40%…read morecapacity and that was enough people. Crazy people crowded the top deck and spent hours out in the cold...I wouldn't do that. The second deck is kind of stuffy and you have to watch mostly from inside. The first deck is where it's at. If you sit at the windows of the forward section on the Friendship V, there are not benches outside the windows as there are with the back half of the deck. So you get a nice clear view unless someone stands along the rail. Most of your time will be spent cruising. We were out for 3 1/2 hours. We probably spent 45 minutes actually watching whales and other animals. On the way to the boat we grabbed breakfast next door at the Sunrise Cafe to take on the ship and while the reviews were very good, the food and price weren't worth it and they are definitely charging tourist extortion prices. Either get up earlier and go somewhere else or eat at your hotel before hand. If you plan to ride on the top deck you will need to bring all kinds of warm weather clothing. Sitting inside while underway is the way to do it. I was in a t-shirt most of the day and would throw on a light zip up hoodie to go outside when they found a whale or something interesting. But the people who stayed outside had to bundle up quite a bit. It was 75 in Bar Harbor but 55 on the water and even colder when the ship was moving close to 30mph. It covered almost 80 miles during our voyage. By the end most of the people that ran, yes, they literally ran to the top to sit shoulder to shoulder with strangers...they all came inside. I don't think that would have been possible on a more crowded ship. The first thing they spotted was a pod of dolphins. Then the saddest thing happened. We came upon an injured juvenile humpback whale. He couldn't dive and had a huge injury and was practically dying before our eyes. All my life I have been waiting to see a humpback whale and when I finally did it was super sad. They found some fin whales later that kept diving and coming up in groups and that was cool to see. Definitely bring binoculars or rent them. They are $20 to rent and you must leave your ID with them so they know you'll return them at the end. We also got to see some remote lighthouses which had a bald eagle and some seals or walrus hanging out in the water...can't remember which species. You could barely see their shape since they were far away and their color was close to the rocks. I included a picture of the on board menu for snacks and drinks. They are quite reasonable. The bathrooms start off nice and clean and get progressively festival porta-potty like as the voyage progresses....I guess it's hard to not make a mess when the boat was rocking and rock it does! We didn't even have high seas or bad seas and it moves a ton. Bring dramamine or take it before you leave if you think you might need it. Lots of people throwing up on our trip and you can't escape the sound. You're welcome to bring snacks and drinks and I recommend it since you don't know how long you're going to be out. All in all it was a great trip and each one is like drawing cards. The trips after ours saw way better wildlife but you just never know what you're going to see so just take the chance and go. Completely worth it and very reasonably priced at around $90/adult.

This was a very interesting site to visit. There isn't as much to it as there is at some other NPS…read moresites, but it's definitely worth a quick visit if trying to visit NPS sites and are anywhere near the area. The history of this place is pretty wild. It's hard to imagine the indigenous people here seeing the ships come into the bay in the early 1600s (before Jamestown!). Informative signs, impressive statues and so forth adorn the smallish park and convey their story. A short movie helps tell it too. The parking lot is quite small, but that wasn't a problem thankfully, and I think the smallness of the site allows for a quick turnaround of visitors. This was also my first International Historic Site, which struck me as cool. My phone wasn't happy, as it kept flipping between Eastern and Atlantic time, and that I think was some of the charm. It's right on the New Brunswick border, and I believe they have a similar site on their side of the border.

This is a small historic site. There is nothing much to see. Great view. Good place to have quick…read moreoutdoor lunch. Good for a little walk. Worth visiting if you happen to be nearby especially if you are into history.

This spot was in the absolute middle of nowhere. If you are like us and staying in Bar Harbor, it…read morewas a long drive on one-lane roads with huge potholes to get here. We were in town during the off-season early May before everything tends to open back up about mid-month. So, nothing to eat and nothing to do. Town was deserted. The lighthouse is pretty - but it's not a hike to it, more of a short walk and rock scrabbling to get the instaworthy shot everyone wants. Small parking lot which I can see as a major problem during summer... we had no issues on May 2nd. There are a couple nearby hikes that can be found 2 minutes drive - with super small parking areas.

Great views particularly at sunset...but the small parking lot, which accommodates about 20…read morevehicles, can get full. During our visit, about 40 minutes before sunset mid-week in late August, we, along with about 4 other cars, patiently waited along Lighthouse Road while cars left in order to take their spots. It must have been good timing as about 5 cars left within about 10 minutes. The path from the west of the parking lot, takes you down directly to the lighthouse. The path to the east of the parking lot is very popular as you can take some stairs down to the rocky area which gives you some great views of the lighthouse set to the backdrop of the rising or setting sun. Note that the west path is fairly easy to navigate, but the east path has stairs. You then have to climb onto (some uneven) rocks in order to get a clear view of the lighthouse. This may be difficult for mobility-impaired individuals or those with strollers. Note that during our visit here we did NOT have to show any park pass to enter and park in this area.

This part of Acadia National Park. The view is breathtaking, ocean by mountains, rocks. Do I dare…read moreventure out on the uneven rock steps to see a closer view? I did not. You take a chance if you do so if you're in shape and brave you still must be very careful. There is a small parking lot so that's why I took the Island shuttle you get from the visitor center. They are organized, air conditioned and numbered so take that instead of driving in. It is beautiful and your not here very long unless you want to stand or sit on the rocks you were brave to try.

Gorgeous views of the water…read more We did the Ocean Path Trail from Sand Beach to Otter Cliffs, and unless you have plenty of time and are just looking for a nice relaxing walk on the side of the road, I'd recommend parking in the closest lot to the cliffs and just doing the trail from there. This portion is more of a hike with some minor inclines and rocky paths. We came while it was raining and foggy, so the views were nice but limited, and there was no wildlife out whatsoever. However, I can only imagine how beautiful it would have been in the sun with good weather. Definitely be careful here when it's wet as the rocks are smoother and can get pretty slippery. Good stop worthy of the views.